Dresses For My Senior Mom

It seems every spring I order my senior Mother a few dresses, and this spring is no different. She was a stylish dresser as a younger woman, and she still cares about her appearance.

Old Navy put a summer dress on promotion for $10, which she likely wouldn’t have chosen for herself, fearing it was too youthful, but I think it will look adorable on her when temperatures are boiling.

She was never a sun worshiper and has lovely skin with no noticeable age spots, so why must she stay all covered up just because she’s elderly during the hottest months of the year?

The dress is 100% cotton with hidden pockets! After reading all the reviews, the word mini doesn’t worry me; women of all ages stated the length was just right. None mentioned it being too short. At 5'7", I might’ve ordered tall for myself to be safe. My Mom is petite in stature. The drop skirt is super cute, and the loose fit will make the dress easy to manage for all necessary functions during the day, including sitting in a transport wheelchair for outings. The scoop neck is high up enough and classic, and the back doesn’t dip too low. Also, the straps are substantial enough and far from spaghetti-thin. We can always carry a shawl or sweater to drape over her shoulders.

During the sale, I got her 3 dresses (the colors you see in the post).  They were a bargain! I bought her a t-shirt (for pants) and 2 layering tanks, also, which she wears under clothing and to bed. All are soft and machine washable. Free shipping to boot!

Mom is wearing this cozy t-shirt dress in pink that I bought for her last spring. Pink and red are her favorite colors. I don’t think her new dresses will bunch up like her t-shirt dress when she sits. Here we are years ago, enjoying a summer day.

I have as much fun dressing my Mom now as I did my dolls back in the day.🌞

How did I do?

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Black Friday Scores

Photo: Uniqlo

Black Friday is THE DAY to score big on fantastic basics. Sure you could buy designer names, but why not save on good quality basics for less in order to splurge on expensive merch that never goes on sale?

Between Old Navy and Uniqlo, you’ll rarely settle for good enough. Paying $50+ for leggings, t-shirts or socks isn’t necessary! The following are Black Friday scores that seem too good to be true, but they’re not! These basics are super stylish and durable without breaking the bank. As a bonus, many of the articles can be machine washed and dried with abandon!

Old Navy offers 50% off --

Leggings - $19.99 for the High-Waisted PowerSoft Full-Length Pocket Leggings + other styles, lengths and colors. I started with one pair last year, now I have 5!

EveryWear Crew-Neck T-Shirts - $6.49 - $7.49 for the Crew Neck with short sleeves. + other choices of styles, sleeve-lengths, neck shapes and colors. Old Navy’s 100% cotton t-shirts feel slight to the touch, yet last for many seasons. Every manufacturer is selling neutral colors, so I was thrilled to find pops of bright colors, namely medium blue and hot pink!

First Layer Tank Tops - In store $5 - Soft jersey, 95% cotton, 5% spandex in 7 colors. I bought my senior mom these in all colors. She wears them to bed, then under all her dresses and t-shirts. They’re very soft.

Quarter Crew Socks 3-Pack for Women - $4.99 - $6.99 - A choice of sock styles, fabrics, lengths and colors. Unlike the socks from H&M, ON’s black will not bleed on your toes! I like a percentage of cotton in my socks, but you do you!

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👚👗🎩👒🧦👚👗🎩👒🧦👚👗🎩👒🧦👚👗🎩👒🧦👚👗

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Now let's move onto another manificent retailer for quality basics! As great as Old Navy is, Uniqlo is a tad more upscale with Japanese innovation, but the sales can be just as good!

Uniqlo has so many basics from outerwear to underwear, from dresses to cardigans to skirts and blouses to accessories like hats, scarves and gloves. Its offerings are too numerous to mention! Customers get quality and style at unbeatable prices. Make a list of needs and chances are good, you’ll find tremendous bargains.  

Warm down winter coats for $199 or less - from short to long

In season’s past at Uniqlo, I bought down coats, down compact vests, merino wool cardigans, HEATTECH hats, scarves and gloves. I wear a rain resistant BLOCKTECH long parka as an ultra stylish raincoat. Before it's cold enough for a winter coat, I like to wear a cardigan and PUFFTECH Compact Vest under my Uniqlo parka. The HEATTECH woven gloves are nearly as soft as cashmere, and they last longer than cashmere. The gloves have touchscreen tips so you can use your smart phone outdoors in winter without removing them. Unlike cashmere gloves they are machine washable, a reason I like them. Still cashmere gloves are also offered. Priced at $14.90 on Black Friday for HEATTECH gloves makes stocking up affordable. You could get gloves for every coat and jacket you own so you never have to remember to switch them!

