Splurge vs. Save Campaign: my favorite summer finds for less

I am a bargain shopper. I love finding deals and then recapping to whomever will listen (usually Matt) what I bought and what I saved on my shopping venture. So last week, when I was emailed about participating in the Splurge vs. Save campaign, I knew I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share some of my favorite summer finds with y'all!

Let's start with shoes:

 I love these Tory Burch gold sandals that retail for $195. Super cute, but slightly out of my price range for summer flats.

So I opted for these Target gold sandals instead, which retail for $22.95, and I happened to purchase when all of their sandals were 20% off. So $18- a bit more in my range. :)

They are actually much cuter in person... and when you're not 8 months pregnant with swollen feet and ankles ;)

If you're looking for gold summer sandals, I definitely recommend them!

Now to beach wear:

I love love love this Echo Design hot pink beach coverup that comes in tons of cute colors, but the $78 retail was more than I was willing to spend on something that stays on for a minimal part of the day.

So I found this Jordan Taylor one at TJ Maxx for $14.99. Score! I couldn't find a link to the exact one I got, but here is a link to their other cover-ups that are available online (did you know you can shop TJ Maxx online now?!)

Hats:

I love this Eric Javits fedora, but it's $240. For a hat y'all.

So I opted for this one from Target instead. For $12.99. Yes, I know it's not a white band. But sometimes you gotta make sacrifices to save $220.

Here I am sporting my Target version on our babymoon

and here on our beach trip last week

Dresses:

Love this Amanda Uprichard maxi dress from Nordstrom (although I'd love it more with a little less boob) which retails for $250 (but with free shipping! haha...I'm thinking you better ship that puppy for free if I'm payin $250 for it)

BUT, being that I am very pregnant, and not in the habit of spending $250 on a dress whether I'm pregnant or not, I opted for this super cute (if I do say so myself) Old Navy version that was on sale when I bought and is on sale again right now!

It's not silk, it's jersey. But you can't sweat in silk, and jersey is a heck-of-a-lot more comfortable.

It's not the clearest picture, but here I am wearing it at the beach last week... WITH my Target sandals I might add. ;)

Bags:

There is something about this simple boxy Michael Kors bag that I just love. And while I would be thrilled to unwrap it as a gift, I wasn't about to spend $228 on it myself. Especially since my "purse" is about to be my diaper bag.

So when I found this one at Target for $32.99, I was pumped! Again, I feel like it is much cuter than the online picture shows- I promise (Target needs to step up their online photos!).

This is the best photo I could find of me wearing it (another babymoon shot) so you could get a feel for the size. Just trust me when I say it looks a LOT more like the Michael Kors one in person. And P.S. you can get the bubble necklace on Amazon for $11.99!

So there you have it! And don't get me wrong, I love a good pair of designer sunglasses, jeans, shoes, or a fancy handbag... these items find their way on my birthday and Christmas wish lists every year. In fact, I could easily make a separate post of all of my favorite "fancy" items. But when it comes to day-to-day purchases, I'm much more of a saver than a splurger. 

So how about you?! Where are your favorite places to shop for a deal and what items do you love to splurge on?

Tomorrow we'll be sharing answers to questions you asked in last Friday's Q&A post, instagram post, and emails. See you then!