sale clothing – the Spiff

Fashion, sale, sale clothing, sale-drunk

Expertly Shop a Sale

January 6, 2016 No Comments

Every year I use this week to finish catching up from everything over the holidays and spend some time with my family. Please enjoy this very relevant post from July when sales (like now) are at their peak.

If you’re on a spending freeze, I would highly suggest you keep a ten mile buffer zone between you and the mall because the sales are craaayyy-zzzeee good right now.

But just because they’re offering 150% off already marked down items, doesn’t mean you need to run around swiping your credit card like you’re in a sword fight. Or the metaphor I like to go with is – stay sober, don’t get sale-drunk.

It’s so easy to get in the store and immediately become intoxicated by all the savings. But what usually happens in that scenario is you make decisions bases on prices and not need and you end up with things you regret.

Let’s avoid that. Let me be your designated shopper…

1. Go in knowing what you need.

If there are certain things your summer wardrobe is lacking keep those in mind as you shift through the mounds of $2 items. Even if it’s something general like, “I need more shirts to run around in on Saturdays.” It helps you buy more wisely if you have your needs in mind.

2. Start thinking of the next season.

Sometimes retailers will pull out pieces from their winter collections that didn’t sell in January. Don’t disregard these. It’s easy to pass them by because you can’t walk out of the store and put on a sweater, however, Future You will LOVE the fact that you picked up that very versatile striped cardigan for fifty cents. Even when you’re looking at summer tops, start to consider how they’ll layer so you can get even more use out of them.

3. Walk around with it for a second.

This is my go-to, fail safe method for deciding on a piece. Even if the shirt costs $10, if you are unsure of it, or if it doesn’t fit you just right, walk around with it for a second and let the fumes of a great deal settle while you think in real-world terms. Where will you actually wear this? Can you tell me other pieces it will go with or bring together for a look that is truly you? Walk around, ask yourself those questions then decide from there.

Bonus: Do a little Christmas shopping.

Seriously now is the time to get a lot of Christmas shopping done. I’ve already bought three presents that I saved loads of money on by doing so. Future Me is going to do a happy dance.

Fashion, sale, sale clothing, sale-drunk, shopping, Shopping strategy, west town mall

Expertly Shop a Sale

July 17, 2015 No Comments

If you’re on a spending freeze, I would highly suggest you keep a ten mile buffer zone between you and the mall because the sales are craaayyy-zzzeee good right now.

But just because they’re offering 150% off already marked down items, doesn’t mean you need to run around swiping your credit card like you’re in a sword fight. Or the metaphor I like to go with is – stay sober, don’t get sale-drunk.

It’s so easy to get in the store and immediately become intoxicated by all the savings. But what usually happens in that scenario is you make decisions bases on prices and not need and you end up with things you regret.

Let’s avoid that. Let me be your designated shopper…

1. Go in knowing what you need.

If there are certain things your summer wardrobe is lacking keep those in mind as you shift through the mounds of $2 items. Even if it’s something general like, “I need more shirts to run around in on Saturdays.” It helps you buy more wisely if you have your needs in mind.

2. Start thinking of the next season.

Sometimes retailers will pull out pieces from their winter collections that didn’t sell in January. Don’t disregard these. It’s easy to pass them by because you can’t walk out of the store and put on a sweater, however, Future You will LOVE the fact that you picked up that very versatile striped cardigan for fifty cents. Even when you’re looking at summer tops, start to consider how they’ll layer so you can get even more use out of them.

3. Walk around with it for a second.

This is my go-to, fail safe method for deciding on a piece. Even if the shirt costs $10, if you are unsure of it, or if it doesn’t fit you just right, walk around with it for a second and let the fumes of a great deal settle while you think in real-world terms. Where will you actually wear this? Can you tell me other pieces it will go with or bring together for a look that is truly you? Walk around, ask yourself those questions then decide from there.

Bonus: Do a little Christmas shopping.

Seriously now is the time to get a lot of Christmas shopping done. I’ve already bought three presents that I saved loads of money on by doing so. Future Me is going to do a happy dance.

sale, sale clothing, sale-drunk, style setter

Successfully Shop a Sale

January 31, 2014 No Comments

If you’re really into paying full price for your clothes, now is not a good time for you to shop.

Every where you go in West Town Mall there’s sale upon sale. So if you’re not into that kind of thing, you’re not going to like that everyone’s having scrumtrulescent sales right now.
Who needs fantastic new clothes at wildly discounted prices? Oh, I do.
For those of us who are “crazy” enough to love a deal, here are 5 ways to sale shop successfully…

1. Go in with a game plan.

First figure out what your winter wardrobe is missing. Do you need more basics? Accessories? Fancy pieces? Know what you need and make a list.

2. Be aware of what you have.

Maybe you got some great items for Christmas that need an extra something. For example, I got the beautiful necklace pictured (from The Limited) for Christmas and I knew it needed just the right back drop, so I went shopping purposefully to find something to go with it. That’s when I landed this cute striped top from JCP for only $12!

