Lately, I’ve been wanting a messenger bag for my laptop. I have a purse-style laptop bag, but I wanted something casual too.

Today at Walmart, I found this cute messenger bag from Eastport. It’s got a brown base with green and pink argyle trim. I love argyle! When I got home, I was glad to find that my laptop easily fits right into the bag. But it’s not too bag. It’s just right.

I did a search, but couldn’t find the bag available online at Walmart.com. So you’ll have to try your luck at the store for this one. But it will be worth it. I only shelled out $9.88 for it!

And as you can see, my cat already loves it too

But I found that stretchy clothes made by the Faded Glory brand at Walmart lost their shape quite easily. For example, I bought jeans with stretch material. I was glad to find $15 jeans that were comfortable, stylish, and long enough. But the jeans easily lose their shape and become too long (a problem I’ve never had). I tried on a size lower, but they were too tight.

The jeans thankfully return to their shape upon washing and a belt holds them up quite nicely. I’ve worn them dozens of times, so it wasn’t a wasted purchase. It just wasn’t my best purchase either.

I bought a black courderoy jacket, also from Walmart’s Faded Glory brand, also with stretch materials. The jacket had the perfect look I wanted. But one day it stretched out and it never has regained its shape, even with washing. I hardly wear the jacket at all anymore.

Some clothes stretch and look great. If a piece of clothing is made primarily out of spandex or other synthetic material, you’ll probably be ok. It’s when 2-5% of spandex is added to cotton that you get into trouble.

But not always. I bought two pairs of Walmart capri pants that were stretch that have been fantastic. They were both made by the George brand that Walmart sells. The aforementioned jeans and jacket were both made by Faded Glory. I’ve had great success with the Faded Glory brand in the past, so I was a bit surprised by the disappointment in these pieces.

Hopefully they will master stretch soon, but when you’re buying on a budget, you have to be careful how much you’ll experiment. I might wait for the reviews to come in before I buy more stretch products from Faded Glory. But George is still fine by me.

With experts recommending 7-8 hours of sleep a night, and the fact that I usually spend a couple hours more than that in pajamas - they’re an important part of any girl’s wardrobe. Here are some casual pj sets I’ve found. In future posts, we’ll check out pj pants and more sexy sleepwear.

1. Chococat Green Camisole / Lounge Pant set for women - $24.99 at Amazon

2. Woolrich Women’s Printed Pajama Set - $24.50 at Amazon

3. Betty Boop “Hearts and Flowers” Sleeveless, Capri Pajamas for Women - Currently on Sale for $23.99 at Amazon

4. Blue and Purple Striped Flannel Pajamas for Women - $18.99 at Amazon (also available in Pink Snowflake, White Makeup, Teal Blue Makeup, and Pink Polka Dot)

5. Gilligan & O’Malley® Short-Sleeve Pajama Set - Blue Foulard - $17.99 at Amazon and Target (also available in Coral Pin)

6. Cinema Etoile Women’s 3-Piece Pajama Set - $16.99 from Amazon.com

7. Gilligan & O’Malley® Short-Sleeve Pajamas Set - Pink
- $16.99 at Amazon.com and Target (also available in honeydew and blue)

8. Women’s 2-Piece Pointelle Pajama Set - $9.00 at Walmart

9. Women’s Floral Woven Pajama Pants - $5.00 at Walmart and Women’s Gathered Scoop Sleep Tee - $3.00 at Walmart

10. Women’s 2-Piece Trapeze Sleep Tee and Pajama Shorts Set - $10 at Walmart

And then there are swim suits.

But one company is making it easier for plus sized women. AlwaysForMe.com has a great selection of swimsuits, lingerie and active wear. Check out their sale section for swimsuits that go great with your budget.

I also participate in writing reviews in order to help other people make good purchases.

Something to keep in mind when reading reviews is that more people are likely to be negative than positive. So when you’re reading a review, try to figure out if someone is just a “half glass empty” personality. One way to do this is by reading their other reviews.

You also have to watch out for campaigns to just bring someone down. I noticed this on Amazon today. Some people were upset about a comment an author once made, so they just bombarded the reviews with fake negative ones. But that’s rare.

Reading reviews is a good way to avoid making impulse buys as well. You can remind yourself at the store to go home and check reviews before you buy something. Later, when the emotions of seeing something new and exciting wear off, you’ll be in a better frame of mind to decide if the purchase is a good one for you and your budget (and wardrobe!) or not.

1. Walmart
2. Target
3. Ross Dress for Less
4. T.J. Maxx
5. Forever 21
6. Wet Seal
7. Gap Outlet
8. J.C. Penney
9. Payless Shoe Source
10. Shoe Department
11. Rack Room Shoes
12. Claire’s
13. New York & Company