It was 1971, just before Christmas. The weather in Amherst, Massachusetts was icy and cold. Our church had decided to "adopt" a small town in Kentucky where the people were much poorer and much colder than anyone in Massachusetts. We had the first names of people in families and their sizes so we could send clothes that would fit everyone in the family by name.

Families that would receive these boxes would write heart-wrenching letters of thanks. It was humbling to know that what we could live without was a luxury beyond compare for them. 

After  a few years of sending clothes, our church was running out of warm winter coats. People had dug deeply into their closets, and pretty much all the old warm coats had been donated. 

My husband and I decided that we would help with the meager amount we could spend for each other's gifts (we were grad students at the time). We had about $30, and walked into the local St Vincent dePaul secod hand store. We explained to the clerk what we planned to buy, and why we were buying it.

She asked how big our car was, and said to drive it up to the store's back door.  She smiled and said, "Let's fill it up! That is what our store is for -- not to sell vintage clothing to people who can afford new."

What followed was the all time endorphin high. For $30 we filled a large station wagon to the roof with coats, mittens, jackets, sweaters, scarves, gloves, warm boots, cozy hats, shoes, gloves, blankets -- anything that could keep someone warm. There must have been at least 50 coats alone.

We were gleeful, laughing and gathering up one warm item after another. It was a dance of pure shopping joy -- the ultimate bargain bonanza. I cannot recall a shopping event that felt happier.

We snuck into the church when no one was around and left this mountain of warmth for the committee, sneaking away unseen.  

I almost feel guilty to admit that this happened twice, but....  A perennial thrift shopper, I was perusing the local Value Village, when I stumbled upon a swatch of fabric that looked suspiciously like a Missoni Sweater. Not wanting to get my hopes up, I assumed it was a cheap knock-off, until I got close and felt it....  The real thing. Gorgeous, of the shoulder form fitting Missonis sweater. $4.99. 

A few weeks later, at Goodwill,  same thing happened.  But this time, it's a 2-piece pant-suit.  A gorgeous knit halter top with long flowing pants - in that trademark Missoni knit - bright colors, curve-hugging.  $9.99. 

The pants are actually too-big, so I'm fighting with myself about whether or not it's ethical to have such a thing altered - they are so beautiful.  Oh, who am I kidding, I'll get them altered (and wear it to BlogHer!)

Euphoria though, for sure!  Doesn't get higher-end, doesn't get cheaper. 

___________
Alyssa Royse
JUST CAUSE: A Web Site To Save The World

Start Her Up: A blog for Women Entrepreneurs

Have you seen those Cole Haan Nike Air pumps that Oprah is such a huge fan of? Well, she can afford to be a fan at $300 a pair. That is until I was loping around on eBay one night and found the exact pair, exact size and exact color I dreamed about for $80. I almost felt like I needed to ask the seller "ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THIS?"

And then just last year I found a pair of red patent ballet flats that sell for $90 on Zappos, I decided to get them along with the practical pair of black shoes I had gone in intending to buy, Lo and behold it was buy one get one free. SQUEE! I have never had more compliments on shoes than on my red FREE ones.

And not to get all kiss uppy to T.J. Maxx or anything, but I got my kid a Puma sweatsuit for 80% of retail last summer at T.J. Maxx and it's been one of the best clothing finds I've ever  had for her.

Casey

www.mooshinindy.com 

My favorite shopping moment was when I was shopping with all my girlfriends and there was a fabulous sample sale on shoes.....I was the only one with the sample size .....got designer shoes for 75% off...it was my one rare sale day just for me and my little feet!  yeah me

I actually wrote a blog entry some months ago called "Thank you TJ Maxx."  Shopping at TJ Maxx and the other stores in the TJX family, have allowed me to live well despite having a modest salary.

My most memorable TJ Maxx experience was when I completed one outfit at two different TjMaxx stores. I was feeling a big down in the dumps.  As a single mother my budget was strained.  I couldn't make ends meet, I could even get the "ends" near each other.  But I needed an outfit for a special even coming up.  I couldn't make my black velvet skirt and sweater work again.  I needed retail therapy.  Luckily, a check came in for a workshop I'd done to earn money.  I called my girlfriend and we went out on a mission to find something for me to wear.