3. Think of 3 things it would go with.

This is always a good rule to follow when shopping, but it’s essential when sale shopping. This helps you know how useful it will be and right away you can tell it will be a great buy. Also, think about whether it could work into your spring wardrobe or not. I’m happy that the striped top (above) will work well into spring (so will the silver skirt and messenger bag I scored at Garage for less than $20 total!)

4. Try it on.

I’m one of those people that can’t make a purchase unless I’ve tried it on. If you aren’t, make sure you know the return policy of the store because sometimes items on sale can’t be returned.

5. Have fun!

Shopping this time of year is so much fun because you get such great deals on items that were full price just the other day (like those patterned pumps I’m wearing from Belk)! Load up on pieces that will help carry you through the rest of this cold season, and will give you plenty of fun things to wear into spring…and even next fall!

sale, sale clothing, sale-drunk, Shopping strategy

The One Thing You Don’t Want to do When Shopping a Sale

January 10, 2014 No Comments

There is a special feeling of euphoria when one sees the words “Sale!”

If you love a good bargain, seeing discounts signs are like seeing the first lights of Christmas. The trick is not getting carried away in your jubilation.

The last thing you want to do is buy clothing just because it’s a good deal.

Let me explain…

The danger in buying clothes just because they’re so cheap, is the fact that you begin to fill up your closet with “junk food.” We all know what happens when we fill our body’s with junk food – it doesn’t perform as well.

The same is true with your clothes. I truly believe there is something that changes in our brains when we see great deals. It’s like another part of you takes over – a scary, non-logical part.

I’ve noticed it in myself. I’ll be shopping and see a top that’s discounted off it’s sale price. Now if this top were to be full price, I wouldn’t think twice about it, but because it’s discounted so deeply it becomes a real contender. So I buy it.

And what happens?

I get home and maybe a week later when the shopping high has worn off, I pass the top in my closet and think, “Oh I’m never going to wear that.” There goes money but most importantly there goes valuable space in my close that could be used for something that’s going to help me (a visual vegetable, if you will).

Don’t hear me say that I’m against all sale shopping. Lord (and my husband) knows I am not. But what I’ve done is employ a few tricks to help ward off making any mistakes while sale-drunk.

I ask myself these questions…

1. What can I wear this with?
2. Is it fulfilling a need in my closet?
3. Would I wear it tomorrow? (If it’s a seasonal item and you’re not in it’s current season, think of what events you typically attend that you could wear it to).

Ask those questions and if it passes the test, get it. If it doesn’t pass, but you still want it just be sure to make that kind of purchasing a rare thing, then go home and get rid of something in your closet before you put it in.

Ps: I just happened to go sale shopping after writing this, and for the record I’d like to add one one more question to the list.. 4. Do I already own something similar to this? (For me the question would be…”Don’t you already own four other black tops just like this one?)

Hey, friends don’t let friends buy sale-drunk. That’s what I always say. Well, that’s what I said this one time when I was closing out a blog anyway :)

sale clothing

How to Get and Pull off a $2 Skirt

February 19, 2013 No Comments

Today’s title needs to be…

“How to style a $2 skirt without looking like a $2 skirt yourself *ifyaknowwhatimean.” Unfortunately, that’s too long so I went with, “How to Get and Pull off a $2 Skirt” which, now that I think of it, sounds like I’m going to teach you how to dismantle the skirt.

Hmm.

Oh well.

Moving on.

SO where can you first find such a treasure as a $2 skirt? I’ll tell you where. You may find it at the promised land of all cheap clothing promised lands-Forever 21!

Every so often they’ll get down on their knees and beg you to take their clothing in the form of sale upon clearance sale. So a skirt that was once over $10 (still not bad) after being sifted through clearance and then another 50% off is now…TWO DOLLARS.

Trying on said skirt, I couldn’t immediately decide if I liked it or not. Then I realized even if I only wore this skirt to the mailbox and back, it’s $2-who cares!? So I got it.

Over the weekend on my official Valentine’s Day date night, I wore it and it was worth all 200 pennies.

The lesson in all of this? Never snub your nose at a good clearance sale. Even though I’m not always in the mood to pick through the slim pickings of a clearance sale, I make myself at least walk through it because you never know what you’re going to find.

Now, here’s how I pulled it off…

Being shinny and tight, this skirt has high potential to come off looking–for lack of a better word and yes I get the irony–cheap.

The way to not let it get there is to pair it with a sophisticated, voluminous top and flat boots. The volume in the top balances out the tightness of the skirt, and the flat boots again add sophistication by hiding some leg. High healed boots are a definite no in that they would make me look as if I report to my office on the street corner every night.

Also it’s a good idea to wear skirts like this one with some black panty hose because that also slims your legs while letting less skin show. Remember, do everything you can to balance the potential “hoochie” factor this skirt can easily sway towards.

The key is to wear that $2 skirt like you paid waaaay more than that! :)