Give me a reason to go to Target and I will go to Target. Heck, I do not even need a reason other than wanting to sip coffee and take that big red shopping cart down every aisle scooping up things that are necessities that I did not know were necessities until five minutes prior.
I am an unbelievable packer and normally have a plan in place, but with our DIsney Cruise this Summer and International travel, I have been more concerned lately than the average bear with what to bring. I want to be as minimal as possible (more room for souvenirs because #HPTour in London is happening), but also have what I need. Also, it looks like we are traveling during the hottest month to Europe, but even the hottest there is nowhere near what it is here in Florida. I have no idea what that will look like, what the nights will really be like and how that will transition to the ship with wind and such will be, plus we have not planned our cruise excursions either. So help me if I didn’t need to buy hiking boots. There is a washer and dryer, so we do plan to do at least one load (mainly pants and personal items like panties). Also, we have no idea if there is a Pirate Night or any other theme night for that matter and Sean and I agreed to bring outfits for the kids, but obviously, we are keeping it REALLY minimal for ourselves (no pirate hats or over the top costumes, etc., now there is a phrase I never saw mysely uttering outloud) as we do not have the room and I have promised myself and made it my mission that I am going to have everything of mine in one suitcase (cue eyeroll from anyone that knows me).
The plan would be one pair of jeans, leggings (Primark has amazing leggings for $3.50 so I bought five pairs), during the last two Lilly Pulitzers one-day Sunshine Sale (sometimes called After Party) I bought really cute pants (SIMILAR-mine are printed) that I can pair with solid tops (which can be transitioned to other items) and still feel dressy, a couple of skorts (THESE JoyLab from Target are my absolute favorite as they are high-waisted and pleated), skorts from the Lilly sale that are obviously pricier, but were still less than normal. I love that you can dress them up as I wear them to Disney a lot too (perfect for parks to dinner), so they have paid for themselves several times over. I also plan to bring one pair of jean shorts and ribbed tights for my t-shirt dresses if it is cold. I figure that several of these things like the leggings I can wear several times with different tops and they will be comfortable to tour the cities/ports in when we dock.
Super excited about these dresses and wearing them on the cruise!
Pay no mind to the wrinkly flatlay as I have one small toddler in particular who the minute I start this wants to be involved immediately, so the process becomes a wrangling throw down of clothese and a quick taking of a picture kind of sweeping moment.
I did order some of the things shown below online, such as: EV’s Buzz Lightyear dress, the Tinkerbell one, Baby Yoday (still not Grogu) bike shorts, and skorts for myself as the stores never have them in stock and they are nearly impossible to get online (my notifications are always on for the black ones). When if comes to getting skorts, I am always #teamnoshame with the amount I will buy.
I got extra skorts (I ordered three pairs) because I wear them A LOT and I am a sucker for the hidden pocket (perfect to put my phone in for DIsney that I can quickly take out for pictures)…also, they are skorts…does a person go wrong with a good skort….did I ever see myself this excited about a skort…like ever #adulthoodisweird. They were a steal for $15 (I think they were on sale on top of it). I have to look for the pink and black separately online as they are two different kinds even though they both have pleats.
I wanted a dress for formal night that would pack well, but also be comfortable. Lets just say THIS is the Little Black Dress (LBD as the fashion peeps say) that beats all LBD’s. Did I need another dress? No. Did I need another black dress? Also, no. Could I have just worn one of my amazing Lilly’s? Yes. Did I absolutely unequivocally need THIS black dress…YES! I cannot get over this dress and the $25 pricepoint is astounding with how good this dress actually is. The reviews are not lying and all the pictures on the website of people in this dress are all fabulous…Every. Last. One. of. Them. It is so good, that I actually had my notifications on yesterday (it had been sold out in all sizes for a bit and I was lucky to get one when I did) since there was a Cartwheel for dresses and I could not believe it when I was able to purchase another for $17 (this never happens to me when there is a sale and a ‘must have’ item) and I might have bought it in red too. I try not to buy muliple dresses (the same dress more than once other than t-shirt dresses), but this was 100% worth it.
Pay no mind to the fuzz on my shoulder which is something I cannot take my eyes off of.
Since we are discussing things that I got multiples of and I know a cropped top is not for everyone, but I have been digging them even with high-waisted shorts or a longer tank top underneath. THIS one was no exception. It is a nice thick material, the dolman sleeves are a nice dressier touch and I love that you can tie it in back or around or whatever suits your fancy. I ended up buying two more and for $16 and the quality it was worth it. Even though with t-shirt items I try to wait for the Carwheel sales.
Welcome to #nopantseveryday around here with the Commodore. Never was there a little boy that hated them more.
I love a good 60’s inspired mod swing dress and actually got THIS in store when it was spend $40 on clothes, get $10 off. It is something different than anything I have in my closet (but I can see myself wearing it a lot) and although I thought it was a little pricey for almost $40 (okay pricey for Target), getting it at $32 with the discount was more of the sweet spot that I was looking to pay (UPDATE: it is on sale online for $26 so I bought it and will be returning the other). I thought with ribbed black tights it would be perfect for the cruise, touring the city, or to go to lunch/dinner in. Plus, with the pleats and the type of fabric, it will not wrinkle easily, so it is the perfect packing travel dress.
And LOOK, it has POCKETS!!!!!! I may have made the decision based on this alone!
Wanna know what else I got to get to that $40? THIS BlackPink shirt!! If you know me, you know I am a sucker for the Korean Dramas and I absolutely fell in love with this Korean girlband and their documentary, so for $8 (it is actually cheaper if you find it in store), you are going to see me EVERYWHERE in this and hullo, look how perfectly it pairs with my JoyLab skirt….90’s Dana is only missing her butterfly hair clips, which I have, but think that would be towing the line. Thoughts?! I also snagged THESE cropped tank tops which are super cute with the notched top (there is a picture above) and would look great underneath something or just for lounging. I thought they would be cute on the ship to either use for layering or with my pajama bottoms.
You know what I did NOT need and then I used it as a rouse that EV needed it, was this Scarlett Witch Funko Pop backpack. Unfortunately, I cannot link it because it is not being sold online. There was one available at my Target and I know there is a Kate Bishop one too, but I have yet, to come across it. Do I plan to ‘borrow’ said EV’s backpack to wear with my Dr. Strange dress for the premiere tonight, yes, yes I am.
I also did not need THIS pink camera bag crossbody, but it is absolutely adorable and it is perfect for some of the Stoney Clover patches that I got. So although not a need persay, it was a need for those patches which just can’t go about sitting in a bag till the end of time can they?!
I am trying to make sure that all new clothing purchases are items that are a ‘need’ or at least needed for the cruise and I feel that I have done a good job of staying within this lane. I am trying to stay away from ‘special’ clothes as I will need somewhere for these clothes to go when we get back and do not want anything that I do not see myself wearing again and will just end up sitting in the closet mocking me that I made a purchase with no real plan, but that is kind of the crux of Target isn’t it?! Go in for toothpaste, somehow spend $300 and still have no toothpaste…how this happens every single time is what makes Target the wormhole that it is.
