So
I was trying to link an old blog site to this one and I can’t seem to find
it. I did delete it previously, but you
know what they say about the internet… Nothing really goes away. Anyway, I’m going to start posting the old
blogs again on this site. I may not have
all of the pictures, but at least the links are still there. Here’s the first one:
I
never pay full price for clothes…ever. Many
people think this means buying knock-offs or lesser quality brands. Not so.
It just means shopping smart.
When you crunch the numbers, you’ll actually find that you spend more on
buying and replacing low quality “cheap” pieces that lose their shape or change
texture after one or two washes. So how
do we shop smart? This too requires
crunching numbers and planning. Planning
requires knowing your body type. Know your shape and what style types best fit. Once this is done, you can streamline your
shopping experience to only look for items that will accentuate your features.
Warning: This next step requires thinking skills. Now
that we can focus on what designs work best for our shape, we can apply all of
our energy toward organizing our shopping experience around finding great
deals. This isn’t as difficult as it may
seem. Retail stores always have sales at the end of the season. Always.
Unless you are being paid to
show up wearing the season’s new releases (newsflash: this would require that
you obtain them before they hit
stores), it is absolutely unnecessary for you to buy them at full price once
they’re available for mass consumption.
While this may take a bit of brain rewiring, it is entirely doable. If you can’t yet window shop without making a
purchase, get in the habit of only shopping at the end of the season. Subscribe to email lists at your favorite
stores who will not only inform you of the current styles, they will also send
you coupons and special sale notifications specifically created for their loyal
customers.
This
outfit (sans the jewelry: We’ll discuss
that in another blog.) came from J. Crew. The top is pure silk with a polyester
lining. The skirt is a silk/wool
blend. I bought it during a sale that
deducted an additional percentage off their already reduced prices. This is where emails become important. Because of the type of store J. Crew is, you
will never see “additional percentage off” signs in the store. But they will send you an email. I paid around $50 for the entire outfit,
including the belt cinching the waist.
You could easily spend that much at a store on lower quality items that
you will have to replace after they’ve lost their shape in the wash. Be mindful of money wasting practices. Banana Republic will also send emails and will
even choose single days where they will give an additional significant
markdown—sometimes only during a specific time frame on a specific day. These sales aren’t advertised in the
store. Get on the email list!
