Rule #1: Never, ever, ever pay retail price for anything.
Rule#2: Go to TJMaxx.
My favorite store to buy clothes, shoes, undergarments, household items, and more is TJMaxx. Almost all of my clothes come from this store. TJMaxx sells designer items for less. Less is an understatement. Sometimes a pair of jeans that you might pay $200 for at the designer's store, or even a department store, sells for $30 at TJMaxx. Sometimes, those $30 jeans are on the clearance rack for $15 or $10.
As an example, take the two pairs of 7 for Mankind jeans I've written about recently. The white jeans were under $30. The black jeans I wore with my pirate T cost me $10. This leads me to my next rule.
Rule #3: Shop the clearance rack at TJMaxx.
Not only do I shop at the discount store. I shop the sale rack at the discount store. There is no shame in walking in a store and marching right over to the sale racks. I do this at Banana Republic, where I just bought a pair of shorts for $9 (end of season sale. heck, yeah, I'll save those shorts for next year or my next Caribbean vacation!). I do this at department stores, like Macy's. I look for the clearance signs--which are usually larger than life or in bright colors.
Rule #4: Don't think that you have to shop at Target, Walmart, or Old Navy to save money.
Trying to save money? Me, too, but that doesn't stop me from wearing awesome designer clothes for a fraction of the retail price. I shop within my budget, and I get to take home high-quality items that last as long as I can wear them. I have shirts, pants, jackets, etc. in my closet that are a decade or two old. I take care of my clothes, and they don't wear out because they are designer clothes made of high quality fabrics.
While you might be able to save some dough by shopping at Target, Old Navy, or Walmart, those clothes do not hold up through continual washings. My Target shirts are cute, but after a few washes they always lose their shape and colors fade. Not worth it.
Rule #5: Not all discount stores are created the same.
If you don't have a TJMaxx near you, Marshall's is basically the same store. Ross stores have designer clothes, but not all of the clothes the store sells are designer, and some of them are irregulars or have holes in them. Be careful at Ross. Outlet stores are not the same thing as the retail stores. Gap, Banana Republic, and many other stores make "outlet lines." This means that they use fabrics of a lesser quality than what they sell in their mall stores. This is OK sometimes--perhaps a pair of jeans or something might not show a big difference--but the quality of the shirts can be significantly different. I noticed this at the Gap outlet.
All in all, you can't go wrong at TJMaxx if you can find your size, but that's another blog entry....
I have many more shopping rules, but I'll stop here. :)
Happy bargain shopping!
