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A Frugal Wench’s Top Buys of 2024: A Non-Frugal Guide

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In 2024 I spent all of my money… no, literally all my money. But don’t worry, it comes back. Let me tell you about the best things I spent it on!

  1. Blundstones : By far my most-worn clothing addition to my wardrobe this year. I bought them in Melbourne because I knew that buying them closer to Tasmania, where they are originally from, coupled with the Australian exchange rate heavily in our favor, was perfect timing. They go with absolutely everything and take me one step closer to my ever-present nature girl goal.
  2. Silver spoon cuff : Found this absolute gem of a bracelet at the Eumundi markets and the artisan resized it to my arm. It quickly became one of my most prized possessions and my favorite piece of jewelry.
  3. Afends polka dots dress : I scored this at a sample sale for the brand in Byron Bay. It fits like a glove, got it for a steal, and I’ve worn it so many times. 
  4. Peach linen pants from Captains Helm : Need I say more!
  5. Tulip painted umbrella from a museum gift shop in Switzerland : What’s better than an automatic open umbrella with a quality handle? Truly, it’s the little luxuries of life. 
  6. Aesop body balm for a hand cream : Sampled it on the street and my jaw dropped. I couldn’t stop thinking about the smell. I put it on right before bed and it became a sort of Pavlov’s dogs trigger for me.
  7. A box of Crayons : Such an accessible way for me to make art because no set-up or clean-up is required and they are literally 5$ for the big pack, which makes me feel like the coolest kid in class. 
  8. Mother of Pearl phone case : I bought on Jan 2nd for a little over $20 and has lasted me until today, making me happy all year long. 
  9. Yellow painters jumpsuit : I love a one stop shop when it comes to an outfit, getting ready has never been quicker. 
  10. Cappuccino Mug : I found a stall that was selling a man’s handmade pottery collection from his assisted living home after he passed. I’ll give you a moment to wipe your tears. Although I bought multiple pieces, this espresso cup makes me look forward to coffee in the morning. 
  11. Silverware organization tray for makeup storage in my room : The biggest hack for me this year, couldn’t recommend enough. This one was $9 from Marshalls.
  12. Little blue purse from poshmark by the same brand that made knock-off coach bags but with genuine leather in the US : I can’t get enough, Dorcelle for the win!

Frugal Wench Revival: FW Down Under

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Crikey! Bitten by the travel bug once again! Erin and I are off on a new adventure, this time to the land of kangaroos, koalas, and handsome men— all things I’d like to cuddle. We have a general plan of where we would like to visit, swim, surf, and explore. But all this movement presses a larger question– what are we going to wear and how are we going to pack it?! We are in no way, shape, or form, “light packers”. We each brought one of the largest suitcases I’ve ever encountered, a backpack, and a personal item (a Boat Tote and a 2×3 beach bag.. Against my best efforts, my bag is overweight from the get-go. By the grace of fashion gods everywhere, the people checking me in on these flights always let my bag pass on the way there at no charge! Sometimes kindness is enabling… On the return flight….well, we will cross that bridge when we get there. Frugal Wench is locked and loaded for an adventure-filled, summer-chasing 8-weeks mostly consisting of lattes, high step-counts, bikinis, and sunblock. The best part—we’re taking you along! 

We know what you’re thinking. How in the word is a Frugal Wench affording a two month trip? Also introducing, Frugal Wench Professional Endeavors—Looking for a new job after traveling full-time. 

Remember That Road Trip?

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The Frugal Wench Guide to the California Coast

There is one very large exception to us being Frugal Wenches: vacation. More specifically, food on vacation. Even though we were both extremely tight on pocket money after spending nearly every cent to our name in the month of September (birthday month babyyy), we decided to go on a week-long Pacific Coast road trip. We have driven the coast many times before, so I’m sure you are wondering why we decided to go again. One word: Twilight. Summer of 2020 rekindled our desire for the angsty, supernatural teen romance we are still in search of for ourselves.  It was the Summer of Twilight for us and we just had to go to Forks. The plan was simple, drive all the way up the coast, stopping along the way to hit all the spots and end in Forks, just nearly at the Canadian border. If we could’ve lived the entire trip with the iconic and absolutely necessary blue filter of the first film, we would have.

Let’s talk about the highlights – outfit edition:

Day 1:

Audrey: American Apparel tie dyed t-shirt dress (thrifted).  
Erin: Gap green striped 2000’s-esque blouse with denim shorts (also thrifted). 
These were the perfect road trip outfits to wear while driving up the Southern California coast. We made a ton of stops, including Santa Barbara, beached seals and Big Sur. All places where we somehow spent money… all charged on Erin’s ~Visa~. 

