Amazon Shoe Sale!!!!!

There are a TON of great deals to be had on women's shoes at Amazon right now.  Check out the link here.  So far I'm abstaining.  Maybe I'm turning over a new leaf...

More Adventures in Clothing

There are lots of clearance sales going on right now.  It's a good time to stock up.

This was $5:

This was a bit pricier at $10, but it fit perfectly.

Cute silvery-grey shoes for $4.  I was excited because I saw something similar in the window of a Banana Republic store.  Now I can duplicate that outfit.

Cotton jacket with cotton lining:  $7.  I was excited to see the cotton lining as most are sweaty polyester.

For Those With Foot Issues

The expensive-but-very-comfortable-and-well-made Born brand of shoes is on sale for $30 per pair at 6pm (the shoe store, not the time). This is no $10 sale, but it is a good price for Born and those suckers will last you for years. Their boots are even on sale for $30, and they normally cost $180 and up. Worth checking out for those with problematic feet.

Vintage Purse

I found this cute little vintage purse at a flea market last weekend. It's in great shape and was $7. Look at how the clasp is on the handle- I've not seen that before. The print lining and inner metal zipper are also indicators of its age. And how cute is that lining!

$5 Skirt

I recently had a $10 off any purchase coupon for taking a survey for Van Heusen, which is a good thing because suddenly all of my clothes are falling off of me. I scoped out the store with the intention of getting something for free but they weren't having any super duper sales. In the back I found this skirt marked down to $14.99 from something like $36. I tried it on and loved it, so I got it for $5.12 after tax. I also tried on this really fabulous dress that looked vintage-y but would've still been $40 after coupon. And it was a black and white print and I don't need another black and white dress. Luckily my cheapskate side won out and I left it on the rack.

This ramble brought to you by Tessa's Ramblings. All rambles, all the time.

The Little Sears Giftcard That Could

A month or so ago, I got a free $5 giftcard from Sears in the mail. I can't remember why- I either signed up for email or I did a survey. Anyway, while at the mall last week I decided to go see what I could spend it on. I found the cute sale priced cuff bracelet and earrings above and thought I had taken care of the giftcard. Well, the jewelry was half off AND buy one get one free. So I went back again and got the necklace and clear beaded bracelet and...........

I still have $2 left on the giftcard. I guess that's what they call better than free. ;)

Retail vs. Resale: Give Regular Stores a Chance!

Cute li'l top I bought for $3 at Marshall's.

At the risk of being thrown out of the frugal blogging community, I've decided to share thoughts on clothes purchasing. I love thrift shops and yard sales. LOVE. But not for clothes. Now, that doesn't mean that I don't give it a try. I have zero problems with secondhand clothing if I could find some that I like. And that, my frugal friends, is the problem. I am a picky wearer of clothing. Gasp! And much of what is available to me secondhand is not to my taste.

I want to make the argument that you CAN find clothes frugally in retail stores. For example, in the last six months I have purchased lined wool pants for $5, sundresses for $3, casual tops for $3 and under, and so on. These were all on sale racks in regular stores. You just have to know where and how to shop.

Stores with some of the best sales for cheap cheap cheap:

1) J.C. Penney- wait until they have green clearance stickers

2) Express- wait until their clearance is an additional % off

3) Marshalls and T.J. Maxx- depending on location; some get hit worse than others

4) Rue 21- you'll have to look past the navel-baring tops and pregnancy-smock looking tops to the normal-looking items on the clearance racks

5) Old Navy- wait until there is an extra % off of clearance

6) Outlet malls (seriously!)- go straight to the clearance racks, and make sure you check online for printable coupons before you go.

7) Target- look at their 75% off racks

8) For the occasional pricier buy, I like J. Crew sales (wait for an additional 20% off clearance AND a free shipping code) and Neiman Marcus Last Call Clearance (wait for a free shipping code). I assure you, these are occasional. ;)

I also sign up for mailing lists to favorite stores and have two store credit cards that offer free shipping, gift cards, and gifts on my birthday. Several times a year I get $10 off any purchase coupons for J.C. Penney. I'm also going to get a similar coupon from Van Heusen for taking a survey.

This doesn't mean that I will stop searching through thrift store racks any time soon. Sometimes they yield great stuff, like a recent Liz Claiborne no-iron cotton button down for seventy-five cents. If you can't seem to find those deals as often as you'd like, start stepping into retail stores. You might be surprised at what you find.

