Outerwear: Hat? Gloves? yes, you need them

Grandma's knitted mittens are very much appreciated, but not the cutest option. Sometimes, you want a sparkley, printed, or querky addition to your coat. The choice is yours. But I highly recommend that you keep a hat, scarve, and gloves handy through the season.
I do realize that hats lead to bad hairdays, so I keep mine in my purse. That way it's there if I need it, and my hair still looks good. But you never know when the parking lot may be full and you'll have to walk a little ways. And don't even start with "I have a hood." A hat is 1000 times better.
I have 2 go to hats. One i have a red beanie that matches all of my coats. It is always in my purse and can also be worn indoors which is a huge plus. I also have an animal hat. If you don't know what I mean, I will show a husky one. There are multiple websites that sell just these hats. There is also a large selction on etsy.com and amazon.com. These hats are great for a fun event outdoors or a day out with friends. They are not formal AT ALL. So do not try to wear these anywhere formal or professional. It's not going to look right.

Animalhats.us $11.99

Beanies are a great hat to have for all seasons. I just ordered two from forever21.com last night. I paid under $5 for the two together. Though they are not super warm sometimes, it's a cute look. Here's one that I purchased.

Forever21.com $2.80

But there is an alternative to a hat if your totally against it. Earmuffs! I do not personally own a pair, but I have a friend that does. She has perfect hair when she takes them off and looks adorable with them one. The purpose of a hat is to keep your ears warm after all. I don't recall seeing any at the mall last week but I'm sure they would sell in department stores. I was able to find some for $15.00 on target.com but they are currently sold out. I might check their store since these have built in headphones.
As an artist and sewing student, I have to be very careful with my hands. Arthritis is a scary thought. So gloves are important. My grandma is in the medical field and made it clear that cold weather can, and will ruin my joints. Right now, I have a little red pair but might go out shopping tonight.
A big fear with gloves is using your smartphone. Don't fear, they solved the problem. These gloves are affordable and widely sold. The fingertips of the thumb and first finger are made to be used on a touch screen.

Target.com $3.00

Another great option is fingerless gloves. I want to buy a pair soon. These can be cute and used while shopping. They are great if you need off and on use of your fingers in the cold, for drive through eating, and drinking hot chocolated. I am showing one of  the options on rue21.com that are currently buy one get one free.

Rue21.com $6.99

As for scarves, I think we all own them. If you don't, well, buy some. I like going to walmart, target, and sale areas in department stores to buy fashion scarves. But I am actually making my own now which is way cheaper.

Anyway, winter scarves are a little different. I have two that I really like. One I got from the Dream On by Selena Gomez collection at the end of the season sale a few years ago. It's black with a knitted print and tassles. Super cute. It's easy to tie and stuff in my coats. It also matches good with my favorite black pea coat. But I also have a black and grey striped scarve with a sock monket decal. It's fun! You don't have to go 100% professional with these things. I really encourage you to wait til you see a sale. They mark scarves up a lot and they take them way down too. If you need one right now, lots of stores have outerwear sales right now. It's just not a huge discount. Also, check your thrift stores. I wouldn't buy a hat there, but I have purchased many scarves with no problem. Just remember to wash it first!

So here is just a few shopping tips that apply to everything that I did not want to repeat over and over again:

1. Remember your coat when buying accessories: this is one reason that I recommended having more than one coat. You want to match. 
2. Wait if you can: a pair of gloves is pair of gloves, a hat is a hat. In the end, it won't matter if you bought them last year. 
3. Don't buy thick if you can't handle it: if you are a warmer person, stick with a lighter fabric. This way, you can still use the protection a hat and gloves offer without sweating to death.
4. Store when spring comes: do not shove your winter appareal into a garage in a random box. Pick a shelf or box then up in your closet. That's wasting money.

Please feel free to share or comment!