I absolutely adore chunky sweaters, but I am allergic to wool (even cashmere!). Do you have any suggestions or ideas of where to look for non-itchy chunky sweaters? —Meg

I have trouble finding chunky sweaters in general, too, so when I got your question, I headed to the mall to see what I could find. After an extensive search, I found the best selection of chunky and cozy sweaters under $30 at Forever 21. Yup, that's right, Forever 21! You wouldn't think they'd deliver substantial winter knits, but they do. I ended up buying three sweaters that I've practically been living in. Personally, I prefer a blend of wool/angora/cashmere and cotton/acrylic for warmth but I totally understand your need for synthetics that won't irritate the skin. I'm super sensitive to wool as well and always layer any wool over a long sleeve tee or button-down collared shirt. Having said that, Forever 21 had a great selection of sweaters made from acrylic, which is surprisingly warm and can be very soft to the touch.

Another place you'll want to check is ASOS.com - a blogger whose style I really admire, love Maegan, gets a lot of her chunky sweaters there at amazing prices (under $30!). See this post for inspiration.

Okay, now for some online finds!

It's been an annual tradition here at The Budget Babe to take a look into the crystal ball each January 1st and make predictions about what the fashion future will hold. Sometimes I'm right (Prabal Gurung is, in fact, teaming up with Target) and sometimes I'm wrong (sadly, Sarah Jessica Parker has not decided to relaunch "Bitten" anytime soon). Here are ten things I foresee happening in the year ahead.

1. DVF will do a line of wrap dresses for Target. Or possibly even Walmart.
2. More stores will follow in the footsteps of H&M and begin to offer clothing recycling.
3. Celebrity fashion lines will continue to spread like the plague. You know Kim K.'s going to do a line of baby wear now that's she expecting! Kate Middleton, on the other hand, will keep the royal birth as low key as is humanly possible.
4. More brands will offer customizable fashion experiences, like those design-your-own-M&Ms - only for fashion.
5. Amber Riley will launch a plus-size collection with Kohl's. Or some other major big-box/brand. How amazing would that be?!
6. Julep will name a nail polish after me. Okay, that's just a totally narcissistic fantasy but anything could happen!
7. JCPenney will surprise industry experts as customers adjust to the big changes and sales surge. Also, they'll expand their collection with Jenny Packham if they know what's good for them.
8. Forever 21 will bring back it's maternity line (online and in more stores) and finally launch a home collection. Please?
9. In terms of trends, color isn't going anywhere - it's photographs better than black and in our digitally shared world, that's key.
10. Social shopping will surge across platforms like mobile phones, sites like Haulerdeals.com and even Pinterest.

What would YOU like to see happen in the world of fashion in 2013?

All too often, I post my purchases on Instagram and they never make it to the blog, so today I thought I'd take a quick moment to share my latest purchases from Kohl's, which is having a huge end-of-year clearance sale right now through Tuesday. I wanted to use up my Kohl's cash before it expires tomorrow, but because of the steep discounts, and I ended up with Kohl's cash left over! On this trip, I picked up an LC Lauren Conrad velvet blazer for $11.10 (down rom $74), an LC Lauren Conrad polka dot blazer for $10.50 (down from $70) and an Apt. 9 sequin jacket for $28.12 (down from $125). My sister's wedding is less than 2 weeks away and I still haven't figured out what I'm wearing to her bridal shower or the rehearsal dinner, but now I have some options: I can winterize a dress I already own by topping it with the velvet blazer, and I can toss on the sequin jacket with a blouse, skinny jeans and pumps for another festive party look that will work in Chicago's frigid January weather.

If you have Kohl's cash that expires, don't forget to use it today or tomorrow in stores or online. One reader told me Kohl's will accept expired Kohl's cash - does anyone else have experience with this? I hope it's true!

Another tip for extra savings: Use your coupons! Get an extra 15% off everything with code CHEERS online at kohls.com OR print your savings pass to use in stores OR download the Coupon Sherpa mobile app and simply show the cashier your coupon on your smartphone (that's what I did).

What end-of-year deals have you scooped up this holiday?

Leave it to Juicy Couture to make a traditional fair isle print look super fun on colorful winter gloves. Juicy's version is $88 but you can get the look for just $8.80 elsewhere. Think you can spot the real from the steal? Click either image below to find out!

J.Crew's "Everly" suede pumps are versatile enough to go from day to night, and the sleek silhouette keeps things interesting. ($245 in tan, black or teal)





Well, well, well, what do we have here? It's the Sole Society "Noah" pump, also in suede and also available in tan, black or teal!





Scoop these pretties up for $49.95, plus right now, Sole Society is having a BOGO sale on select styles (buy one, get one free). The discount will be automatically applied at checkout and all sales are final. Quantities are very limited (unfortunately many sizes are already sold out), so head to solesociety.com and don't delay if you love this shoe!