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.