Disclaimer – This is a sponsored post brought to you by thredUP.  All opinions are 100% my own.

Summer activities are here and I am a park-hopping, splash-pad-visiting, farmers-market-shopping fool!  One of my favorite things is making sure I’m dressed for all the summer occasions so that all the photos are something I’m proud to add to the family yearbooks!  I realized a while back that I loved taking all the photos of what we were doing together….but I kinda looked like a grizzly bear if I didn’t plan my outfits and then I hated the photos (even when the kids looked 1000% adorable).  It was a confidence thing.  I loved those memories but the photos didn’t match up with how I remember them!  So now I take a few extra minutes and pull myself together with the help of super cute clothing.

Of course, I wanted to share with you the finds I got this summer at thredUP that are making me feel so confident.  These are some of my favorite new pieces and they were all super affordable.  For those of you new to the scene, thredUP is the largest online consignment and thrift store and my go-to place to save on my favorite clothing brands. They list TONS of like-new items every single day for up to 90% off estimated retail price. And they come wrapped in polka-dots so you know they are just as cute outside as inside!

Oh hey…just teaching my daughter the joys of clothing shopping 🙂

The best part about getting the box is opening it up and discovering that the items are even better in person 🙂

And when I say that the clothing is like-new….I mean that a lot of them are still sporting their store tags.  These J.Crew shorts were perfect for 99% of the summer activities we had planned and I got them for only $15.99 (and you can see they were $45 in the store!).

And now I’m here to share some of my tips for buying summer wardrobe items so that you can be prepared to look great for all those summer memories!

PLAN YOUR EVENT OUTFITS

I spend so much time planning the event that sometimes I forget to invest a little time in me.  I will pay so much attention to planning the menu, communicating with friends and cleaning the house for hosting events or heading out to special gatherings but I always look a little spread thin when the actual event happens.  It’s because I forget that I am special too.  When I take the time to make my summer event outfits part of the planning – I don’t dread serving up smiles!  It’s not always easy as a mom to make yourself a priority AT ALL but when I do, I feel so much better about the entire thing.

One of the items I scored at thredUP is this bright red J.Crew skirt.  I got it because I felt like I could dress it up or down and it would be great for cook outs.  It is also perfect to take to the office or church but I paired it with a tighter tank and sandals and topped it off with a fun matching headscarf and now it feels super summery.

If I would have bought it in the store, the price would be about $98 but I got it for only $12.99.  And thredUP has lots of bright colorful options that can be dressed up or dressed down for summer fun!

THINK NAUTICAL

I like to be able to look at an outfit and pair it with the activity that we are doing….and summer has a lot of water-related fun so I always pop nautical flair into the mix.  I love being able to pair a blue and white sweater with crisp white shorts for a tell-tale sign that we are hitting up the lake or beach!

And the great part is that it’s a sweater!  (duh, right?!)  It is gonna keep that crisp breeze off me now and I can pair it later with jeans and a blanket scarf for fall.  Thank you dear sweater for your flexibility 🙂  Normally this Boden sweater is around $100 but I got it for $30 and it’s definitely a keeper.

I love too that I managed to find matching sandals.  Espadrille style sandals are a super easy way to announce your summer outfit and these Nine West ones were only $20.99 (down from an estimated $71).

And then there are white shorts.  If you don’t have white shorts in your summer wardrobe, then you are missing out!  I always thought that white shorts meant see thru pants.  But in recent years, these retailers are on to something!  They are making them crisper and a bit thicker with better lines so that means we get flattering cuts.  Trust me….I literally never would let someone take a photo from behind me until I saw these!

FLOWING OFF THE SHOULDER TOPS

It doesn’t take a genius to realize that off-the-shoulder tops are a big hit right now.  And for good reason.  They are flattering, breezy and lightweight.  I personally like ones that have a more flowy silhouette and sleeve….I don’t need tight fabric when I’m sweating to this Atlanta heat!

I found that this one-size-fits-all pink top (only $21) was a great look for going to a theme park….it was nursing friendly, looked dressy even though it was just a t-shirt material and had great breathability!

COLORED & PATTERNED SHORTS

If colored and patterned shorts are wrong, I don’t want to be right!

Some of my very VERY favorite shorts are the elastic waist ones from J.Crew.  I think I have six pairs now!  They retail for about $60 and are worth it in my mind because I wear them CONSTANTLY.  But I found a pair in my size for only $12 on thredUP and I could not click check-out fast enough!

The fun coral color is just perfect for summer and I love that they have pockets (must have pockets!).  I can pair these with neutral tops easily or do a fun striped tee or detailed tank!  The options with colored shorts are endless.  Also I can eat all those summer treats without feeling the waist-band-of-death!  Ugh!  There is nothing that ruins a summer sundae more than a tight waistband!

SILKY SLEEVELESS TOPS

If you can find a flattering silky sleeveless top now for summer, you should definitely snatch it up!  They are great for summer because they are lightweight and allow the breathing action to happen.  I got this light blue one (thredUP $17, estimated retail $88) and the wider cut on the sleeveless top is perfect!

I love that I can wear this entire outfit now and then later I can pair it with a long cardigan for a fall wardrobe staple.

MULES & CLOGS

Everybody and their sister buys sandals for summer….but I am jumping aboard another horse for summer this year.  I am LOVING the mules and clogs.  Don’t get me wrong…I still love sandals and flip flops and slides….but just recently I discovered how many outfits I love with cute mules and clogs and the world feels like one long summer vacation!

I actually saw a friend wear these exact same shoes a while back and when I saw them on thredUP I was super excited.  When I realized they were in my size….I might have choked on my gum.  I was that happy!  One tip I have for shopping thredUP is to know your sizes in different brands.  I have owned RocketDog brand shoes before and so I knew I would need a 8 1/2 vs an 8 so when they arrived, they were PERFECT.  (the price helps too….only $17!  down from an estimated $48)

So those are some of my favorite things to look for when shopping for summer.  I tried to give some really simple tips so that you can search thredUP with more confidence….because we all want those brand name clothing but we don’t want to pay those prices if we don’t have to!

And in case you didn’t already know….thredUP ships for FREE any order over $79 and the have easy returns!  Also they have kids clothing as well as handbags, shoes and womens clothing (including designer digs!). If you want to try thredUP and score some amazing deals, they are offering the first 100 Bower Power readers an EXTRA 30% off your first order! Click HERE to start shopping and use my code BOWER30 at checkout! (Applies to new U.S. customers only, items under $150, excludes Goody Boxes).