Dress professionally on a budget

1. Mix and match: If you own a good pair of slacks, the possibilities are endless. Use different shirts, blouses and blazers to give you a variety of outfits. Make sure all clothes are pressed and wrinkle free.

2. Use accessories to make a statement: Have an accent piece such as a scarf, belt or jewelry. You can get affordable accessories at Forever 21 or H&M. Guys can wear ties to dress up their outfit.

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. Shoes: Wearing closed-toe shoes are ideal. Heeled loafers are a good way to keep your outfit chic yet professional. DSW has a variety of men’s and women’s shoes that are good quality with a reasonable price.

. Wait for sales: A lot of stores prices may seem way to expensive and you’re probably right. Always wait for the sale. Most likely in a couple months the shirt you’ve been dying to buy will be there for you at a lower price.

5. Shop at a second-hand store: Going to a thrift store is a great way to help you save money. Before buying an item, make sure you look at the piece of clothing in its entirety. Check out Impact Thrift store in Norristown on Markley Street.

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. Set a goal: Before you set foot in a mall or thrift store figure out what you want! Going without a purpose will lead you to buy things aimlessly. This might cause you to spend more money than you probably need to. If you need a new pair of shoes, figure out what stores you want to go in and how much you want to spend. Planning ahead is key.

BY BEATRICE MCQUISTON Staff Writer

A dog is a man’s best friend. For me, a dog is a woman’s best friend. There is nothing better than owning a dog.

Your pet is the one thing in life that will always be happy to see you no matter what. The minute I walk into my house my dog is the first thing running toward me wagging his tail. My dog is without a doubt the happiest dog I have ever seen.

His name is Toby. He is the cutest yellow lab you will ever see. Getting Toby was completely unexpected.

My dad was driving my sister and me home from a soccer tournament on a Saturday afternoon in March 2006, when all of a sudden he pulls into a house that had a sign out front that read: “puppies for sale.” Our family had not talked about getting another dog since our last one died a year earlier.

My sister and I got out of the car confused but excited to look at the puppies that were running around the backyard. As my dad went to talk to the owners, eight 4-month-old, yellow labs surrounded me.

Us being there excited all the pups. Being dogs they all started to drink water from a mug muddle but not knowing their limits on when to stop drinking. All of the sudden, eight little stomachs were beginning to expand and one by one the pups began throwing up all the mug water.

Right away my dad looked at us and we saw one pup not throwing up but instead sitting down next to my foot as if he was waiting to come home with us. At that moment, we knew he was the one.

To this day, Toby has always been “my dog.” He is always full of so much happy energy and love for life. He is the goof ball who is lying on his back in the middle of the room waiting for someone to give him all the attention. Everyone should have that something in life that makes them forget about all the stress and just makes you feel good inside.

A dog doesn’t judge. He or she just lives to make you happy. They live in the moment and are always care free. Our world today needs more of that. We need more dogs.

Don’t take life too seriously, because the little moments you have, like throwing the ball to Toby, are what really count. The unconditional love that Toby gives will soothe my soul for the rest of my life.