The Broke Girls Guide to Shopping Super Cheap and Dressing Great

I don’t know about the rest of you Gals out there, but being a workingwoman, running a household and dealing with the daily expenses makes it really hard to buy the things I want and need to feel like a Princess. Let’s face it, in the economy and with the price of gas and all the other stuff we have to spend on looking good on the job and in Social Situations is just plain unreasonable. But I have a secret for you, it can be done!

I used to shop in the really big department stores, but that got really too expensive. Then one day a friend of mine made the craziest suggestion, one I would have never fathomed (being the over proud snob I am). She actually suggested Going to a Goodwill Store! Now keep in mind this was a shock to me as my friend is a very wealthy woman. She dresses in only the finest brands and drives the newest Mercedes out. I balked at the Idea but reluctantly went along. Upon arriving I found that the lot was not full of dilapidated old automobiles and homeless people, but instead filled with newer cars and well dressed people. This sort of blew my Myth on what a Goodwill would be like.

As I was sitting in the parking lot wondering what in the world am I going to do in a store rummaging through stuff other people did not think good enough to wear and donated, my friend informed me of a little know secret. Apparently major retailers donate the clothing that did not sell to Goodwill. Much of the stuff that I was about to encounter had never been used at all! TJMaxx, Old Navy, Banana Republic, and Bebe all had donated items in there! Granted you will find the usual array of donated items from the general public, many of which are also new with tags and never worn. Most worn items are in excellent condition.

As this was one of their 50% off everything Saturdays, you can imagine my delight when I found 3 pairs (new with tags) of Banana republic dress pants all for just $2.50 Each! I also found for Bebe shirts (also new), as well as many other items all new! My total bill came to $23.00! Needless to say my dear friend unleashed a monster. I mean seriously, who would have ever suspected this?

This lead me to try other thrift stores, while most others don’t get donations from retailers or overly great clothes, you can find great antiques and paintings of some value that people donate without caring to find out what the item is actually worth. As an antique collector this is quite a delight for me! I have actually made a profit from these little outings by purchasing antiques for 2.00-5.00 dollars and quadrupling my money on auctions such as Ebay. Not to mention the wonderful items I now have in my home. As one who used to love antique stores I now avoid them totally in lieu of my own little “treasure hunt”.

Also really wonderful are consignment shops. First of all they only take “the Best” brands and items for resale. Every item they take is absolutely top of the line. Where as at Goodwill you may pay 2.00-5.00 for a shirt at the consignment shot you may pay 5.00-7.00, still a heck of a savings for items once bought at Neiman Marcus and Saks! Jewelry can also be a terrific find in these consignment Shops as well as Goodwill.

For those wishing to spend Just a bit more stores like Gabriel Brothers, TJ Maxx, and AJ Wright are still tops for getting last seasons styles from the designer. C’mon how often can you get a small Dooney and Bourke purse at 39.00? And that’s their starting price, when this stuff hits markdown it’s just WOW! Places like TJ Maxx do their markdowns on stuff once it has been there 30 days. They have to, they get such a huge amount of inventory every day that they have to blow the stuff out fast!

So there you go Ladies, the way to look rich without spending rich! Check you phone books for your area’s listing of Goodwill’s, consignment shops, thrift stores as well as the major stores I listed about. If you’re crazy about make-up and expensive brands, well you can find all of them cheaper on Ebay. I get much of my Lancome items there.

Until next time, Happy Shopping!