Express Sale

Right now Express is offering an additional 20% off their clearance. This is the time to shop there!!! I bought three button down shirts that were plain colors (I have too many patterns) for $7.99 each. They are a cotton/poly/spandex blend and have a beautiful cut (long, good button placement aka no gaps, wide cuffs, darting to make it fitted, etc.). Express' woven shirts hold up well, but beware of their knits which tend to pill after washing.

Frugal By Comparison

Sometimes I purchase things not because they are truly frugal, but because they fulfill a "want" for much less. For example, I *loved* these shoes. A lot. But at $245, that wasn't happening. So...
I bought these instead:

$24.99 is still a lot for man-made materials, but it is definitely frugal by comparison. :D

New-To-Me Vintage Pretties

Vintage blue wool swing coat with bracelet sleeves, $15. Because I totally needed another coat.

A close-up of the seaming and cute purple buttons...

Vintage purse, $2.

Ebates: Shameless Plug Ahead!

I've referred to Ebates numerous times throughout the history of this blog. Here's how you use it:
1) You decide to make a purchase at an online store.
2) You go to Ebates to check if that store is in their program. MANY stores are. If it is, you click on the Ebates link for that store.
3) That link takes you to the store you want to buy from, and you will earn a percentage of your purchase back (usually 1-6%).
4) Wait until you have accumulated $5.01 or more from these purchases. Every three months or so, Ebates will send you a check if you have that amount in your account.

I have been an Ebates member for a few years and have earned $49.88 back in that time by purchasing pet food, books, printer ink, minutes for my phone, and so on. It's easy and it's free. They normally give you a $5 sign up bonus, but from now until February 14th if someone refers you and you make a purchase in that time period, you both earn $10. If you'd like to sign up under me, here's my link.

$20 off of $50 at Shoebuy

Paypal is having some good holiday promotions if you checkout at certain merchants using their system. You can view the list here. I think the best deal is $20 off of a $50 purchase at Shoebuy. I actually needed some shoes: shoes for exercising, that is. Saucony makes great shoes that fit my weird feet perfectly. My previous Sauconys (Sauconies?) were in bad shape. I bought these Grid Excursions for $44.95. However, I had some money left in my Paypal account from taking surveys and mystery shopping, so I actually only paid about $2 out of pocket. Gotta love these deals!

How to Spot a Well-Made Garment

When I was little, my mom sewed much of my wardrobe. Because of this, I learned what a quality, well-made garment looked like. I also learned all about different fabrics. It can be difficult to tell what quality looks like since expensive doesn't always mean well-made, and vice versa. Here are some tips for finding well constructed items on the clearance racks and in thrift stores in case you didn't have your own seamstress while you were growing up. ;)

* Be aware of different fabrics. NEVER pay a lot of money for acrylic, nylon, rayon, or polyester. Cotton, wool, linen, silk, and cashmere last longer, breathe better, and look nicer. (I will say that I have some poly items, though.)

* Before you go shopping, go through your own closet. Feel the fabrics, look at the stitching. What makes certain items fit well? You will be able to see the difference between things that are constructed well and those that are not.

* Look for linings in pants, skirts, suits, jackets, and coats. Bonus points if they're lined in silk. (I hate lined pants, though, and never buy them.)

* Button down shirts and cotton dresses should have darts in the front and/or back that make them fit better. Same with most coats and jackets.

* With shoes, examine them for even stitching. There should be no noticeable glue anywhere. Set each shoe flat on the floor to see if they are stable or if they wobble. The best shoes (in my opinion) have leather lining rather than man-made lining. Your feet will not sweat in these beauties!

*In handbags there are a couple of things to look for. As in any item, you want nice even stitching. Soft leather and metal hardware (particularly metal zippers) are also indicators of good quality. Lately there have been a lot of moderately priced ($15-30) handbags at T.J. Maxx that have fooled me into thinking they would be expensive because they had all of the marks of quality.

*This is the underside of a skirt hem. When a hem is finished off with lace, trim, or ribbon (as in the picture), this is a hallmark of good sewing. This takes extra time and is not often seen in clothing that is manufactured now. However, you do often see this in vintage clothing.

*This is an example of a well-stitched hem. It is neatly folded over and is sewn in an even, straight line less than 1/8 inch from the end.

For more reading on quality for less, see dressing professionally on a dime.

First Day! Sort Of.

