9 Posts - My Frugal Life

Everywhere I look there seems to be a sale on shoes right now. I don’t know when the manufacturers bring out their new lines but I am guessing it must be soon because the shoe sales are all over the place. Here are some of the better sales I have come across:

Crocs.com has a buy one get one free sale going on and you can get an extra 25% off and free shipping on your order using code “slx8798″

PlanetShoes.com has up to 70% off its clearance items and you can get an extra 30% off using code “OCS30″ off any item in their clean sweep sale (indicated with a little broom icon”). Shipping is free for orders over $49.

Joe’s New Balance Outlet cuts up to 80% off men’s and women’s shoes and you can snag free shipping when you use the code “JNBOFREESHIP”

SimpleShoes.com is cutting 55-80% off all sale items and have free shipping with all orders.

BargainOutfitters.com has up to 78% off for its End of Summer Liquidation sale. This includes shoes plus many other items.

With this many deals floating around it might be time to buy an extra pair for when your current shoes wear out.

Well I have to say that I know that now any landlord in my town doesn't care about anyone, but themselves. Our laundry machine is in constant disrepair, so I now only pay 1 dollar to dry, instead of 2. I continue to dry them on a clothes line after their dryer has had a broken go at my laundry. Thank goodness the washer isn't broken. I would love to hear about how others are fairing with their landlords in the USA. Frugally and Tightwadingly yours, Tanya

I have had white stains on my blue shirt collars for years now and have always tryed to find out why, i just have discovered that Quinoderm is responsible for it as it has the BP in it which is BENZOYL PEROXIDE. Hope this helps

Instead of throwing away the perfume samples that come in all of your magazines, tear them out and place them in your husbands or children's sock drawer. It's refreshing and will last about 4 or 5 openings.

We all have those clothes- you know the ones- the ones we can't seen to put in the donation bag thinking some day we just might wear them. They may if issues like, if only this shirt was _________ or if only these pants were________, I would wear them. Well, why not turn these clothes in to something you would like to wear.

Here's an example.... You may have a tee with a really cool logo, you just don't wear it beause of a stain or maybe it shrank in the dryer. Here's how to refashion it...

2- Buy a plain, cheap, hanes tee @ Micheals or the men's dept. of Wal-Mart. Or just go in to your husbands closet he probably has one you can use.

3-Sew the logo onto the new shirt with your sewing machine, go over twice for a really secure stitch.and voila' a new shirt for about 2-3 bucks or free if you stole one from your husbands closet. lol

When i used to work with an office full of girls we used to have an 'Exchange Day'. What we did was, once a month (or whenever you like) we'd clean out our closets, shoes and drawers and bag them up. On our Exchange Day we'd make a point to picka day to bring in our bags full of unwanted clothes, plop them in an empty room (put your size ON the bag) and let the girls have a hay day picking out new clothes by the bag or by the piece. If we took a bag and didnt use all the clothes we'd bring it back on the next Exchange Day! It worked out great because we all had someone that was our size and this way we saved TONS of money on clothes! Whats better than saving money AND getting something new to wear! Oh--we did make sure the clothes we exchanged were in GOOD condition! NO nasty stuff!

Yes, it does help to be in an area like the L.A. metro area, where there is a lot of fashion turnover! But I also try to scope out thrift shops and only keep on going back to what I consider to be good ones. You can tell an awful lot about the regular contributors by looking over the stock. (Ditto usual price range.) In town the Out of the Closet thrift shops are great as a rule - and up in Ventura there are church thrift shops and ones that seem to get things from retirees - so there's vintage in there for a good price if you look carefully. I just got a silver bangle for $1 from one of those.

I suppose I have always lived in more or less trendy areas - so that would influence my field of selection!

It helps to keep an eye out on the current fashion (very easy now on the internet!) & pick up little things that are trendy - Like the $1 80's turquoise snakeskin cuff I snagged. Whew - it's new equivalent would be $30-40!!

It is also useful to have a nodding acquaintance with luxury brands, so you recognize the names when you come across them. If you are totally new at this, try window shopping at some high class establishments to train your eye. Go to resale shops where you can feel the quality of better goods and come to recognize good workmanship and quality.

I just bought a woven leather/straw summer bag for $3!! It's right in fashion & looks as if it's 60's Italian - and primo workmanship/materials! For that price, I can afford to have it in the closet & bring it out when needed to glam up!

The more you recognize good things when you see them at a good price - the better deals you can discover. I got a Nicole Miller dress necklace with faux smoky quartz & diamonds for $6 - which would be $50?? in a store. Take a look at costume jewelry in the stores sometimes. Most of it is expensive & can't compare in quality to older pieces! (which also have some resale value....)

You can also put together your own jewelry easily these days with just a visit to a craft store like JoAnne or Michael's. They have all sorts of beads and pieces to make jewelry out of these days! Or restring that crystal necklace that your mother or grandmother used to wear. Crystals are in fashion & expensive!

I have also found that I can get good deals by buying pieces that need minor repairs. You can refinish a piece quickly with gold or silver nail polish! Or put together broken links, etc.

Scarves can also be easily MADE. I got a pleated cotton scarf at a thrift store with a price tag of $10 - what, were they nuts? Now, in the thrift shop at $1 it made sense - but otherwise I would hunt down old cotton broomstick skirts and cut up a suitable length for a scarf! (if you had to seam it, seam it at the neck where it wouldn't show.)

