Dress Yourself Nice Living On Less Part II

This has nothing to do with my post topic but I thought it was cute :-) My dad & two of my babies.

When I was single & fancy-free, it was no problem for me to waltz into a clothing store (I liked R.E.I, Old Navy and Gap) & plunk down $100 for some clothing items. Twice, I sported $55 purses (what a waste of money!). Even after getting married & having the first two babies, we weren't wealthy but I could still go for a modest shopping spree here & there. Thankfully, I have never been one to need lots of different clothes, however like any self-respecting woman I enjoyed (and still do) nice, stylish things. There is much to be learned from my current situation regarding attire & listen up because I am going to share a profound discovery with you.........DON'T GO SHOPPING & YOU WON'T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE MISSING! I am partially kidding but there is some truth to this slogan. When I took my eldest daughter ice skating a few weeks ago, I had to walk through the mall to get to the rink. I stopped in front of several stores & could feel my mouth start to water because I really desired to go in there, try a few things on & march out looking quite hip & trendy! The Loft, Athleta, & Banana Republic are three stores that hold a special spot in my heart :-) I cannot remember the last time I actually went into one of those stores. But you know what? It's okay. I have managed to get by this long & I am pretty sure that I will continue to do so. However, that doesn't mean I run around in sweat pants, t-shirts & moon boots. I wear hand-me downs. Most of them come from my mother-n-law. Thankfully her style is conservative & she is a size 2 like me. She mostly shops at Gap, Loft & Banana Republic. Every now & again when my wardrobe is getting meager I will ask her if she has gone through her clothes recently. She used to work at Gap & combined with her special discounts, knows how to score the deals at all three of my favorite stores. She & my husband also know that I enjoy receiving something to wear when a birthday or Christmas rolls around. Probably most of you don't have the option of hand-me-downs but there are other avenues for dressing great on the cheap. Close to Mara's school is a little thrift store. It's not big like Good Will but it has really good prices. A few months ago I scored a pair of Lucky Brand jeans for $4. I am due to stop in there real soon so I can try on some more pants. BTW, I don't care for Good Will. If they think an item of clothing is of a "higher brand" they slap a ridiculous price tag on it. I am not paying $8-10 for a Gymboree sweater when I can combine online sales & coupons to buy the same thing for the same price & it's NEW! A third great option is women's resale events like the one my sister puts on once or twice a year called Pick Pocket Molly (next one is in May!). Many of the consignors elect to sell their goods for 50% off on the last day so that is when I have scored my best deals. I am currently wearing a pair of Banana Republic jeans that I purchased for $5 at the last sale. It's cool that Pick Pocket Molly provides dressing rooms because I don't buy clothes unless I can try them on. Some other quick thrift tips: buy expensive shoes (on sale of course) & take care of them with conditioner & in general use. They will last years. I DO NOT buy cheap shoes. I have several expensive European made shoes, that I wear. Buy in neutral colors so that the shoe is versatile. Buying from R.E.I during one of their big sales has worked really well for me because there have been two instances where I returned the shoes several months later for assorted reasons & received my money back, no questions asked. Launder your clothes in super gentle detergent. My clothes are washed in soap nuts. Soap nuts protect color, the integrity of the fabric structure (great for silk & "unwashables") & leave your clothes soft & super clean. Hang dry when you are able. Buy things that can work with other pieces, use caution when buying a skirt that you have no tops to wear with. So, now it's your turn! Share some of your dressing- nice- for- less ideas! Next topic: Dress your kids nice for less :-)