First, a rather shaky outfit of the day. You aren't going to be able to see all the cute details of my outfits, but you'll get the general idea. Cato chocolate brown button down $7, Joneswear brown patterned skirt from J.C. Penney $7, Bandolino heels $15. I also carried this brown croc print purse $40 and this briefcase $35. Anyhoo, so I met with my secondary supervisor for the first time today. Three days a week I will be in the town that I live in and two days a week I will be about an hour away. I have already met my primary supervisor (the one in the town that I live in). I really like both of my supervisors and I think this is going to be an amazing internship!!! I was a little nervous because some of my friends are having a bad experience with their internships.

Some of the things that I love:
* My hours will be 8-5, Monday through Friday. No crazy hours.
* I am never on call (carrying around a pager for crisis clients).
* I have a full 24 hours to complete my paperwork (this is actually a long time!).
* Everyone works together in a collaborative manner.
* My supervisors seem to really be on top of things.
* I get my own office in both places.

I am really getting excited about this year. Thanks to all of you that prayed for me and my internship, and a big thank you to the One who arranged such a perfect site for me.

Internship and Fashion

Well, internship is now finally in sight! I begin next week on Tuesday. I have a really easy introductory week: Monday is Labor Day, Tuesday I only go in for 1/2 day, Wednesday and Thursday I go to my school for an orientation/training, and Friday is a full day back at the clinic.

I'm thinking about posting pictures of my outfit everyday in an attempt to make sure that I actually wear all of my clothing. I may give it a go if I can figure out how to take pictures of myself in the mirror. :P

Fashion Feature!

I sent in this outfit photo to the fabulous Rebecca over at The Space Between My Peers and she featured it today as part of her Real Fashion for Real People segment! Go check it out! While you're there, browse around the site. Everything that you ever wanted to know about fashion and how to wear clothing is there. It is a fascinating read and informative to boot (pun intended).

My Secret Shame

There is very little that is frugal about this picture. If you've ever wanted to see how I'm not frugal, you're lookin' at it. I love coats. Love, love, love. I blame my mother. You see, Mom stayed at home with my brother and myself until he was 13 and I was nine. When Mom started working outside the home, she made herself the most fabulous wardrobe, including a long tan dress coat (she is quite the seamstress although she rarely sews nowadays). Mom also purchased a long wool grey houndstooth print coat. From that moment on, I was hooked. I could not WAIT to work so that I, too, could have such a fabulous wardrobe. And, I decided, I would have long wool coats in every color.

Today, I don't have them in every color. But I do have a lot of coats. The picture above consists only of the coats that are going to the dry cleaner today. Those coats are a chocolate brown wool from J. Crew ($150), a red wool from J. Crew ($80), a grey wool Michael Michael Kors ($100), a silver-y grey puffy coat from Jones New York ($50, but my mother purchased it for me in 2000 to replace my high school letter jacket), and a tan wool peacoat from the thrift store ($5).

I also have four short trenches (light green $12, grey $8, tan plaid $8, and khaki $30), a long black trench ($10), a cropped faux-fur leopard print (!) that was $18, and a tan boho-ish vintage coat that was a gift from my friend's mother.

There. Now you know my dirty, unfrugal secret. I feel much better.

Bounty from Branson Trip

Top photo: Gap tank top $3, Gap tee shirt $2, Payless heels $2.04 (LOVE these shoes, but they are definitely "sitting down" shoes)

Bottom photo: Rubber ducks .60 each, body wash $1, lip balms $1 each. All from Bath and Body Works and all will go into my gift tub.

Style Quiz!

I took Rebecca's fun quiz on style and got these results:

Which Kind of Elegant Are You?

Glamorous: Your dramatically polished appearance makes you the most intimidating kind of elegant.
Take this quiz!








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I am going to try to practice taking outfit pictures this weekend, so maybe I will post some!

We Interrupt This Blogging Break to Bring You Shoes

I haven't been blogging lately because I am SUPPOSED TO BE GETTING PAPERS DONE. Ahem. Side note: Finals are next week and after that I will be blogging like crazy.

BUT. When there are shoes on sale, I must tell you about it. Flip Flop Trunk Show is having a pretty nice summer sale here. I've ordered from them before and they have good service. The shipping is kinda high, but use code TOUTIE15 for fifteen percent off your order. I ordered the beauties above for $29 down from $69. (Yes. I realize that I paid more for these shoes than for one of these chairs. Obviously my priorities are in order.)

P.S. Honeymoon girl, it's your turn. ;P