For my latest edition of  "4 Items Under $50 and 1 Splurge Wish List" I am thrilled to introduce you to Debbie, who is one of my closest friends, and who also happens to be my older sister!

Debbie is such an inspiration to me...she is a working mother of two, an incredible sister, and a loving daughter and wife!  I don't know how she does it all and always manages to look so amazing and put together...as I expect my first baby on the way, she has definitely been my go to source on how to be a young chic and savvy mother.

I'm thrilled to have Debbie sharing her top "4 Items Under $50 and 1 Splurge Wish List" with us today.  She chose to focus on tote bags because they are so important for the mom on the go!  Here is what Debbie chose...

Debbie: Now that I have two kids, I have so much to carry around so having a couple of cute tote bags is critical! 

I have found some very cute tote bags for $50 or less....

The first bag is from my good friend’s store in Concord called Hatch.  Hatch is a very modern and chic store that carries gifts, household goods, and baby and women’s clothing and accessories.  Here is a link that will tell you more about Hatch: http://concord.patch.com/listings/hatch-3

Bag #2: The 2nd tote bag that I am featuring is from Ballard Designs.  You can get a large tote bag from Ballard Designs for just $25 which includes free monogramming!

But my favorite tote bag is not for sale...my daughter gave this tote bag to me for Mother’s Day!  I asked her if she made it at school and she said “No Paula (her teacher) made it!”.  Oh well it is the thought that counts!
 

Hope everyone had a great Mothers Day!

-Debbie

Today I am presenting a new edition of  "4 Items Under $50 and 1 Splurge Wish List!"  Today's guest host is one of my oldest and dearest friends: Amanda Reade Sturgeon! 

Amanda and I met in boarding school longer ago than I would like to admit, and since then we have stayed the closest of friends.  While I am happy to say that Amanda and I are now lucky to  live near one another in NYC, there were a few years when I lost her to the west coast, and she took up residence in St. Helena in Napa Valley.  During her time in St. Helena, Amanda interned at the French Laundry and later was a Sommelier at The Martini House where she met her handsome husband who just happens to be a culinary wizard in the kitchen!  Now that she lives in NYC, Amanda is the Wine Director at Dovetail Restaurant on the Upper West Side in Manhattan.  

Amanda is a dear friend of mine, but she also is an expert in food and wine, and just happens to have impeccable taste and style! 

I'm thrilled to have Amanda sharing her top "4 Items Under $50 and 1 Splurge Wish List" with us today!  Here is what she chose...

Amanda: We use ramekins like this for everything from eating soup, serving pot pies, to use when it's cocktail time and we put out snacks.  They are so practical, timeless, and last forever.  And for some reason it never seems like we have enough. 

Amanda: Sparkling Vouvray rocks.  When looking for sparkling wines at affordable prices, it is often beneficial to look outside of Champagne.  Made in France's Loire Valley with the Chenin Blanc grape, Vouvray is full of stone fruit notes and slightly floral tones.  This producer, Gaston Huet, is considered one of the top.  Pétillant is the style of sparkling wine, meaning that its bubbles are a little less aggressive than others, but they are still there- providing a bead (stream of bubbles that you see in your glass) that is tighter and smaller.

Amanda:I love salt.  We have an arsenal of different textured and flavored salts that are so great to use as a final touch to many foods: currently at home we have Kosher, Fleur de Sel, Sel Gris, Slovenian Sea Salt, and Celery Salt.  But we are out of Truffle Salt, which I love to add just a tiny amount to when I make popcorn.  This black truffle salt from Dean & Deluca is similar to the salt sold at Chelsea Market's Filling Station where their Black Truffle Salt sells for $18.95.

Amanda: Juliska glassware is beautiful.  My job revolves around wine, and even though at work I want to have varietal-appropriate stemware, at home I prefer to use small glass tumblers.  Primarily because it keeps my accident-prone husband far away from the fragile Riedels that we have, and because living in New York our storage space is limited, so I like to have glasses that can do double duty.  I have amassed a small collection of different vintage styles that I often like to mix-and-match.  This tumbler looks like the perfect size to use for my morning juice, water, or even a glass of wine or two! 

