Welcome, readers of Bloggy Giveaways! I’ll be giving away at least three prizes this week. Here’s the second.
If you love looking great, but don’t want to break the bank, then you really need to read Kathryn Finney’s book, How to Be a Budget Fashionista: The Ultimate Guide to Looking Fabulous for Less.
Full of practical advice, this fun read makes an excellent guide for those of us who could use a little style help.
These tips will help you learn how to score great deals on clothes and accessories. Also, you’ll learn how to determine characteristics that make an item a quality piece. After all, it’s better to spend a little more on an item that will last a decade (and still look good) than to buy a cheap thing off the clearance rack that falls apart a few months later.
Kathryn’s book will help you learn how to shop smart. We can all use a little help on that front, can’t we?
Why not head over to her blog? She’s up for a Bloggie Award in the Best Fashion Blog category, and I’m sure she’d love your support. I hope she wins!
Want a chance to win the book, compliments of the author herself? Sure ya do! Here are the guidelines:
- In the comments section below, write your favorite frugal fashion tip and/or tell us about the best (fashion) deal you ever got. Comments that just say "enter me, please" or something similar will be deleted.
- Be sure there is a way I can get in touch with you if you win. Entering your e-mail address in that spot on the form is a good idea. I won’t share your e-mail address with others—I’ll just use it to notify you if you’ve won.
- U.S. addresses, only, please.
- If you’d like a double entry to this contest, write about it on your blog and link back to this specific post. The trackback “ping” will let me know you entered.
- All entries must be received by midnight Saturday, Feb. 2, 2008 (EST). I will randomly select a winner and post about it and notify you on Saturday afternoon.
- Head over to Bloggy Giveaways for hundreds of other giveaways going on this week!
Thank you for visiting my site! I hope you’ll come back. I’m a 22-year-old newlywed, and love to find new ways to save money. Living frugally is fun, isn’t it? That’s what my blog is all about—living the frugal lifestyle and loving it.
Here are links to a few posts to help you get to know what my blog is all about.
- Join in on my year-long challenge to improve our budgets by decreasing our spending and making those dollars go as far as they can go. This week’s Better Budget Challenge #4 is available here.
- Read about our plan to become homeowners (mortgage-free) by my 30th birthday
- If Dave Ramsey was a housekeeper, here’s how I think he’d attack his chores: With gazelle-like intensity. Lol.
Also, won’t you consider subscribing to my blog?
My best fashion tip is shopping for clothes at yard sales and thrift stores. You never know what you’ll find. ;)
My best frugal fashion tip is to alter my clothes. Whether it’s something I own that doesn’t fit or is out of style, or it’s a hand-me-down, thrift store item, or clearance rack deal, I’m sure I’ve saved tons of turning something I never wear into something I wear all the time. You need a bit of sewing knowledge, but it’s useful in so many ways.
My best frugal fashion tip is to find a friend or sister who is your same size and trade clothes. It can help you save money!
This past weekend I went to Filene’s Basement (kind of like an upscale Ross), and they are having an additional 70-80% off clearance of almost everything. I bought three pairs of shoes (all valued at $50+) for a total of $29. Yes!
My best fashion advice is to buy multi-purpose items. Like, I have this little black dress made out of t-shirt material. I can wear it alone or with jeans - seeing as how the “style” right now is these LONG tunic style shirts.
I just got some great deals at Ann Taylor loft, because they have 40% off the marked down. I guess my best advice, in the quest to get more quality, is not to be afraid to pay a bit more, but also not to pay full price–wait for a sale!
I shop at thrift stores and then have anything that doesn’t fit quite right tailored, so for only $13 or so I have PERFECT fitting pants!
A friend encouraged me to look at prom/party dresses to save money on a wedding dress. I found a lovely and simple ecru dress with a boatneck and open back for less than $200. I found a matching shawl and everyone oohed and ahhhed.
