Several months ago, I wrote about my desire to have an intentional closet. One of the obvious keys to an intentional closet is getting rid of clothes that don’t fit and replacing them with pieces that fit well. This takes time and money. And usually a lot of time in the fitting room. With 3 kids. Awesome.
You may remember that one of my concerns of needing new clothes was the cost aspect. So, today I want to share with you 4 ways I get awesome clothes at cheap prices. My 4 super secret tips, if you will. And in the process, I’m going to show you my favorites that I’ve bought this season.
Ready? Let’s go shopping!
::ONE:: Shop Consignment stores.
Consignment stores = where people bring in their new/used clothing, sell it to the store, and the store sells it to ME! or YOU!
Consignment store prices usually run higher than your local thrift store. I usually hit up consignment stores when I’m looking for something specific. For example, take the chambray shirt + jeans in the picture above. Things I had on my list for several months. I ended up paying $7 for the shirt and I think the jeans were $13. Not pennies, but way, WAY better than buying brand new. The middle garment is a dark gray sweater dress from Loft I got for $14. I’m sure my church friends are sick of me wearing it. Whatevs. I love it and so does my hubby. These 3 garments have gotten an incredible amount of wear this season. In fact, I’m wearing the shirt today as I type. All 3 of these items were purchased at Clothes Mentor.
::TWO:: Shop thrift stores.
I dearly, dearly love thrift stores. Goodwill and I have fallen out of love over the past few years as my relationship with Salvation Army {& their half priced clothing day} has become closer. How’s that for a strange analogy? Good, very good. I got the denim Banana Republic skirt for $3 and the coral J. Crew sweater for $2. I think I’ve worn the denim skirt approximately 7 out of the past 9 Wednesday nights. No shame. It’s a keeper.
::THREE:: Shop online consignment.
Just over the past few months, I have learned of more online consignments than ever before! The great thing about online consignment stores is that you can usually sign up under a friend and get free credit just for using someone else’s link. I got this J. Crew sweater for $4 from Twice {no longer in business! boo!} because I signed up under a friend, used the credit, and paired it with a 50% off deal. Bingo.
The online consignment stores I’ve used are:
ThredUp (sign up here for $20 off your first purchase!)
Schoola (sign up here for $15 off your first purchase!)
::FOUR:: Use gift cards
I got these shoes off the clearance rack at Marshall’s, used a gift card, and ended up paying $9 out of pocket. I get gift cards by using swagbucks as my default search engine and through my credit card rewards program. Clearly, credit cards aren’t for everyone. But Jonathan and I make sure to pay the balance off each month and have found the rewards program to be a great way for *free* money. Most recently, we used our rewards to get a Lowe’s gift card for this project.
So, those are 4 tips I use to get great clothes for as little $$ as possible.
How about you? Do you use any of these tips already? What tips would you add?
I’ve used some of my lovely referral links in this post. That means, at no extra cost to you, I may get a small percentage if you make a purchase through the links. Thanks for your support in this way!
Comments
18 responses to “4 TIPS :: get awesome clothes at cheap prices”
Clothing swap Party with friends & family is a fun and… well… more fun!
They usually try to do one at my MOPS group with any/all household items including clothing! One man’s trash is another man’s treasure
Brand new brand name clothes are available all the time at retail stores. There are always sales and promotions going on. Check the clearance racks and you can often find prices that are just as good as second hand. Sign up for store rewards cards for coupons and other alerts.
You mentioned credit cards and how they aren’t for everyone … you’re right about that. But many retailers offer credit cards for their stores, and you can often get better prices using a store card. Just turn right around and pay it off.
Great tips… thanks for sharing! I shop thrift stores some but need to find a good consignment in my area too. LOVE those shoes!! 🙂
I love the thrift store and get almost all my clothing from them (harder to find my husband stuff though). I just learned that the Goodwill in my town has a special rotating discount. Every Monday they pick a certain color tag to be 50% off for the week, and on Sunday everything that color is $1!