We hit the TJ Maxx in Quincy, Massachusetts.  I found a matching tank and cardigan in a patterned black and white microfiber that was absolutely slamming!  Not content with one TJ Maxx foray, my girlfriend and I decided to hit another store.  We went to Norwood, about 20 minutes away. (Living in Massachusetts which is the home of the TJX Companies, we have lots of stores to choose from.)

Lo and behold, I found a matching skirt to the set. I also grabbed another microfiber tank and cardigan set in solid black. I wore this outfit several times over the years - mixing and matching the pieces.  I dressed it up with stilletoes for the original after-work cocktail sip but also found that it worked for work presentations when I wanted to stand out from the crowd.  The skirt and two microfiber sets cost about  $60 and I used it for 10 years.

Thank you, TJ Maxx!

I don't generally love shopping (so much that I want, so little that I can afford).  But one of my proudest moments was finding two brand new Land's End Goose down vests at my local second hand store.  They were $4.99 each and they retail for at least $30.00.  I love cozy clothing and whenever I where my vests I feel like I'm wrapping myself up in a warm blanket.

At the beginning of this year, I was in the process of cleaning out my wardrobe. My sister (younger, and therefore slimmer) was lucky enough to be the beneficiary of probably 90% of what I own (I also happened to have started my 2nd trimester), and let's just say that at the end of the giveaway, I had (probably) 2 pairs of Gap maternity jeans left. Imagine my joy when I walked into my local TJMaxx and found 3 pairs of premium denim (J Brand, Antik Denim, and 7 For all Mankind) all on sale! I paid a total of $65 for all three...the J Brand pair cost $7...even the cashier couldn't believe it! Nearly 80% of my wardrobe has been purchased courtesy of TJ Maxx and Marshalls clearance racks. I've scoured may a good deal (name brand tees like Rebecca Beeson, Junk Food, and James Perse for less than $10), but that one shopping experience after giving away my wardrobe was probably the best ever.  

Back in my wild, single days (aka, the broke years) I was visiting a friend in San Francisco.  We went thrifting, and in the middle of a cavernous Salvation Army, I stumbled across the dress that earned a nickname.

For $2.50, I walked out of the store clutching a bright red, knit dress with puffed short sleeves, a low scoop neck and a flared skirt barely long enough to cover my butt.  And I thought it was the hottest thing ever made.

When I saw it on the rack, I was sure it wouldn't fit.  Slipping it on, it not only fit, it accentuated.  And after two lousy breakups and a lot of self-doubt, the boost from putting on that dress was worth a million dollars.

I wore it dancing with heels or cowboy boots. I wore it on vacation with sandals.  I wore the hell out of it.  Now I'm several sizes too big for it - and besides, I don't think the world is ready for that much of these legs anymore, but I'll tell you what.  That dress?  Best $2.50 I ever spent.  

It really should be under glass somewhere.

The Circus is in town!

I was thrift shopping back in the days before kids and found a $20 bill in the pocket of a sixties mod coat I was trying on. I took it to the cashier and told her it was in the coat and that it wasn't mine but she seemed dubious. I had to coerce her into taking it! I found a marimekko swing dress and over the knee leather boots in my size that day in another shop. For less than $20. I figure it was good karma!

http://superdumbsupervillain.blogspot.com/

I was in my early twenties, and shopping for my first corporate job. I needed a professional wardrobe, and had saved up $300 for the occasion. We all know how expensive work clothes can be and I wasn't sure how far I could stretch my money. But I had scrimped and saved to get to that point, so I had to do what I could.

I scoured the stores for deals, and finally hit upon a sale. I'm fairly tall (5'9") and it's hard to find women's pants that are nice and long. But Jones New York fits the bill and I was ecstatic to find some suits that were steeply discounted. I didn't care that they were end-of-season castoffs. (That, and I didn't have the sense to know better at the time.)

I managed to find two suits, both with a set of matching blouses and skirts. So instead of four separate outfits, I got dozens. I was so excited to get such a good deal for my money, and I felt like a million bucks every time I wore those outfits.

I still have those suits, even though they are approaching 10 years old. They remind me of a starry-eyed girl just starting her career who embarked on a new life the moment she stepped out in those new clothes.

And I still love a good deal on Jones New York. 

Becky
misspriss.org
beckyscorner.com
contributing editor - askpatty
contributor - aisledash
contributor - simply dumb
contributor - safe mama
contributor - luxury property

I just had a fantastic sale find about 2 weeks ago. I had saved up a gift card to Anthropolgie, now, I love that store even though many of the clothes are absurd or too frilly for me. Often they have super super cute stuff in just my style.

