My Cheap Mama Uniform

A year ago I quit my full-time job to be a SAHM.  When I was working I basically had two types of clothing in my closet.  Work clothes and pajama-esque clothing.  Those of you who work will know exactly what I'm talking about.  If I ever went on vacation or needed to dress cute but casual on the weekends I was usually at a loss because I didn't have any "in between" clothing.  At the time I quit I was 5 months pregnant so I started wearing the casual maternity clothes that I had inherited from friends.  It was only after the birth of my daughter that I realized what a serious clothing quandry I was in!  None of my pre-baby clothes fit but it didn't matter because they were all my old work clothes.  Or my old pajamas.  This is when I found myself in an identity crisis.  Who would I be as this new SAHM?  How would I dress everyday when most days were spent at home?  I didn't want to be a slob but I wanted to be comfortable and, let's face it, a little cute.  I don't know how it happened but I began migrating to zip up hoodies over a coordinating tank top with cotton bottoms.  I would have been in yoga pants (you know - to make everyone think I was actually working out) but my post-baby booty wasn't exactly yoga pant material so I stuck to the looser, athletic looking ones.  I wondered if this new look was going to work and then I caught an episode of Desperate Housewives.  There was cute Eva Longoria as Gaby Solis dressed in her coordinating zip up hoodies and pants!  I decided that character would be my inspiration.  Now all I needed was beautiful long flowing hair.  But that's another post.

The great thing about this new "uniform" was that I now could focus on dressing cheaply as well!  I started comparing prices of my "uniform" pieces at different stores and found that I could really whittle down my clothing budget by shopping savvy and knowing when a price was good enough for me to spend our hard-earned money.  If anyone is looking to manage their clothing budget I would suggest a CHEAP uniform!  Of course, I'm not saying to buy ill-fitting, poorly made clothing but for those of us who are at home most of the day inexpensive clothing from places like, oh, say, the store with the big red bullseye are usually just fine for our purposes.  So, get a uniform!  Maybe your style isn't mine...or Gaby Solis' but I have a friend who rocks skinny jeans and cardigans over tees all the time and she looks fabulous!  She says if you take a peek inside of her closet you will see a row of different colored cardigans (that she found for CHEAP) next to tee and jeans and she always looks great.  She's usually also wearing a great pair of earrings which is part of her signature style as well.

My "uniform" has served me well throughout the fall and winter seasons but now as temperatures are starting to warm up here in south Louisiana I am in need of a new uniform.  This means the next few weeks will find me looking at other chic SAHMs and in magazines for a new look that I can acquire for CHEAP.  I'll keep you updated on what I find...

In the meantime - from One Cheap Mama to another - find your own uniform and rock it mama!