Affordable Fall Fashion
This time of year is definitely sad for me. Summer, my favorite season ever, is ending. The warm weather begins to fade into crisp mornings. Tank tops, shorts, and sandals are packed away to make room for cardigans, boots, and jackets. Most importantly, its the start of a new school year. Most evenings are spent on the couch planning curriculum.
Well, every cloud has its silver lining. At least I get to shop for some new clothes. 
Back to school shopping isn’t only for kids!
Since we just came back from a long vacation, it wouldn’t be responsible for me to spend lots of money. However, there are some things on my wishlist:
- Denim jacket. The only one I had was an ill-fitting gift from an ex-boyfriend that I recently gave away. I love denim jackets but its difficult to find the perfect fit.
- Tall brown leather boots. I still have my tan Kasia boots from Target that I bought last year. They’re cute but they’re a bit large on my calves. I’m a quest for boots that fit me well and have a heel to give me some height. Then perhaps I won’t be mistaken for a high school student by people I have worked with for 6 years.
- Black lace-up combat boots. Because YOLO.
- A new winter coat. I’ve been wearing Melody’s hand-me-down coat for three years. Its got some tears in it and despite the new zipper I put in last winter, its seen better days.
- Wool vest. I am infatuated with vests, probably because I’m obsessed with Angela Chase. I have a cropped black one by Alice Temperley for Target but I have yet to find “The One.”
Love the vest and leather crossbody.
Anyway, enter a much needed shopping girl date with Helene. Before reconnecting with Helene (my high school buddy with whom I’d lost touch for ten years!) I never though I could shop successfully at thrift or consignment stores. Not because these types of stores don’t have nice clothing, but because I simply wasn’t stylish. Now that I have a friend to suggest and discuss pieces with, I absolutely love thrifting. Its like budget-friendly treasure hunting.
We had a two-hour window before Helene had class, so we decided to stay local and shop around in Park Slope and nearby Cobble Hill. We stopped at Housing Works, Beacon’s Closet, and the newly opened Buffalo Exchange.
Housing Works is usually better for housewares. Today, they had these awesome pot holders made of old sweaters and oven mitts made of denim jeans and Dockers for $2 each. They were so adorable but we didn’t need any of that so we passed. I also saw a navy blue Luxe dress for $25. Pretty, but more than I was looking to spend. So we left empty-handed.
Our next stop was Beacon’s Closet, which does not disappoint. There was so much cute stuff! I saw tons of stuff I liked, but restrained myself and walked out with wishlist stuff.
A fitted motorcycle-style denim jacket! This thing is super soft and fitted and I can wear a light sweater under it. The sleeves are a bit long but then again, all sleeves are long on me. I actually like having long sleeves sometimes because they keep my hands warm on chilly Fall nights.
The best part was of course the price: $13.95. Huzzah!
I also picked up this black fitted wool vest by Theory. This guy is in pristine condition and fits like a glove. Its appropriate for work, hanging out, and dates with ST. At long last, I have my fitted vest. 
And of course, the price tag is the icing on the cake: $16.95. I have no idea who would want to sell their Theory vest for $6 (35% of the selling price) but I thank you my friend.
I almost skipped out of the store after paying $30.90. Helene got an awesome gray tweed jumpsuit to wear during September Fashion Week for $15. It was new with tags and by Tucker for Target.
Our last stop was Buffalo Exchange. This store is relatively new and still smelled of fresh paint when we walked in. Its large, spacious and the staff are friendly. I saw lots of cute stuff – gray BDG jean leggings, Rock and Republic jeans for $12, tall Doc Martens for $75, a Coach leather bucket bag for $24, and a black patent leather Marc Jacobs tote for $88.50. I restrained myself while Helene walked out with a pretty and brand new cream chiffon top for $6.50.
What fun shopping adventures have you gotten yourself into lately?
