"maternity" clothes

One of my goals is to make it as long as possible without needing actual maternity clothes. I recently acquired a few cute tops that should help keep me out of maternity tops for at least the next month.

I picked up two cute tops on a recent shopping trip to Express. I'm glad that long tops are popular- since I'm so short they should cover my bump for a long time. I cannot wait to wear the lace top... I'm going to hold off a few more weeks so I can wear it with tall boots. I plan on wearing it with skinny jeans and leggings.

buy it here

buy it here

During our last trip to my parents' house my mom sent me home with a few new tops- she never thought I would be borrowing her clothes!

another open cardigan- I think I will be living in these!

empire waist top- this does a great job accentuating the bump

While I'm doing a post about clothes, I thought it would be helpful to share some of my best shopping tips:

1. Always try it on.

2. While in the fitting room, ask yourself "do I love it?" There is no point in buying something you don't love. Other questions to ask yourself are "is it flattering?" and "do I already own something similar?". If you love it, it is flattering, and you don't already have something similar, then buy it!

3. Never buy something just because it is a good deal. I love a great sale as much as the next girl, but that top you scored for 75% off is no bargain if you never want to wear it. To me passing the fitting room test is the deciding factor- price is secondary. After a few too many bargain purchases gone wrong, I've learned that I'm much happier with one $45 shirt that I love and am excited to wear than three $15 shirts that are just okay.

4. Shop sales whenever possible- this might seem to contradict #3, but it is possible to get clothes you love at a discount. One of my favorite stores is Express, and I've learned to always wait for coupons (I usually get about 2 per month). With in-store sales and coupons, I usually am able to get 50% each purchase.