My favorite frugal clothing finds
Going along with the frugal clothes shopping theme of the day, I thought I’d let you know about some of my all-time best frugal clothing finds.
Senior prom dress
Do you know that some girls/their moms pay up to $300 for a prom dress? Take a look at how high these prices can go. Is that insane? Yes. I have a hard time believing a dress to wear in high school would ever be worth that much.
My dress was found by chance. I was browsing the racks at a Von Maur, and came across a red, sequined one-shoulder dress that was drastically marked down from $120 to $20. It was a little big on top (as most things are for me, lol) but my skilled seamstress grandmother took it in no problem. She didn’t even charge me! :)
I never wore that dress again. I think I’d still fit in it, since it’s somewhat stretchy, but I probably should send it on its way to a consignment shop or Goodwill.
Winter boots
Normally, I wouldn’t recommend buying shoes at PayLess. Some of the shoes there seem to be not well-made. However, a few years back during their BOGO sale, I spotted two pair of boots that seemed pretty good. I bought black boots that had a warm fuzzy lining inside. These are great for cold days and walking through snow, even a few years later. The other boots are light brown and suitable for wearing with a casual sweater. Warm as well, but they only come up to my lower ankles. I got both for $20 total.
Super-warm gigantic puffy blue coat
My giant coat is ugly. I don’t care. When the temperatures drop below 20 degrees or so and/or it’s snowing a very wet snow, I bring out Big Blue. It’s lined with thick fleece, and filled with very fluffy warm stuffing. It covers my rear, and has never let me down–even when walking a mile to class in sub-zero temperatures. On sale at Old Navy for $30. I bought it years ago, and will probably keep it for at least another decade or more.
Wedding dress
$99 on sale + alterations + pressing = $250
Nuff said.
What are some of your best deals?
Additional related posts:
I bought my wedding dress On Ebay brand new and it was the “year before” style but I didnt care! Got it for $100!!!!!! And it was a VERY expensive dress!
Loved it and wouldnt of traded it for anything!
It fit me perfect and I had a friend who had a steamer so I did all the steaming myself!
Was great!
you know this is right up my alley. i’ve gotten multiple pairs of shoes that were originally $80+ for $19.99. i bought a pea coat at benetton for $60 that was originally $250. fab!! ooh. pants for 9.99 that i’d been looking for for literally years (2), they were originally $40. i could go on for days. i love clothes.
I refuse to pay too much for clothing. My friend thinks the good deals just fall into my lap, but my strategy is actually to NOT be strenuously looking for something. I just browse the clearance racks and know in my head what I might need in the future or now, and work with that. I have a pair of black slacks I LOVE that I got at Macy’s for $7.56, marked down from $90. I get polos and cardigans from Target for $2.48-$7, etc. I have no issues with wearing what is so “last season,” particularly because I stick to the classics — solid colours that are flattering to my skin tone, etc.
Love the red dress! Instead of donating it try repurposing into a cocktail or a tea length dress. BTW I have my own version of Big Blue..I hate to be cold.
I’m with you on all of this. I have a huge red puffy coat from Lands’ End that I’m expecting to be waiting for me when I arrive at the airport for Christmas. It’s ugly, but I’m always the warmest person.
I spent $120 on my first prom dress, but my mom made my second one out of remnant bin fabric and my third was true vintage — a cocktail party dress of my grandmother’s, from the 50s or 60s. It’s still my favorite dress. I was frugal with everything else, so my costs were pretty low.
I agree with CDMOM that if you like the dress enough, you could change it up a bit to wear it as a party dress. But donating it would make some HS student very happy, too.
Add me to the list of people who bought a wedding gown on eBay. Mine was from a bridal store across the country and I paid $120, including shipping.
I had a friend who altered wedding dresses all the time, and she altered it from a size 14 to a size 4 – for $25!!
Everyone at the wedding commented on how beautiful the dress was, and I love it just as much today as I did then (5 years ago). It’s so “me”!
I also find a lot of Christopher & Banks clothing (my personal favorite for casuals) at secondhand stores. I’ve gotten pretty good at finding them amid all the stacks of clothing, and I get excited with each new find – all under $6 each.
(Sophia)
I bought a $58 pair of Mudd boots for ten cents at a consignment shop in my hometown last week. They were brand new! You can’t beat that deal!
I always shop clearance. I’m allergic to paying full price. :)
Lori in Iowa
Great Deals! The best I ever got was when we were on vacation in Maine this past summer. My sister in law and I went to a local thrift store and they were having a $5.00 paper bag sale. So we stuffed the bag and split it. I found 7 beautiful outfits for my daughters and they only cost me $2.50! I wish their clothes would stay this little forever :)
My very best deal was a pair of new w/tags levis in my size (very hard to find) that I bought for 1.00 @ a garage sale. I still wear those jeans 3 times per week, 9 years later! LOL
ooooh, I love this topic! I have remarkable luck at thrift stores. My best find recently was a maternity dress from Gap – classic black with white polka dots for $4 at my Salvation Army. yesss!
My friend and I play a game: add up the total cost of your outfit and the lowest cost wins!
Thrift stores are so good, i can get the nicest clothes for cheap prices.
My favorites…
A perfect pair of Doc Martin’s mary janes for $1 at a yard sale. 5 years later, I still wear them. Funny thing is, the other day, I found another pair of them at a thrift store for $6 (but they were a shinier leather, not patent, but well polished). My husband joked that I’m moving up in the world, paying six times as much for my shoes than I did a few years ago. Ha ha.
My other favorite find is a cherry red cashmere sweater that I got for $1 at a yard sale.