Costa Rica Road Trip – The Overview
ST and I have never been to Costa Rica so the first thing we did was research popular points of interest. Then, we chose all the places we wanted to visit. After that, we laid it all out on a map and decided which route would be most feasible over a two-week period.
We selected the following areas based on recommendations by friends and family, and after factoring in distance and time. This was our itinerary:
Liberia – 3 nights: Playa Grande, Playa Tamarindo, Rincón de la Vieja, Simbiosis spa, Guaitíl village
Playa Grande, the most beautiful and tranquil beach I’ve seen to date.
Doing a pretty intense hike at Rincón de la Vieja.
Arenal – 4 nights: Arenal hanging bridges, Fortuna waterfall, Tabacón hot springs, Venado caves
View of the Arenal volcano from La Fortuna de San Carlos.
ST worked out the knots in his back at the Tabacón hot springs.
Jacó – 3 nights: Downtown Jacó, Playa Hermosa (the highly recommended Manuel Antonio was also on the agenda, but we were too pooped to drive one hour each way)
The view of Playa Jacó from our hotel room.
ST enjoying the warm waters of Playa Hermosa, the first black sand beach we’ve visited.
Tamarindo – 1 night: Playa Tamarindo and the surrounding area (our last night)
In total, we drove about 400 miles. 
It didn’t feel like we were in the car for hours and hours, simply because there was so much to see and talk about. We saw a cattle stampede and two cowboys chasing after them. There were also countless chickens, roosters, goats, horses, and cattle roaming free along the road.
Some things to consider if you’re planning on taking a road trip in Costa Rica:
- Rental car agencies charge A TON for insurance. I booked our SUV from Kayak for $312 from Economy. When we got there, the nice man hand-wrote a bunch of prices for insurance and claimed it was mandatory. So, we ended up paying over $200 extra for liability insurance (the cheapest option) and our total was beefed up to $580.
- Gas is expensive. Gas prices in the C.R. are comparable to the U.S. We got an automatic Hyundai Tucson circa 2000 and it cost $65 to fill it up. We only had to do this twice, but it still stung.
- You will get tired of driving! ST loves driving so we didn’t think this would be an issue. However, hours of driving in the hot sun over a very bumpy dirt road can wear down a man’s driving stamina. I’m lucky he was such a champ and very good with directions.
- Book a hotel that offers complimentary breakfast! I cannot stress this enough. It was so nice to not have to worry about paying for a meal. Often they were so filling that we didn’t have to eat lunch. This is helpful when you’re on a long hike and can’t stop to eat.
- Costa Rica is very expensive. ST did some research and found that food was relatively cheap in C.R. Whatever website he found must have been out-of-date because food is definitely not cheap. A simple lunch cost $20-30 while dinner was often $40-60. The prices are comparable to NYC. Additionally, August is the wet season, which is considered their off season. The prices are likely even higher during the dry or high season. They even charge you to leave the country! It cost us $28 per person in “departure tax.” That just made us shake our heads.
This is how we saved $$$:
- Take a break of restaurants at the grocery store. This is our favorite way to save money. Instead of eating out, we hit the local grocery store for sandwich ingredients and breakfast food. Costa Rica has the BEST ciabatta bread. They also sell mayonnaise in bags. We love international grocery stores. Which leads me to my next point…
- Buy souvenirs from grocery stores. Costa Rica is known for their delicious coffee. The problem was, most souvenir shops charge anywhere from $10-$15 per small bag. We got ours from the grocery store for $5-6! We also got pineapple tea and ST’s favorite salsas.
- Skip the excursion packages. Instead of booking expensive excursions, we drove to each place ourselves and did without the tour guides. You’d be surprised how cheap most places are compared to the packages prices. We saved $488 by doing this. Our car rental cost $785, which includes all fill ups. After subtracting our savings, our rental cost $297. We would have paid the same amount in cabs and shuttles since we visited so many places.
Up next, what we did in different regions.