Anyone who loves that store probably also knows and loves the sale rack. Overstock, damaged and slightly out of season clothes go to the back of the store racks at pretty good discounts.

So tucked way in back I found this adorable black skirt with a branch and leaves embroidered on it. 50% off!! OMG! In my size!! I almost fainted.

Then, incredibly, there it was... the dress from last fall that was so cute but was 150$. From LAST FALL?! What was it doing there? I have no idea but instead of 150$ it was 30$. There were two buttons missing but there were two extra buttons on the tag. And also? MY SIZE!

When I got up to the counter with a regular priced sweater and my skirt and my dress the sales woman was all, "omg! you got some great deals here! Let me tell you how to fix this dress perfectly! And what to wear it with!" and then she gave me another 15% off the dress.

SWEET!

Craft blog: Thank you for not being perky

until it SCREAMS!!!! So....I love love love love Seven brand jeans. Both for me and my daughter. They totally rock. My absolute favorites are some trouser jeans that I got for dirt cheap and every time I wear them, I get tons of compliments. So today when lovely daughter and her friend went with me to the mall, I hit the clearance racks where they were having...get this....$59.99 jeans marked down to $15. But that's not even the whole of it....they were buy one, get one FREE! And THAT'S not even the whole of it! I had a coupon from buying my last workout shoes that was worth $10 towards a $20 or more purchase. Tried a pair on (yes, they had my size)...and unfortunately I've reached the conclusion (or maybe fortunately for those who must look at me from behind) that once women have reached a certain age, they should NOT wear skinny jeans. Oh, well. Went on to meet Punkin and Banana at the food court. Punkin wanted to see if she could find some. At 13, she definitely is the proper age bracket for skinny jeans. Found 2 pair...YES!! $15 EACH. But now my only dilemma was finding the extra $5 thing. SO....I went upstairs and tried like the dickens to find black a-shirts for Trog in a men's small....no dice. They had some in boys' 18-20, but they were in a pkg with one grey and one black...and he needs black to wear under his uniform. So I still HAD to find the whole extra $5 thing to spend, so I could make my purchase total $20 before my coupon. I had FINALLY found the ubiquitous pair of really cute brown sequined flip-flops (for don't we all just need another pair of flip-flops?), and was headed for the register when, low and behold, right by the register was another BO-GO table...found 2 absolutely adorable printed spring hoodies that were white with little black flowers....marked $8 and one was free, mind you. Nixed the flips...didn't really love them. Decided on the spot to treat Punkin and her friend to matching hoodies, of course. Got to the register to check out. Got my subtotal, declined the nice young thing when she asked if I wanted a credit card and gave her my $10 coupon. So, the bottom line is...TOTAL for this purchase of 2 pair of jeans originally priced at $60 each and 2 hoodies originally priced $32 each was (drumroll, please).....

$13.48 INCLUDING TAX!!!!

Do I rock or what?!?

I recently found one of my fav shampoo's in the clearance section at my local TJMaxx. This amazing shampoo that I would usually pay top dollar for was on sale for $2.00. I could hardly contain my excitement and quickly bought every bottle on the rack and rushed to other nearby stores to check out their inventory.

A bargain indeed.. still smiling over that deal

Some days I go the mall with money to burn and can't find anything. Other days, I have little to spare and find EVERYTHING! My best shopping day happened to fall on the latter.

I love bargain shopping. I hit the clearance racks first, always. I was in JC Penney and they were having a giant sale. All clearance was an additional percentage off to bring the toal percentage off to 70%.

I found two Bisou Bisou dresses that had been $70 marked down to $9.99 each (before the addidtional discount that would apply at checkout). It was a clearance bonanza. After trying several things on I had in my pile:

2 dresses, 1 blouse, 1 negligee, a shirt for my husband, a 2-piece pajama set (marked down to $7 before additional discount) and yoga pants.

While I was waiting in line to pay, I remembered I had a receipt at home with a survey invitation for an additional 15% off, plus a gift card with a $16 balance from a return.

I begged the sales lady to hold everything and she agreed even though clearance wasn't supposed to be. I drove 15 minutes home, logged on to take the survey and print the coupon. I raced back to the mall and after the in store discounts, my additional 15% off and my gift card, I bought almost $330 worth of clothes for $35!!

