End of Summer Deals

Fall has officially arrived but the cold weather seems to be taking it's time. I still see people wearing  short sleeves, shorts, and especially sandals. Which means, It's the perfect time to shop the clearance racks at your favorite stores. Even though you might not be in the mood to shop summer sales, it will be well worth it, once it starts to warm up again next year.  Plus, you can still wear summer items for a few more weeks before you store it away and whip out your sweaters!

Most stores still have summer merchandise and they have it priced so low! Anything from 75 to 80% off. I personally, like to see the 90% signs but, those are sadly, rare these days. Some of the things I can count on being on sale and always buy at the end of summer are:
Swimming trunks and shorts for the Hub
Short sleeve shirts and under shirts for layering in every season
Summer dresses and skirts
Sandals are something the stores NEED to get rid of so they are always good to stock up on
Swimming suits
Capris/shorts
And any random things you know you'll  use next summer and the store has it on clearance.

Here are a few of my "end -of-summer" purchases:

 JCPenny: 3.60 each shirt. Not the most amazing deal but, for layering shirts, I couldn't pass it up.

 Scoop neck T's that work great under Maxi Dresses (My daily wardrobe in the summer) And these would also work to layer with in the Fall/Winter.  I get bored with all the gray and black they sell all Winter.

 Tanks with lace on top and bottom.

 Rue 21: $4.00 Each            They were even quarter length so, I can wear them throughout Winter.

  They are made so you wear a shirt underneath and the pattern stands out more. Great buy!

 My Sister's Closet: Was 12$, Half off and I had a 4$ credit from selling something. I paid $2.41
I can wear this year round, add leggings and flats for fall, pointed knee high boots for winter and as is for Spring and summer :)

 My Sister's Closet: (Also summer clearance so, it was half off) I paid 6.00 for cute BUCKLE shorts

Rue 21 etc. Paid $4 bucks each.  I also got 3 shirts for the same price :)  All set for boating next year!

And there you have it, my end-of-Summer purchases so far. So go out to your favorite stores and head to the back of the store for the good clearance stuff. You do have to do a bit more sifting through the racks and it takes a little more time than just grabbing what you want. But, trust me, buying ahead for the next season, is the way to go. You end up spending about a quarter to a tenth of what you normally would. And, that to me, makes all the difference in our budget.

My shopping guide/philosophy

I have always loved shopping but haven't always had the money for it. As a kid growing up, my parent's would buy us the essentials and if I wanted anything extra, I had to pay for it myself. I am so glad that is how I was raised because, I quickly learned that I could get more things if I bought them on clearance than if I got them on display for full price.  I learned that it was best to save up for an item and then pay for it than to borrow money and owe someone just to have instant gratification. I am not an impulsive shopper because of that, and I think that's where a lot of shoppers get in trouble.

I grew up with 8 siblings so we couldn't spend very much money on outrageously over priced clothing like a lot of families do. (Not that they can afford it either) Ross became my go to store, they have good quality department store clothing for  a quarter of the cost. On top of that, if you shop clearance at Ross, you can get some amazing deals. You can at the mall too, I have found super cute and inexpensive things in the clearance section. Off season shopping is huge! It takes self discipline and patience but, when winter rolls around and I have 6 new sweaters with scarves( that I got for 2 bucks each) to wear, I'm so grateful, I got winter clothes in April! Especially because in April, you can still get away with wearing long sleeves and pants.

I have this limit in my head of how much I want to pay for something. It developed by finding a deal on certain items over and over again and I decided that if I could buy something for this price more than once, then why not every time?
Here it is: Pants 10.00. Shirts 5.00, Jewelry 2.00, Shoes 10.00 or under, Dresses 15.00 and under.
Now, there are exceptions to these base prices. My birthday, If I've wanted an item for over a year, special occasion,  if I really need and item and have searched everywhere, and if it's a staple item that I am buying for a quality not quantity purpose.
When I am shopping because I just want something new, I do a recap before I get in line, I look at each thing and if I'm in a phase where money is tighter than I'd like, I get strict with the prices and if it exceeded my limit, I put it back. SO I know everything I bought that day was a super good deal and worth buying. Then, I have no guilt and a great bargain to bring home.

My sister's Closet round 2

Guess how much these leather, peep-toe wedges were?

Only 6 dollars!!! Not bad at all. Especially because these are perfect mom shoes for me. Not too high and cute at the same time :)

Most Recent bargains!

I just discovered a store here in Spanish Fork called My Sister's Closet. It has been in town for a while but, usually the shops on Main Street that sell clothing are over priced and not my style. On the 24th of July I was walking past the Store and in the window I saw a row of shoes. They were priced at $3, $5, and $8. My kind of pricing for sure. Sadly the store was closed so we just kept walking. The next week I was running errands with Weston and I asked him to stop by there quick so I could go see if those shoes were still there. I went in and turns out they had a cute pair of green sandals and a cute pair of golden, peep-toe flats. I grabbed them and took a quick look around because Weston and Stela were in the car. I spotted a back room that looked like it had random clothing and shoes. I walked back there and sure enough, second hand stuff. I saw some cute sling back, snake skin print, peep-toe heels that were so cute! I tried them on and they were so comfy but, they looked pricey so I hesitantly looked at the price and I was surprised to see they were only $10! I went up front and got all three (2 new, 1 used)  pairs of shoes for under 20 bucks. Not bad at all :) I notices the second hand shoes were all in very good, almost new condition. It was like a DI boutique style. I liked the concept and the prices. Just wish the staff were a little more friendly to new comers.