I love a good bargain; I shop resale, clearance racks, thrift stores, and ebay. If there is a deal to be had, I try to be the one to find it! My parent’s raised me knowing how to make-a-dollar-stretch, and for that I am very thankful. The inspiration for this post came not only from years of thrifting, but also some recent bargains that I've been excited about. I like to be cute & fashionable as much as the next girl, but I just don’t want to pay big bucks for the look…and I can’t afford to pay big bucks for it! Besides, I think my way is more fun! My wardrobe includes clothing from New York & Co, Gap, the Limited, Banana Republic and Old Navy… and I didn’t buy anything from the stores themselves.
There are so many ways to find a good bargain, but the only ‘down’ side is that sometimes it takes a bit of extra time….but not always. When I enter a store like Target or Kohls, I head straight to the clearance racks where the sales vary from 30%-80% off. When you’re bargain shopping, you have to be able to think “out of season” because sometimes that is where the best deals are. It might be a little disappointing at the time, if you’re out looking for a cute summer skirt and end up with a fuzzy sweater, but when it comes time to pull out clothing for the next season, I love seeing the clothes I had forgotten about because I bought them in the off-season and hadn’t worn them yet!
A tip I’ve learned is “thinking outside the box” when it comes to clothing so you can get the most wear out of your wardrobe. I’m trying to get better at making my clothes more versatile by adding layers, accessories, a scarf, etc to make it work for various seasons.
For example: I bought
this dress a couple weeks ago for $5 off the clearance rack at
Target. Basic black dress, but I’m determined to make it work for all four seasons.
Fall & Winter: Add: Cardigan or Blazer
Nylons or Tights
Knee boots or Heels
Scarf in coordinating color
Spring:Add: Colored cropped short sleeve cardigan
Colored flats
Long necklace
Summer:Colored flats or dressy sandals
Silk scarf or bright jewelry to lighten up the black
There you go; a $5 dress I can wear all year long!
A few months ago I bought an adorable black & fuchsia dress at Macy’s off the clearance rack, that when combined with my gift card, I paid $4.50 for! And low & behold, when I was thrifting this week, I found the perfect pair of fuchsia sandals to go with it – for $2.99!!! $7.50 for a smashing outfit that will be perfect for summer dates with my hubby! Gotta love it!
Goodwill & Salvation Army shops:It can be frustrating to walk into thrift shops sometimes because they can be big, unorganized, or dirty. It helps to go in with a little imagination and the hopes of finding a gem in the midst of the rubble! Here are a few things lessons I've learned along the way.
Look & FeelMy husband has taught me to be a fabric-feeler – if it doesn’t feel good then there is no point in trying it on even if it’s your size. One of the best ways to find good deals on the racks is to feel the fabrics. The trend in clothing the past three – four years has been softer fabrics, so learn to know what you’re ‘feeling’ for, and learn to recognize these fabrics by looking over the racks – it certainly makes the process go faster!
Be Creative
You found a cute blazer but it has shoulder pads… before putting it back on the rack, take a second look. How hard would it be to take those pads out? Cute cardigan but it has hideous buttons? Buttons at the fabric store are cheap – switch out the buttons to something cuter & trendier. Pants fit great but are too long or too short? Check the hem – can you let it out? Or if it’s too long, hem it up. The same rule applies to skirts.
Double CheckLook carefully over your clothing before you make your final purchase. Look for stains you don’t think you can get out, stretched out hems or holes in sweaters, unraveling seams, or basically anything that you can’t fix or don’t want to take the time trying. The clothing may be cheaper, but it doesn’t mean you want to waste your money if there were moth-holes you didn’t see before you bought it.
Tags
I get so excited when I find ‘used’ clothing that still has the tags on it! SCORE! It happens more often than you might think. I also find name brand clothing with increasing frequency! I found this wonderful pair of dress pants from New York & Co at Goodwill, and three days later I found the exact same pair & size at the Salvation Army store (no, I didn’t buy them again…LOL). The name brands are everywhere, but I’m not a brand-snob. I want my clothes to fit and flatter, so I don’t really care what the label says. It is fun to stumble across them though because I know how expensive they were brand new.
Used ShoesI know buying used shoes really grosses some people out… I always look over them carefully to see if they are still in good condition and I always clean them with rubbing alcohol before wearing them. If anybody else has any good sanitizing tips, let me know.
Resale & Consignment shops are usually higher-scale than thrift shops but they have a slightly narrower selection. Often they are cleaner and more selective in what items they will accept in their store. They are pricier, but sometimes you can find the perfect outfit for a special event or occasion. My bridesmaid dress for a friend’s wedding was bought at a consignment shop four year ago – it was the perfect fit and perfect color. These places often have great purse and shoe selections also.
Books & Music are also fun to buy second-hand. When purchasing CD’s, always take the disk out of the case and check it closely for scratches or cracks! I have bought several used CD’s over the years and never had a problem with any of them if I take time to check it first. I love books, but it would get expensive if I gave into all my book-buying-impulses, so I always hit the book section in used places. There if often quite a bit of Christian fiction, cookbooks, and trashy romance novels, but I stay away from the latter section. ;-) For usually $1-$2 you can get books that are practically new and would cost you $15-$30 to buy new. Who doesn’t love that?
The possibilities are endless with bargain shopping. Even my wedding gown came from the Salvation Army shop, and it was my dream dress. I had been scouring the Internet for a dress like that, and walked into the store and pulled it right off the rack -- $40 plus the cost of alterations. My wedding veil was given to me by a friend who was getting rid of hers, so I had the hair piece altered and the bottom tier cut off. My shoes were on clearance at JC Penny for $10.00 and the earrings were 60% off at Kohls.
I also have several friends who bought their dresses at Goodwill and Ebay.com, and all the girls have loved them and nobody ever new know the difference!
These are some of my recent finds:
New York & Co: gray dress pants - $4.99
IZOD: black capris for work - $3.99
Coral crop spring cardigan - $3.99 (w/ tags!)
Fanfare: fuchsia sandals to go with my dress from Macys! - $2.99
Point of Grace: Christmas CD - $2.99 (in cellophane!)
"Before I Wake" - by Dee Henderson - $1.99
Well folks, that's about all I have in my stash of bargain information. If you have any questions or bargain tips, please ask or share!
Here is a sneak peak at what Nordstrom's is calling the
2010 Spring Color Palette:
Aren't they pretty!?!?