Target has some pretty fashionable clothes that are inexpensively priced. I also don’t really buy a lot of new clothes for myself, that way I can afford to buy a few of the new fashionable stuff I like. I balance the remainder of my wardrobe out with classic basics like polo shirts and jeans.
My tip~ sewing my husband’s old dress shirts into a sundress for my daughter {pics on my blog}. The best deal I got recently is the wool coat from Steve & Barry’s for $8.98 for my husband. Love your blog! Adding it to my favs!
By clothes out of season!
Shop eBay for bargains or consignment shops in ritzy areas.
The best advice I’ve been given is to buy basic pieces that you can dress up with accessories and stuff to make them more trendy and “of the moment”. You can buy smaller, less expensive things to do this, instead of buying a whole new outfit. Same goes with buying designer things. If I want something designer, I’ll go for some sunglasses, instead of a dress or coat, that would easily be at least 3 or 4 times the cost.
Shop thrift stores! Not exactly unique, I know, but still, you can get great deals.
Thanks for the great giveaway! I love shopping sales, and watch for markdowns on top of mark downs. Around here Bealls does
70% off with occasional days of 40% on top of that. It also helps to know the sales clerks who will let you know when things are going to be marked down.
Count me in! My only tip is to be a frugal shopper and shop the sales! I need the advice from that book!
Hi, I only buy clothing for me when it is marked way down! Please enter me in your contest. Thanks,Cindi
Great giveaway! I need a book like this now that I’m mastering savings in the grocery dept. of our budget. I am in desperate need of clothes and figured I’d have to drop a lot to get stuff I like. I will have to check out her blog … I’ve been here before, lurking, and like your site. Keep up the great work!
I am a clearance and yard sale kind of girl!
I’d love to win!
I’m the worse for a fashion tip. I just wear what is most comfortable to me…
But how about… no black socks with white shoes and vice versa.
Thanks for the giveaway!
Stop by my place to win a bath set & candles or one of two copies of a book I’m giving away.
Laura @ Laura Williams’ Musings
Oh, I’d love to win!
Fashion Tip: Look for sales!!
Best Fashion Deal: Because of my size, if I want to look nice I have to buy from Lane Bryant or Fashion Bug. The other day, I just happened to be going by our local LB and they were having a sale of up to 70 off already marked off items. I ended up with a belt, 3 pairs of pants and some bracelets for $30 even. I saved $117.10. I was totally psyched, b/c it so rarely happens.
Please count me in! Thank you!
I’m doing a giveaway on both of my blogs:
http://airforcefamily2007.blogspot.com
http://goddessofthehome.blogspot.com
I’ll be doing a new giveaway everyday until Friday. Thought you might want to know.
Eden
great contest - count me in to win! :)
my best frugal tip is to buy quality clothing, even if it seems pricier up front compared to other items — they usually stand the test of time
get things on sale - everything eventually goes on sale
My frugal fashion tip is to shop second hand on the days that you know they have sales. I go to our Value Village on Tuesday’s because at this location, a certain tag color is 99 cents on that day!
Buy neutral/classic pieces (that may be a bit pricier) but are more versatile…then accent them with fun/funky costume jewelry from the thrift store!
The extent of my frugal fashion is to buy on clearance. Some outfits are cute but for the price not that cute! So I tend to stick to sales racks
I bought a pair of jeans 90% off just last week! Woo Hoo!
Here’s my best frugal fashion advice: I hit the outlet centers twice a year at end of season (in January and September). This is when they are clearing out clothes at rock bottom prices. My best purchase was bought this way last weekend — a pair of charcoal grey gap chinos marked down to $16 and I got an additional 50% off that! mlciavola(at)yahoo(dot)com.
Don’t be afraid to buy good quality, name brand clothes at yard sales, flea markets, thrift shops, etc.
I have added nicer items to my wardrobe than I could afford to buy in the stores and I always have the best clothes to choose from….for pennies!
Great giveaway! Thanks for the chance!
Be sure to enter mine.
I get things tailored if they are too big or too small, instead of giving them away.