I’m obsessed with online thrifting! Haha I have never been able to get into brick and mortar thrifting but online is my jam. But apparently I need to go check out Clothes Mentor!
Love these tips!! I do the same as you except consignment stores – we just don’t have any near us?! 🙁
Another way I save is store discounts – being a Kohl’s credit card holder gets me 5-6 $5 and $10 off offers (like $5 off a $5 purchase) each year plus percentage discounts and email coupons like $10/$25 purchase. I also sign up for any and all birthday clubs and get stuff for having store cards. This month for my birthday got coupons for $10/Dressbarn, $15/loft, $10/Kohl’s, $5/DSW, $10 Macy’s, $10 JCPenny. :). Plus free coffee at Starbucks and Dunkin to go with all that shopping 🙂
I love free stuff! 🙂
Oh and I think we might need some fashion posts to go along with your cute thrifty finds. :). Need to see how you pull your thrifty outfits together! 🙂
I never thought about consignment shops online! What great idea. I live overseas and so I buy a lot of clothes at one time when I’m in the States – not great for the bank account. We’re about to head home for our Stateside time and this will certainly make the mister happy!
I don’t have a Goodwill or other reputable thrift store within 75 miles, but I buy and sell a lot of my clothes on Instagram. There’s a whole community of women who own shops and buy and sell with each other.
When I sell my clothes, I use the balance in my PayPal account to buy other pieces, so I’m able to maintain my wardrobe with little or no out-of-pocket expense.
If any of you have a 1/2 of 1/2 Store (a.k.a. Name Brand Clothing or NBC) in your area, I find GREAT deals at ours! In general, I can get decent prices there anyway, but if I wait for a sale, I have picked up skirts, shirts, pants, tights, dresses, baby stuff, even a few things for my husband for as low as $0.50 and I usually cap my price at $5 (or a little higher if it’s something I really want). The key for me is to wait for a sale, and then be ready to spend some time there… it takes awhile to look through stuff, try it on, make sure there are no rips or missing buttons, etc. But if you have one in your area, and the time, you can find some GREAT deals there!
Our church has a “free indeed” Saturday once or twice a year. The fellowship hall looks a swap meet, but it’s all free! The women bring in their gently worn clothes the week before. They get sorted into children’s, men’s and women’s clothes and sorted into pants dresses, etc.. Good fellowship as we each find something that suits a friend. We all get blessed for free!
I’m a big fan of hand-me-downs! At one time my friend’s son was the size bigger than my son, so we got the jeans when he was done. Finding clothes buddies is fun!
I’m not an online shopper. I need to see it, feel it and try it on. And I don’t have my money in cyberspace. My bank might, but I don’t.
I finally checked out twice. Aaaack, an international consignments hopping solution that will work for me!!! Green skirt in the cart. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing this interesting blog! everyone wants to buy beautiful clothes at cheap prices and for them it is very useful tips. I usually buy clothes for me from thrift stores.
I love online clothing shopping. I haven’t heard of Twice, but I recently heard about Schoola which has a similar setup. I got a referral link which gave me a $20 credit, then made a “list” which got me another $10 credit, and last month they had a coupon code SPOOKY that got me 50% off. I bet they do stuff like that every month. The one thing about buying clothes online is that you can’t try them on before you buy them.
yes, that’s the worst part about online shopping! I find it helpful to stick with brands I know, but even then sometimes the sizes are off. :/ it helps when there’s a good return policy! 🙂 thanks for stopping by, Jenn!
Some times I check second hand stores. There are brand new clothes at very low prices.
The tip to shop at thrift stores is something I’ve struggled with in the past. When I get inside those kinds of stores, the racks and racks of clothes, often all crammed together, is so overwhelming for me! However, seeing your finds at a thrift store make me want to try it again.
I LOVE Clothes Mentor! Most of my dresses come from there, and people comment on them all the time! I also found $8 black pants at The Limited on clearance! I felt like I was on top of the world that day! 🙂 Saving money and being stylish at the same time is so possible, but you’re right… it does take time!