Shopping Score

Ignore the horrible picture quality. I took the items from their bags and photographed them with my phone – wrinkled and all! But I was excited about my finds and wanted to share, imperfect photography and wrinkled fabric notwithstanding.

The dress and skirt I found on two separate Target trips. The shoes I found at H&M a couple of weeks ago (on sale for $5 and it just so happens that that weekend all sale was an extra 50% off – $2.50 total!). The dress was hanging on the clearance rack, and its simple silhouette and striped seersucker fabric immediately made me think of all things summery and pleasant; of southern style, cold lemonade, picnics, hot days, and vacations.

See the price? This dress will be worn with sandals or flats for a classic look, or a chunky wedge for a not-so-casual look.

You can never have too many classic pieces. Especially if you can find them for less than $4! (Sorry about the upside down tag. It had a mind of its own and would not lay any other way!)

Shopping Cheaply (without looking it), part II

(Continued from this post: https://thenobbylife.wordpress.com/2014/01/10/shopping-cheap-without-looking-it-part-i/)

5. Patience is essential. Risk-taking is involved. Waiting for something that you really, really want to go on sale can be challenging. What if it sells out? What if it doesn’t go on sale with a deep enough discount? How long will I have to wait? There’s no guarantee that your patience will pay off. But it often does!

6. Don’t just shop sale. Shop sale-on-sale. I have scored many an item on weekends when a store will have an extra so much off to clear their inventory. And I never buy from a 30% off rack. It’s not enough of a discount. It must be, at least 50% or more; and even that will go on sale, at which point I’ll purchase.

7. Buy out of season. Last week I scored a lovely pair of white pants from Anthropologie for less than $8. Their original price? $98. Keep extra space in your closet for those out-of-season finds. That said, it is easy to overstock on cheap buys. Keep your needs in mind, and have a clear idea of what you’re looking for. Here again, knowing what will be popular in the coming year will pay off, as brands who might have unknowingly designed something that becomes a popular style, will not have sold it because it isn’t popular yet. I have scored many, many items that became popular a year or two after I originally purchased them on the cheap.

8. Thrift stores are your friend. Your BFF, in fact. Don’t be afraid to dig through dirty, smelly clothes, shoes, and purses. I once found a beautiful, barely used vintage Diane Von Furstenberg wrap dress for $8. There was also the time I found a gorgeous pair of Oilily wide-leg linen pants for about $5. Or the beautiful, brown leather saddlebag crossbody purse that gets more compliments than anything else I’ve ever owned (even a saleslady in Henri Bendel admired it, and another lady in Nordstrom practically salivated over it). The cost? $2.

9. Have a game plan for existing pieces in your closet. Keep the items that can serve as staples. Keep a few fun pieces, too. Be creative with what you have. Repurpose if necessary. Take some time to try on different tops with different bottoms, and try to get a new look with what you already have. If you keep clothing staples in your closet it makes updating so much easier and inexpensive if you only need to add one little piece to bring some freshness to your outfit.

10. I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: be aware, be patient, be smart with your buys. You won’t always score. You’ll make many mistakes along the way. But, like everything else, just turn it into a lesson and move on. Have fun and don’t take fashion and bargain shopping too seriously – that just takes the fun away from it! When budget shopping it is essential to have fun doing it. If you can’t then don’t even try!