It's NOT my fault! I was raised with a shopper and I know how it's done. My earliest memories of shopping are with my mom when I was quite small. Keeping in mind, my mom did not get her driver's license until she was 43 years old. (THAT is another blog). We would tag along with Mrs. Ryder to Bullocks in Southern California. My Aunt Elaine's claim to fame is that she WORKED for Bullocks for many years and always had the "cool" stuff. Now these are truly "old school" sales…like something out of an I Love Lucy sitcom. When you drove up, there was a line of crazy women. My Mom would grab my hand and off we would go…not into racks, but scouring tables! This was my first true experience with not buying retail but "waiting for the sale". It was exciting and I remember how happy we were when we got a bunch of stuff cheaply…Uh...I mean frugally!
Frugal implies that one is spending carefully, and making every penny count. Cheap will buy the lowest priced item available; frugal will buy the best item they can afford.
So…now I am an adult and this mentality has stuck with me. Whether or not it works with the men in my family is a whole other story. I am "growing up" in my sale/bargain shopping. I used to love quantity, and now I care more about quality. I would rather have 2 pair of perfectly fitting black pants than a closet full of pants that I never wear. It feels good to clean out and keep only the things you really love. Reality is, there is never really a reason to buy something full price unless it is one of the KEY pieces of your wardrobe that you KNOW you won't be able to find elsewhere. Online sales have taken off in past years. I can even remember a time where I refused to buy online for fear that it wouldn't show up, or they would rip me off because they had my credit card number. That has all changed and many of us are opting to forgo the crowds and lines and have free delivery to our door.
This summer I just HAD to have this white lace dress. It has been the one piece of "NEW" to my wardrobe. I usually pick one or two things each season that go along with the new style without compromising the basics or going overboard truly to emulate all of the new pieces that ultimately are out of style next year. They didn't have my size at the store, so I ordered it online …full price $89. A week ago, I was back at the store and they had royal blue…on clearance…extra 50% off $34 or a total of $17. Hum…did I get $72 of wear out of the white dress…NOT SURE! Sometimes it just pays to wait. Most stores have such a rotating inventory that within 2 weeks the SAME merchandise will be marked down significantly.
For now, watch your favorites in the stores and online and think FRUGAL for FALL!
COMING NEXT: What to spend money on this fall to spice up your wardrobe without dropping big bucks!!
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