(I actually wrote this a while ago and forgot to post it! But I think it's still revelant.)
Fashion Cents
Okay, quite the clichéd title for a not-quite-rant, but oh well. You’ll just have to live with me on a Monday morning where I’d rather be… (you guessed it) writing.
There are a couple catalogs we get in the mail every once in a while that I call my “If I were Rich” catalogs. Meaning, if I were rich, I’d buy the clothes from those catalogs, because I really like their styles and designs. One of those catalogs is J. Jill. Another other one is Coldwater Creek. A third, Eddie Bauer. But in all honesty, if I were rich, I probably wouldn’t buy but one or two things from those catalogs, because my tendency to bargain shop would not desert me if I had money to spare. And coming from the Bargain Shopper Queen, that’s saying something.
More and more, I find myself unwilling to spend my hard-earned money on frivolous things. Frivolous meaning… I’m having a hard time spending more than $10 on a piece of clothing or $20 on a pair of shoes, even if they’re brand new. (I’m not a complete slave to brand names, but there are some shoes I would pay more than $20 for, if I needed them. But never over $40. And that includes shipping.)
Case in point: At the moment, I’m wearing a $2.50 blue v-neck t-shirt originally from Target (but I bought it at Goodwill), a pair of $3.50 Gloria Vanderbilt khakis from Goodwill, and a pair of $6 sandals. If you don’t count the shoes, since I wear them every day, my outfit cost less than $10. (Note: I’m not counting underwear or bras, but I try to get them at least on sale. I do not and never will buy underwear or bras secondhand.)
And even secondhand, I buy things to last. My #1 pet peeve where clothes are concerned is when I buy something that stretches out of shape and won’t go back, doesn’t fit right, fades, or rips less than a year after I bought it. I have a pair of shoes purchased from Kmart for $7 when I was a freshman in high school that are just now beginning to die. I haven’t worn them lately, especially since I try not to wear socks during the warmer months, but I wore them almost exclusively for many years. (I don’t buy secondhand shoes either, by the way, but that’s a personal decision.)
Why pay retail when you could buy so much more for your money? Sometimes, even sale items are too expensive for my pocketbook. And it boggles my mind that some people will pay upwards of $60 for a pair of jeans when that $60 could buy a small wardrobe at a secondhand store.
Recently, I went through all my clothes, trying to get them all situated in a smaller space. What I discovered shocked me a bit, even though I knew I had been leaning towards secondhand clothes for a while now. Every pair of pants I own, save for the pair of jeans I got for Christmas, were bought at Goodwill, a rummage sale, or deeply discounted at a retail store. The vast majority of my skirts are the same, as well as dresses and shirts. And shoes? The most expensive pair of shoes I own are my Eddie Bauer snow boots that I bought at the outlet store for $40 (regularly $150.)
I usually dress very nicely. People seem surprised when I tell them where I shop, as if Goodwill should only be for poor people who don’t have enough money for retail prices. I think that if you’re trying to cut costs, buy quality over brand, but always look for the best price. And ignore the fashion trends for your very own fashion style, and you’ll always come out on top.
Fashion Cents
Okay, quite the clichéd title for a not-quite-rant, but oh well. You’ll just have to live with me on a Monday morning where I’d rather be… (you guessed it) writing.
There are a couple catalogs we get in the mail every once in a while that I call my “If I were Rich” catalogs. Meaning, if I were rich, I’d buy the clothes from those catalogs, because I really like their styles and designs. One of those catalogs is J. Jill. Another other one is Coldwater Creek. A third, Eddie Bauer. But in all honesty, if I were rich, I probably wouldn’t buy but one or two things from those catalogs, because my tendency to bargain shop would not desert me if I had money to spare. And coming from the Bargain Shopper Queen, that’s saying something.
More and more, I find myself unwilling to spend my hard-earned money on frivolous things. Frivolous meaning… I’m having a hard time spending more than $10 on a piece of clothing or $20 on a pair of shoes, even if they’re brand new. (I’m not a complete slave to brand names, but there are some shoes I would pay more than $20 for, if I needed them. But never over $40. And that includes shipping.)
Case in point: At the moment, I’m wearing a $2.50 blue v-neck t-shirt originally from Target (but I bought it at Goodwill), a pair of $3.50 Gloria Vanderbilt khakis from Goodwill, and a pair of $6 sandals. If you don’t count the shoes, since I wear them every day, my outfit cost less than $10. (Note: I’m not counting underwear or bras, but I try to get them at least on sale. I do not and never will buy underwear or bras secondhand.)
And even secondhand, I buy things to last. My #1 pet peeve where clothes are concerned is when I buy something that stretches out of shape and won’t go back, doesn’t fit right, fades, or rips less than a year after I bought it. I have a pair of shoes purchased from Kmart for $7 when I was a freshman in high school that are just now beginning to die. I haven’t worn them lately, especially since I try not to wear socks during the warmer months, but I wore them almost exclusively for many years. (I don’t buy secondhand shoes either, by the way, but that’s a personal decision.)
Why pay retail when you could buy so much more for your money? Sometimes, even sale items are too expensive for my pocketbook. And it boggles my mind that some people will pay upwards of $60 for a pair of jeans when that $60 could buy a small wardrobe at a secondhand store.
Recently, I went through all my clothes, trying to get them all situated in a smaller space. What I discovered shocked me a bit, even though I knew I had been leaning towards secondhand clothes for a while now. Every pair of pants I own, save for the pair of jeans I got for Christmas, were bought at Goodwill, a rummage sale, or deeply discounted at a retail store. The vast majority of my skirts are the same, as well as dresses and shirts. And shoes? The most expensive pair of shoes I own are my Eddie Bauer snow boots that I bought at the outlet store for $40 (regularly $150.)
I usually dress very nicely. People seem surprised when I tell them where I shop, as if Goodwill should only be for poor people who don’t have enough money for retail prices. I think that if you’re trying to cut costs, buy quality over brand, but always look for the best price. And ignore the fashion trends for your very own fashion style, and you’ll always come out on top.
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