Getting Fashionable: How to Buy the Best Fashion with the Least

For many Americans what’s inside is not as important as what’s on the outside. This includes beauty products, various forms of surgeries, and clothing. In some cases the clothing one purchases can cost more than the surgery, or several surgeries. Connect a logo or designer name to a dress, suit, shoes or even a purse and expect to pay large sums of money to purchase as well as to maintain fashion. Think there will be a sale or coupons for these clothes? Well, as some on the East Coast like to say, fuggedaboutit!

Face it, if you live on a budget you aren’t going to afford those types of designer items. Or, perhaps you can. There are actually a few things you can do to buy these special items while avoiding the sale of one of your children or a necessary body part. It takes patience, but it can be done. Here are a few ways to make it happen.

Outlet Stores

An invention started during the hard economic times of the 1980s and 1990s, outlet stores are no longer the home of low-priced items that no one wants. Brands like Nordstrom’s, Izod, Guess and Tommy Hilfiger have outlet stores in shopping centers across the country. These locations normally sell out-of-season clothes at pretty deep discounts. On occasion you can also purchase recent designs that are slightly flawed. The website OutletBound provides a comprehensive list of outlet stores and malls across the U.S.

Consignment & Resale Stores

There’s a difference between these retail outlets. Resale clothes like Clothes Mentor purchase clean and undamaged clothing the moment they’re brought in for resale. Consignment outlets don’t pay the person who brought in the product until it’s sold. In either case, shoppers can find some great deals on name brand clothing at both of these places. Sometimes you may luck out and purchase an item that still has a sales tag from the original store.

Gift Cards

No, there isn’t a tree where you can pick off gift cards for Nordstrom’s, Macy’s or other name brand stores. However, there is a way to get these types of cards if you put some work into it. Many times they’re used as giveaways if you complete a store survey that’s listed on a sales receipt. Other times these types of cards can be obtained by signing up for survey and points sites. For example, you can get cards for Macy’s and other retailers from places like Swagbucks and Valued Opinions. Granted, it may take you some time to gain enough points for these rewards — sometimes many weeks — but it is completely worth it when you receive the gift certificate in email or a card in your mailbox.

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