If there is a dollar store around, there will be sunglasses - and not even for $10 each! (Altho there is a $10 sale now, I think, on Overstock.com). Look for clearances and bargains on the internet at amazon.com - and even HSN has a clearance site! I subscribe to all sorts of sites for just this info, which is how I landed a dress for less than $15 online! There are some super bargains out there.

Is there anything like a garment district in your town or nearby city? Check it out. It's always best to get fashion before the markup demons hit it! That also goes for discount chains like Ross and so on. (For me, best on sale...) If a store is within your radar - check it out regularly - and have an internal shopping list so you can get your staples - and never turn down deals on BLACK shoes! They live forever....

OK - are you motivated? I admit that I sit here in my yellow sweatshirt and ultra baggy comfy jeans - but I am going out tonite - so watch out!

Since nothing is open today and I don't have much to do, I decided to go through my clothes once again. I am highly disorganized and have had a lot of my clothes in a large rubbernaid bin. I usually have two bins; one for spring/summer and another for fall/winter. When I changed over last season I never ended up hanging up my clothes and just left everything in the bin. Because of this, I discovered that there were clothes I had forgotten about just sitting at the bottom of it which was disappointing but clearly my own fault.

I also went through what was actually hung up and discarded about half of it, some to go in the winter bin, some to go to charity and other things to the consignment store. I have purchased several pieces of handmade clothes lately and want to make room for a more distinguished wardrobe.

The closet looks great and I now have some tops that I can wear with some of the handmade clothes. I also discarded an entire bag of shoes and several purses which I will replace with more current finds (hopefully at a thrift store!).

I am liking the mix and match of vintage and new clothes together to make it current. I was never much of a fashionista (more like a fashion victim!) but as I grow older I am appreciating putting looks together a lot more and find it more fun. I picked up a style magazines (I rarely buy magazines so this was unusual for me) just to check out what is in and what isn't. I discovered that I already had pieces to be current if I mixed them with other things!

Gladiator and /shoeswoven type sandals are back again! I had some woven sandles from the thrift store which are still good and some gladiator style sandals I purchased last year.

Shoes/sandles with wedges are also back. I love these because it means i can wear high heels without killing myself. Wedges are so comfortable and make high heel wearing a lot more stable then those scary stilettos!

Jeans:

Skinny jeans can still be worn (YAY!) with a current top, something bohemian or flowery which seem to be in fashion. Any graphic print top paired with these jeans would look great, from a halter to a tunic.

Those washed out denim jeans, slightly ripped or really used looking are back (think 90's). The term used right now is "distressed jeans". I had a few pairs back then and thought they were pretty cool. It's senseless to purchase those types of jeans when you can put a few holes and rips in them yourself or just fade them out with some bleach in several spots. Here is a tutorial on how you can update your old jeans for this season: http://www.jeans-and-accessories.com/how-to-distress-jeans.html

Looks:
The bohemian look is still in, especially with shoes and bags. Hobo bags are still big and I'm happy the bohemian style is in because that's mostly the style I wear.

High and medium waisted items are still hot too. I used to dislike tucking my shirts in but am liking it now that I can just put a belt around my waist. I usually do it with skirts that go down to my knee and a fitted shirt.

Mini skirts are in too, though I probably won't sport one myself (not sure most people want to see an almost 40 year old wearing one even if she CAN pull it off). So you can cut old skirts and hem them to make them mini and hip. Easily done!

Jewelry & Accessories:
Bracelets are in, lots of them. Almost 80's style but more chunky and beaded. Put several of them on your wrist, looks neat! To me, jewelry is a way to personalize your style if you have to go to work in a conservative outfit and want to jazz it up a bit. We can all get away with some fun jewelry no matter what look you are wearing.

Aviator glasses are the thing for spring/summer. I am sure they can be found at thrift stores because they've been around so long. (I believe they were pretty popular in the 60's). I am seeing mostly large sunglasses as well, just like last year.

Fabrics:
Any sustainable fabric is in. Anything from organic cotton to bamboo and linen are popular choices. Most of the handmade clothes I purchased are made of sustainable fabric. So discard that polyester!!

So mix old and new and with these tips in mind perhaps you can find a bunch of stuff thrift :)
Happy Fashionable Spring!

Hello friends sorry it's been awhile. My tip for today is making your dryer sheets last longer but still work for you.. I learned a tip awhile ago to cut your dryer sheets in half. I take about 20 to 25 out of a big box of 200 and cut them at one time and then I keep the cut ones in a smaller box that I bought earlier. So instead of using 2 whole dryer sheets in a load of laundry I can use 3 halves. You can use whatever amount you think you may need. The point is when you use only 1 whole dryer sheet it is only getting in one area at a time. But if you use 2 halves then you are able to get to 2 different spots at a time. It just seems to work better for me and it has saved my family money. Every little bit saved adds up over time. Now if there was only a way to save with the laundry detergent, lol...Happy saving everyone...

I am wearing my new summer pantsuit to church today! Actually I found it last fall at Deseret Industries, along with another pantsuit that I haven't hemmed up yet (an evening style, and I rarely go out in the evening. The woman who wore that suit must have been 6'4"!) I also bought a NEW pantsuit in May for our granddaughter's wedding. It was $40 at half price, and the one I am wearing today was $6 and the other one was $8. I think thrift stores are wonderful!

We are getting ready for our long trek to Salt Lake City to see my cardiologist. We've already planned what to buy for our packed lunch when we stop by Walmart today to get my prescriptions, and what time we have to leave to get there on time. We have to leave no later than nine, and Jim has to milk the cow and feed the seven bottle calves. I have to take care of my birds. Long day, but the doctor is super!

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