Hello, again, Daily Balance readers!

I’m back with a post a bit more lighthearted than my last. Today I’m venturing into previously uncharted blogging territory for me: FASHION!

Don’t get me wrong, I love fashion. Give me an InStyle magazine and I’ll be happy for hours as I salivate over its beautiful color combinations and classic designers. To me, fashion is art. The problem is that I have never been an artist.

As someone who has struggled with my weight for much of my life, I’ve always hidden behind basic black. Black cardigans, black turtlenecks, black tshirts, black dresses. You get the picture. Recently my sister staged an intervention and required that I incorporate some color into my wardrobe. I begrudgingly agreed.

To top it off, I’m broke. Right now I’m working on paying off my debt and so I have very little disposable income to become the fashion-forward person I’ve always envisioned myself to be. This January when I was riding the New Years Resolution wave, I made a goal that I would improve my fashion. To accomplish this, I channel my favorite bloggers like Shannon and jseverydayfashion.com and hit the clearance racks at the mall, Target, and TJ Maxx like it’s my job.

I’d like to share a couple of my favorite finds so far:

Hello bright blue! This look takes my favorite color and mixes in a pop of blue. The best part? The cardigan was $14 on clearance at Express.

When I go out, I almost always wear basic black. This dress was $6.49 on clearance at Target, but I think that with the addition of the skinny jeans and belt it looks pretty darn classy.

Those boots!? $10.99 at Target. I wanted a pair all season but acted responsibly and didn’t spend the money that wasn’t in my budget. I think the fashion gods rewarded my discipline by putting these originally $49.99 boots on a super duper sale at Target. The cardigan? A splurge at $16.99. Watch out for this big spender!

What do you guys think of these combos? To be honest, I was scared to write this post because I thought that people might tear apart my fashion choices. Then I realized that fear wasn’t getting me anywhere and so I took a chance. The reason: to encourage people like me that hide behind their weight, financial situation, or fear to just try it.

We all deserve to feel beautiful and if pretty clothes help us accomplish that, nothing should hold us back.

Thanks again, Shannon, for letting me guest post! It has been a pleasure. I hope you are enjoying the time with your Little. To everyone else: feel free to stop by a Whole Lot of Life anytime to say hi. I’d love to get to know you