Before Old Navy and Uniqlo burst onto the apparel scene consumers had to pay 3 - 4 times more for similar quality and style. Not anymore. Go for basics on Black Friday for less! You’ll find all your essentials without emptying your wallet.🛍

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You Save With Home Goods For the Back To College Crowd

All photos and items courtesy of Walmart 

A way to save money is to learn when to pay for top of the line quality verses settling for cheaper good enough quality. Good enough quality should never fall apart by using it, but you’re not paying for one of a kind design, or pricey features when inexpensive options work just as well or sometimes better because you don’t have to baby the item. You or your kids can use it with abandoned. If broken, it hurts less to replace the article. Moreover, a trick of interior decorators to save money is to mix high with low end home goods.

A great time of the year to find bargains is when retailers such as Walmart and Target start to sell Home Goods for the Back to College Crowd. Playful  colors or designs at attractive prices are often offered. Do you need new kitchen, living room, or bathroom auxilliary items? Examples include: towels or washcloths; pots or pans or kitchen tools; a reading lamp, or small clock or flower pots or book ends or organizing baskets. Grab them off the shelves starting in August.

My blog is unsponsored but I think Walmart has some super cute, good enough quality home goods that are also durable. The selection is wide and fabulous at Target too, but Target is always a few dollars higher than Walmart. Both offer decent quality without emptying your wallet! 

Who uses bone china or Waterford drinking glasses nowadays? Certainly not the younger generation nor folks with children or grandchildren. The Back To College Crowd offerings look nice in a home and are priced to sell out!

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Old Navy For Jeans and Cotton & Linen

Old Navy is the place to go for casual smart attire for less than elsewhere, and recently the retailer has really stepped up its game. Take a look at how many styles and shades of jeans, it offers! An absolute steal as its back to school sales are on! You couldn’t match the $15 price tag if you bought the denim then cut and sticked a pair together yourself!

I’m also loving Old Navy’s array of cotton and linen summer dresses of different skirt lengths -- mini, midi or maxi -- that can be dressed up or down. To boot, there are a few rayon or rayon crepe fabrics, which are wrinkle-free and cool to wear on hot summer days. Each style comes in several colors or patterns. Many have pockets!

Of course, you can still find what Old Navy has always sold since opening its doors in 1994 ... 👕🎽👕 t-shirts 👕🎽👕... in crew necks, v-necks, boat necks, sleeveless, short sleeves, or long sleeves. All your summer essentials without breaking the bank!👗

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Macy's Button Pearls Are A Steal

Compare Macy's 8 mm pink button pearls (left) next to my ivory round 7 mm and 10 mm pearls.

In the 1990s, advances in the pearl industry made pearls, the only gemstone created by a living organism, affordable to ordinary people. In earlier eras, only royalty could afford a string of pearls, but today we no longer have to go deep diving, a dangerous endeavor, to find the Queen of Gems and the Gem of Queens in mollusk shells in the ocean. Now pearl farmers grow cultured pearls on freshwater and saltwater pearl farms bringing the production of pearls way up and the costs way down. 

A comparable occurrence is now happening in the diamond, emerald, ruby, and sapphire industries with lab-grown gemstones, and this Lover of Gemstones can't wait for the prices of lab-created diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and sapphires to hit rock bottom!!! With future industry improvements, we'll be able to buy bigger, cleaner, vivid-colored gemstones for far less moola! It's thrilling, count me in!💎

Meanwhile, there are still bargains to find! Every year Macy's offers its 8 mm - 9 mm button pearl earrings with sterling silver posts for $6. Since round earrings are the most popular pearl shape, buying button pearls (dome-shaped) is nearly always cheaper. Yet in your ears, you get the same effect as round ... classic and cute. Expect to buy bigger button pearls for less money. This annual Black Friday offering is especially good, so on Monday, I bought my Mamma a pair of pink button pearl earrings. They are also available in ivory, grey, and black. Many customers order all 4 hues during Macy's Black Friday sales since the price is so low. BTW: These are the 4 pearl colors found in nature. The color of a pearl in nature is determined by the lip of the mollusk.

A criticism I have about these earrings is my universal complaint. Jewelers are skimping on hardware. Nowadays the backs of earrings are so slight wearers are afraid of losing their earrings. The back closures could be more substantial. It takes nimble fingers to put them in your ears. Although slim backs are less than ideal, for sure $6 for real pearl earrings is a steal!

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Don't Buy Too Far Into The Future

I wrote a post nearly 4 years ago about a habit, namely stocking up, I wanted to break. I'm happy to report: I changed! My new purchasing pattern is to Buy One Plus One for many common commodities. You can replace an old habit with a better habit, maybe not suddenly, but one step at a time. Not buying more t-shirts, soaps, shampoos, hair conditioners, or body balms than what I need has not caused any shortages or hardships.