I was half an hour late to my night class but it was worth it. I kept that receipt on my dresser for awhile because I was so proud of it!

Yesterday at a garage sale I found a DKNY denim skirt for $1 dollare. Also I got a DKNY shirt for a whole 25 cents! lol so cheep I love it!

Sarah F

bloominwild89@yahoo.com

Everybody I know ,knows that I am a huge bargain shopper.  I have a lot of stories I like to share but my favorite by far is about a painting I had been eyeing for two years.   It was over 200 dollars and I figured I would never get it but I could not take my eyes off of it anytime I was in the store.  Sometimes I would go by just to look at it and see if it might be on sale. In two years it never once went on sale.  The store has a clearance section that I always scope out anytime I am in it.  One day, I had a coupon for the store so I stopped by to browse around to see if there was any good deals I might get.  I was not prepared for what I was about to walk up to.  I went to the clearance isle and I immediately locked my eyes on the painting.  I couldn't believe what I was seeing.  I can't say that I have ever felt like this with shopping before.  I literally felt like I was outside of my body or something as I was walking toward the painting.  I felt like I couldn't get there quick enough.  Once I finally had my hands on it I noticed that there was a nic in the corner of it and that is why it was on clearance but it was totally easy to cover up.  Then I found the price and saw that it went from over 200 dollars to 39.99 plus I had a coupon which allowed me to get this painting for 29 dollars!!!  I couldn't believe it.  I felt my adreneline kick in and everything.  I mean my hands were shaking as I was buying it.  I couldn't believe I was walking out with this painting I had been eyeing for two years for next to nothing!!!!  I still can't believe it every time I look at it. 

n 1996, I was a newlywed that didn't have two dimes to rub together. That is no exaggeration, I literally dug through my couch cushions trying to find change to buy a Coke Slurpee and couldn't even come up with it.

The whole, "I'm poor as dirt" thing sucked a duck. I had to mind every penny and rarely, if ever, bought anything. So, I already knew what the situation would be when my best friend called and said, "Do you want to go to the Eddie Bauer warehouse sale with me?"

Even though I was a pauper I was still quick with my answer.

"Umm...YES! Except, I CANNOT BUY ANYTHING. Ok, I can't buy something unless it is fluffy, and made with angora, and perfect. And almost free."

In other words? I was not going to be buying ANYTHING, because I couldn't see anything being under $15.00. Oh, well. I was happy to be tagging along. Even if it was me just gazing longingly at heaps and heaps of clothing on row after row of tables that gave the same never ending feeling as that last scene in Radars of the Lost Arc.

UNTIL I SAW IT.

The.perfect.sweater.

It was laying there, flat out on top of a pile of crew necks and I swear there was a hazy stream of light hitting it as a chorus of angles began singing the opening stanza of The Hallelujah Chorus.

It was the exact shade of rosy coral that perfectly complimented my skin and eyes, it was the perfect size, it was FLUFFY and made with rabbit and angora and THERE WAS ONLY ONE OF THEM (I know because I went through every.single.one of those unending tables looking.).

I stepped out of my sweater lust long enough to remember the change-digging Slurpee sadness of the week and my heart sunk.

It had to be way out of my price range, it was so glorious.

Holding my breath, I turned the price tag over.

$14.99.

AS IN UNDER FIFTEEN FREAKING DOLLARS!

I almost floated to the cash register and parted with my money. That was an almost perfect moment. I forgot about my life suck and troubles. I was completely happy and whenever I wore that beautiful sweater, I remembered how totally GREAT that moment was.

Seriously. I went to Ross for a cute little black knit shrug, and I found one.

ONE. In the whole store.

And it fit and it was exactly what I was looking for. That is a freaking miracle, people.

It's Armand and Alba, it was $14.99, and I *lurv* it. I'm wearing it right now!

Liz Rizzo

I blog at Everyday Goddess.

My daughter is soo hard to fit, and she never has anything hip to wear.  I went on ebay thinking I'd never find anything, and ended up winning $100 Lucky brand jeans for $20.

For myself?  I ALWAYS shop at TJ Maxx or catalogs, that's why this contest is perfection for me.

It's long past 5/16 now.

Thanks,

Liz Rizzo

I blog at Everyday Goddess.