"pssst! you can buy that cheaper elsewhere!"

About 80% of my wardrobe comes from value village. I buy most of my clothes there.If not there, then the rest are bought at an outlet store where they sell the clothes for much less. Occasionally I go to the mall and look at all the pretty things, but usually I just walk in the store and say to my self...or sometimes a little louder so that other customers hear me " I can by that cheaper else where". Of course occasionally I will put some money into good items. For example, I Bought a great sweater with large buttons at H&M for $30 which is a lot more than I am usually willing to spend on a sweater. I like changing my wardrobe, so why would I pay a lot of money for something I may not wear after a year or two.
I have certain rules when purchasing clothes and they are as follows:

and this is only the beginning

#1. sweaters can absolutely NOT be made from acrylic. Acrylic is a very cheap, synthetic fiber that starts to wear away after the first wash. Apparently, it is supposed to be a cheaper replacement for cashmere because it looks and feels the same. I don't know what they are talking about. It's not a warm fabric and it's not that soft either. You might as well cut some holes in a cardboard box and pull that over your head! This rule can make it difficult to find new sweaters since most stores such as Suzy Shier, Bluenotes and others ONLY have acrylic sweaters. They always look beautiful in the store, but after a week or so the sweater starts to have all these little fluffs on it. I've seen these sweaters being sold for $60 which I think is absurd! I wouldn't pay anymore that $7.99 for it! If you are going to buy acrylic, ,try to make sure it is less that 50%...CHECK YOU TAGS PEOPLE!!

#2. I don't pay anymore than $10 for jeans. I cringe when I see people purchasing jeans that cost more than $40. I realize that higher quality jeans cost more... but I could never do that. I find most of my jeans in value village too. Don't worry though, it's not like I am buying jeans with elastic waist bands. I dod own one pair of jeans for which I paid $40 dollars. but I have my reasons. You see I bought these when skinny jeans first came in. I didn't want the skin tight ones, because frankly I don't know how people get those things on! I wanted neater ones, that weren't so tight. I found a pair in Costa Blanca that fit so perfectly. And yes, they are my favourite jeans. I also buy new jeans at the Bluenotes Outlet store at 525 Hespler Street, Cambridge ON where they ALWAYS have most items 50% OFF!!!! ALWAYS!

over-the-shoulder-boulder-holders

#3. Wait until boxing week to buy bras...if you can. I usually dig through the regular sale bin at La Senza like a cat digs through it's litter box...or maybe a less dirty version of that. Although they usually have the $8.50 bra sale, if you wait until boxing week, you can buy 3 bras for $10. I guess if you are well endowed, you may want to purchase the more expensive over-the-shoulder-boulder-holders so not to look sloppy...or floppy which brings me to the next rule:

What's wrong with this picture?
1. sweater is too small...and what is on it?
2. they are called under wear for a reason

#4. You can do a lot with very little. Just because you want to save money/ don't have the money, doesn't mean you have to dress poorly. There is nothing wrong with having a low income. It doesn't take a lot of money to match colours or patterns or even purchasing the proper fit. I see so  many poorly dressed people. I  feel like I need to spy on them to see what they do that causes them to dress the way they do. There is no excuse for it. there is also no excuse for not buying a belt...yes I am talking to those boys who think that showing the world the superman boxers your mom purchased for you is a trend. You look stupid and no one cares about your underwear.

#5. Go to Outlet Malls. I like going to the Dixie Outlet Mall. They have a Garage/dynamite store there. In this store you will find an "almost perfect" rack where clothes go that have imperfections. I purchased a pair of pants for $1 because the button was missing. I also buy things that have seam tears because they are fixable. I'd rather spend 5 minutes fixing a seam on a shirt purchased for $3.99 than pay the full $30

#6. Don't purchase it if you haven't looked elsewhere first. I think this might be why many people don't like shopping with me. I have a routine when going to the mall: first I go to all the stores and look through the items. then I go through all the stores again and compare the  items to see where and how I can save the most, then I go through a third time to purchase the items...sometimes I don't even buy anything because like I mentioned earlier, I can buy it cheaper elsewhere.

#7. If you go to the mall, and they have a pet store, Stop to look at the puppies. They are sooo cute!



Also, even though the sales people tell you the BOGO sale ends this weekend...if never actually does. so you can buy those shoes and another pair for 1/2 price next week still