Day 2:

Audrey: Black t-shirt from Brandy Melville and black cigarette jeans from J. Crew (thrifted). 
Erin: White cargo capris (thrifted… how else? lol) and a green cut-off tank top by Free People. Giving Keira Knightley in Bend it Like Beckham vibes. 
Another LONG day of driving meant balancing comfort and style, while also channeling a Northern California vibe – foreign territory honestly. The weather had started to cool down so opting for pants with a light top was definitely the move.

Day 3:

Audrey: Anthropologie green, flare corduroy pants, black and grey men’s golf sweater (thrifted) with black plaid high-top vans. 
Erin: Free People cardigan sweater (thrifted), Ralph Lauren white long underwear top, Loft Jeans (low rise and honestly weird but they just hit different with boots), with my Blundstone green suede boots.
Now that we had finally made it into Oregon, we definitely needed to dress for colder weather. Exciting! We only had a short drive from Eugene to Seattle so these outfits were not as comfort centered as our others (see Audrey’s very tight pants), but they worked well for a sunny fall day checking out campuses and drinking coffee with a cute jack russell terrier named Maddy (spelling assumed). 

Day 4:

Audrey: Grey/blue turtleneck sweater (thrifted from grandma), grey men’s Levi’s (thrifted from Captain’s Helm), black low top converse. 
Erin: Blue Ralph Lauren flannel shirt (thrifted from grandma), Levi’s 501’s (outlet), Anthropologie puffer coat (purchased after an assault of too-targeted instagram ads left me without a choice… happy for it though), black low top converse. 
After picking up Erin’s Best Friend Becca (capitalized as an official title), we did some touristy things around Seattle like Pike’s Place Market and the gum wall. We dressed in “comfortable, Pacific Northwest chic” or at least what we thought that would look like.

Day 5: TWILIGHT

Audrey: Thrifted tan and brown striped t-shirt, brown flannel, and J. Crew jeans. Worn with the same plaid vans and Erin’s baby pink raincoat from Urban Outfitters (paid full price and was then marked down 50% a few weeks later…).
Erin: Black and white striped long sleeve shirt purchased in Florence from Misguided (Italian Brandy Melville) under a Target t-shirt appropriately hand-embroidered with “AS IF YOU COULD OUTRUN ME.” Worn with Levi’s 501s (outlet again, different wash), Blundstone boots, and Pendleton raincoat from good old Costco.
All outfits worn on this day were inspired by Bella Swan and Bella Swan only. Bowling shirt on the first day of school with keds meets vampire heartthrob in the PNW… obviously. I think we got the point across.

Day 6:

Audrey: Brown tie dye top, brown corduroy pants, and vintage men’s Levi’s denim jacket (all thrifted). Paired with platform Dr. Martin’s. She was 6’1″ and had Netflix quaking in their boots.
Erin: Orange velvet wrap shirt (thrifted), same Levi’s with torn knee, same Anthro puffer. (not photographed)
For our last day in Seattle, we kept the same vibes going for a morning of brunch and fancy croissants before we started our return journey south. Highlights of this day include the food mentioned above, spending time with good friends ❤ and getting our ears pierced (holes 2 and 3). 

Day 7:

Audrey: Striped vintage (haha) Victoria’s Secret lounge pants with blue Madewell t-shirt. 
Erin: Blue sweater and embroidered pants (both thrifted) with converse.
A LONG day of driving after spending a quick morning in Portland eating donuts and fried chicken sandwiches. With stops along the Oregon coast and in the redwoods, our outfits were comfortable and warm.

Day 8:

Audrey: Vintage rugby shirt from Depop, blue Ralph Lauren baseball tee, also from Depop with same gray jeans. 
Erin: Navy t-shirt under a thrifted hand-made rainbow poncho (I’ve been waiting for this one) with men’s 501’s and converse. 
The morning of Day 8, we took a stroll through Fort Bragg’s glass beach and saw some gorgeous coastline. The outfits were planned for this outing, but were comfortable enough to wear for the very long drive home to San Diego. 
With so many stops and different climates to consider, packing for this roadtrip was sort of tricky. Luckily, our little prius doesn’t have baggage limits and we brought everything we wanted! Within reason of course… As you can tell from our outfit lists, we ended up rewearing a lot of pieces, especially bottoms, which made our packing a little lighter.  Head to our instagram stories for a more in depth documentation of our days on the road.
P.S. Obviously Team Edward till we die.