Amanda: Albert Boxler makes phenomenal wines from the Alsace region of France, which is in the northeast, bordering Germany.  It has the most amazing and rich texture to it, and super honeyed fruit.  Just a teeny bit off-dry (aka a little bit sweet), it works so well with so many different foods.  I would have it with roast chicken, anything with herbs and lemon, cheese, the list goes on.  The perfect winter white.

And Amanda's BIG SPLURGE...

Amanda: I grew up spending my summers on the water, sailing.  When we would visit my sister's godmother at her house on Nantucket every year, I always always would head into town and get a white rope Turk's Head bracelet, wearing it nonstop until school started, and then I would take it off and marvel at my tan line.  Now that I am older, I am crazy about this gold version from Maine jeweler AGA Correa & Son.  I would wear it for years to come.

Thank you Amanda! 

Hello Readers!  Sorry for the long break...this is my busiest time of year at work, but luckily there is an end in sight!  I am coming up on the tail end of a very busy month, and I hope to have more time for LL4L soon! 

In the meantime I am lucky to have my fabulous friends help me continue to live a luxe life for less!

Today I am presenting a new edition of  "4 Items Under $50 and 1 Splurge Wish List!"  Today's host, Alex, is one of my closest friends, who also happens to have fabulous taste, and always seems to find great bargains!  Alex and I met 7 years ago when we started work at the same school on the same day. At the time  our boss prepared both of us for our first introduction, and warned us that, "you two are VERY DIFFERENT!"  My boss's warning scared me...how different could I be from Alex?  Well it turns out that Alex and I could not have more in common, and we ended up going shopping the first day we met at the J. McLaughlin Outlet nearby!  7 years later, we still laugh that anyone could think that we were that different...we have so much in common from our favorite wine to our obsession with vintage Lilly shifts! 

Here is Alex's Wish List with 4 Items Under $50, and of course 1 Splurge...

Lands End No Iron Pinpoint Cotton Shirt, $44.50
$49.50 with Monogram
Alex: My favorite white shirt.  I have one with a monogram on the cuff and all it ever needs is a quick touch-up with the steamer.

Old Navy Skinny Jeans, $29.50
Alex: I don't think skinny jeans work for my body-type but they look great on my cyber-bod!
 

And get ready to start drooling...the Splurge!

Thank you Alex for your help with today's post and for choosing such lovely Luxe for Less Items and One Splurge!  I think these skinny jeans will be in my Old Navy cyber cart very soon!

I'm Chic 'n Cheap Living and as you can tell by the name, I'm a lady with a lot in common with our dear hostess.  We both have a fond appreciation for living luxe, but saving when possible and choosing quality items worth the price.  Luxurious items are definitely accessible - I like to shop around, look for sales, and keep an ongoing wishlist with Wishpot or pinterest.

Accessories and home decor are great categories with so many different possibilities in every price range so they made up the majority of my wish list for gifts that are $50 or less.  I also believe in splurging once in a while and a statement making suit is definitely something I'd like in my wardrobe (OK still may wait for a sale on that one, but isn't it chic?)  Here are my choices...

(Note from LL4L: If this item is out of stock online or at your local J.Crew store, this skinny glitter belt from Talbots for $29 is another great option!)

(Note from LL4L: If this beautiful wine rack is no longer available online or at your local CB2 store, this 12 bottle wooden wine rack from Crate and Barrel is also gorgeous and a great deal!)

Thanks to Jen for having me and have a lovely vacation!  Happy holidays and happy shopping!

Dear Readers...Thank you for your patience as I try and balance out a few new changes in my life.  As promised I am trying to get back to the blog as soon as possible!  I miss connecting with all of you and sharing great ways to spend less and live better!

For today's post I am happy to introduce a new Wednesday series at Living Luxe for Less called "4 Items Under $50 and 1 Splurge Wish List!"

In the future I hope to connect with some of my favorite bloggers, friends, and family members, who I believe have great taste and ask them to share 4 things under $50 that are on their wish list, and then one splurge...the sky's the limit!

Today I am honored to have one of my favorite bloggers, Lindsay from Starfish and Sundresses, start off this series.  Lindsay has impeccable taste and her blog is at the top of my daily "must read" list!  Look at the four fabulous things she found for less than $50..this cake print by Paul Ferney MUST find it's way into my kitchen too!
Thank you Lindsay!