Can Frugal Fashion be eco-Friendly?

Women across the world want to look good. I’m no exception. Granted that my sense of style may be different from the average Canadian, but who’s to judge? Everyone wants to look and feel good when they go through their days, and everyone is going to have a different sense of what looks good. Here are a few ways to stay stylish, save the world, and look good doing it.

~Shop Vintage~

Checking out second hand stores is becoming the new ‘it’ thing. Not only do you find unique items that may be completely sold out or not made anywhere anymore, but you can also find some incredible deals, like vintage tops for less than 5$! I've been pretty lucky on this front, finding a multitude of nice looking, unique, and good quality clothing items for less thank 80% retail value. Nothing like saving money on beautiful clothing!

~Watch for Sales~

Almost every retail store has sales and clearance racks at varying times throughout the year. Most stores with clearance racks almost always have at least a few items on them, so sneak a peak and see if you can find something that suits your style. Many stores will have occasional promotions as well to get you through the doors, and often you can couple the clearance items with these promotions and score pretty huge.

~Shop Off-Season~

If you're in the market for a new winter jacket, buy it at the end of February. If you're aching for a new bathing suit, start shopping in the early fall. The reason for this? Simple, stores want to get rid of their excess off-season items to make room for the new stuff. So to get their goods out the door, they put their items on super clearance. Sometimes you can score brand new items for thrift store prices just by watching at the end of the season. Sure, you'll have to stash it for a few months, but you have just saved yourself a nice big chunk of change.

It's also important to remember that stores will begin increasing their prices through late November and into December as preparation for Christmas shopping, so when you see "Christmas special price!" chances are, it's the pre-inflated price, it just looks like less now since they racked the cost up so much. It is a good business idea, but it is definitely something to watch for as a consumer so that you don't get taken for a ride.

The big red/yellow/whatever colour SALE signs draw me in like flies to honey, but once you're able to determine what you think is a good price for an item and the different ways that stores will try to get you to buy more, it's easier to walk away with empty arms if you don't find what you like.

There's nothing like the high you get from paying next to nothing for bags full of gorgeous clothing. If you're extra crafty (which I am not, yet) then you can even find bolts of fabric at your local thrift store and make your own spunky clothes out of that, saving yourself even more money than making your own clothes saves in the first place! Whoa!

Peace and love,

Laura