High Heels and Training Wheels: Frugal Fall Fashion

Have you all ever known me to spend a lot of money on what I wear? Or anything really? No, you haven't. If my blog had a motto it'd be "If it ain't broke, don't spend it". Ok, maybe I need to work on that motto. But the point is, I've been screaming from the rooftops (or my blog, tomato/tomahto) how I never ever "splurge" on anything because it's excessive, unnecessary and, in my case, simply unobtainable. We're a one income household full of kids. It just ain't happenin'. But what are you paying for really? A label? Yeah, I can do without that. I'm not a materialistic person. I just can't understand spending nearly double on an identical item just because of a brand name. Price is not always equal to quality. I think a lot of women are misguided and think the higher the price tag, the higher the quality. That age old saying "You get what you pay for" is really ingrained in us but it's an antiquated, archaic notion. Trust me on this, I have a lot of experience behind me!

Blazer (sold out- similar) / Graphic Tee (old- cute option) / Skinnies (exact- on sale!) / Bag (old- similar) / Sonya Ankle Boot (exact) / Aviator Glasses (exact) / Bracelet (thrifted- similar)

Case in point: Have you guys ever seen my riding boots before? Well if you've ever been to my blog at any time during the fall/winter season, the answer is yes, yes you have. They're my favorite pair of boots and quite honestly, my favorite part of fall is wearing those boots. Yeah, my boots make me excited enough to anticipate an entire season. But do you know what comments I hear every time when I wear them? "You got those boots at Payless?? But they're so cute!" People are astounded that I got these awesome boots at Payless ShoeSource. Like what, you didn't know Payless had cute shoes? They're my favorite spot for shoes actually. Those boots everyone loves so much, cost a mere 30 bucks, 4 years ago, and they are still in impeccable shape. Quality shoes at a steal. Bet you feel stupid for spending $100+ on yours now don't you?? Nah, nah, nah, nah, boo, boo! Sorry, saving money apparently brings out the child in me. But seriously, childishness aside, my irrefutable point is that cost is not equivalent to quality and Payless proves my point effortlessly.

So naturally when I started fall shopping this year, Payless was the first place I hit up. I needed cute, quality shoes and Payless has never let me down before. And they still haven't. I luuurrrvv these booties I found! I have a brown pair of ankle boots but I've been looking for a black pair to complete my boot collection (if you can call 4 pairs of boots a "collection"). This pair hit all my criteria: cute, comfortable and affordable. Less than 40 bucks! And if the prices weren't good enough to begin with, I can never turn down a BOGO sale! I left the store with a fab new pair of heels too. 2 (fabulous, quality) pairs of shoes for $50. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I rest my case.

Here are few of the other styles I tried on (and fully intend on going back for). My daughter and I were, no joke, in the store for nearly an hour and we both tried on every pair we could fit our feet into. Like mother, like daughter! So my suggestion to you? Go find yourself a pair of shoes at Payless.....so I don't have to make fun of you for wasting money anymore! I kid, I kid.....kind of.

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8
(I actually brought #5 home with me too! Expect me to be rockin' them on the blog soon!)

What is your favorite spot for frugal shopping? Let me know down in the comments!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Payless via Burst Media. However, the opinions and text are all mine. All Payless shoes were given c/o Payless for review purposes.