Even when an old favorite is discontinued I've never had to go without. A new and often better product takes its place. Nor have I had to overpay for soap, shampoo, conditioner, or t-shirts because I didn't buy a dozen during a sale. Aren't these the two main reasons we tend to stock up?

In fact, I can think of a few instances when buying a stash of everyday products resulted in a waste of product and money. 

In the late 1990's I loved the Bath & Body Shop's Freesia Scented Body Cream. When the shop's sales manager told me freesia was being discontinued, I bought up a supply to use for when I couldn't buy it. Big mistake! Despite being sealed, scented body creams have a short shelf life. They go bad after 2+ years. The fragrance vaporizes and the ingredients in the cream separate. Moreover, skincare has improved by removing drying agents such as alcohol and adding essential ceramides to restore our skin barrier.  Although I loved smelling like freesia I never understood why I had dry skin until after I stopped slathering on my freesia body cream in winter. The alcohol in the body cream I thought was moisturizing my skin was drying it! 

After I'd bought far too many t-shirts at Express, a newer cut and fabric launched at Old Navy that I prefer. 

Bars of soap from various retailers have been replaced by less messy liquid soaps, as well as, post-Covid hand sanitizers. Yet to this day, I'm still going through my bars of soap, sometimes putting one in a soap dish on the kitchen sink or laying them on shelves inside my wardrobe ... because what else do you do with too many bars of soap? The world has moved on from solid bars of soap!

Often buying a stockpile of a product during a sale is not as cost-effective as just buying one plus one as needed. Our needs are always evolving. What you need today may change tomorrow. So buying too far into the future repeatedly leads not only to clutter but to a waste of product and money. We end up with products after we've moved on from valuing them. 

We simply need enough of an item so we don't have to run back to the store every time we turn around. Usually buying one plus one is the right quantity. I'm happy I nipped buying too far into the future!

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Macy's Black Friday Sales: 5 Lab Grown Gemstones

The last of my Macy's Black Friday gift guides will also discuss whether or not, you should buy lab-grown precious gemstones as jewelry. Regular readers of THE SAVVY SHOPPER already know my answer. Yes! Absolutely and without a doubt, if the price is right. When priced fairly (meaning not inflated) you'll get a lot for your money! 

Lab-grown diamonds, sapphires, rubies, and emeralds are as real as natural-grown diamonds, sapphires, rubies, and emeralds. Lab-grown gemstones are physically, chemically, and optically the same as gemstones that form over billions of years in the Earth's mantle or crust. 

Natural gemstones are more expensive than lab-grown gemstones and tend to fetch a higher price on the resale market primarily because they are in higher demand by the public, but as lab-grown gemstones gain more acceptance ... and now as more retailers are entering the market plus manufacturing methods are getting better and cheaper, this is changing. In fact, the greater acceptance and availability of quality lab-grown diamonds are already lowering the prices of mined diamonds produced in nature.

Under a loupe gemologists and jewelers can tell the difference between natural-grown and lab-grown gemstones, yet both are genuine, authentic, real gemstones because chemically and optically they are the same. Both mined and lab-grown stones are the same chemical elements transformed into various gemstones by enormous heat and pressure. Gemologists can also determine where on earth natural sapphires, rubies, and emeralds were formed, as there are tell-tell signs informing them of a gemstone's origins, so it makes sense they can also tell when a  gemstone is lab-grown.

I sound like a broken record in saying, never think of jewelry as an investment but only as a luxury good with huge markups, things of beauty we love but do not need. Except for high jewelry (the apex of rarity and perfection of cut, carat, color, and clarity) or the estate jewelry of a celebrity, you'll rarely get what you pay for your pieces on the resale market.

The great benefit of buying lab-grown gemstones is customers can get bigger gemstones with higher color grades and few inclusions for far less money. They cost at least 1/3 less than natural stones. Short of a cartel forming, I predict prices will continue to drop.

Whether buying lab-grown or natural gemstones, we still need to ensure we're getting value for a good stone based on cut, carat, color, and clarity. 

For this reason, I'm a big fan of Macy's for mid-priced jewelry that ordinary people can afford, and I'd be over the moon to have any (or all😍) of the five 14k gold large sapphires, rubies, emeralds, or diamond sparklers featured here today. OMG, I live at the right time when huge gemstones can be grown in a lab! Dear Fairy Godmother, gimme!!!!!

Final thought: Black Friday sales come and go. If you miss this one, wait for another promotion to come around. They'll run all season and several times of the year!

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