I bought a pair of nice flip-flops and liked them so much I wanted to get another pair. $78 for them new!!!
After years of buying jeans at thrift shops, paying full price for new is really tough, buy I did break down and buy a pair of really cute jeans that fit just right.... and then I washed them.
Never again!!!!! Thrift shop jeans are a great price and pre-shrunk!
If you really want some amazing bargains, buy your jewelry from the pawn shop.
I grew up in NY and had friends in the Diamond district. When I moved my Texas, I lost my connections to great jewelry at discounted prices.
The mark-up on jewelry is 400% or more over the rating of the stones and the weight/purity of the metal.
24K gold is worth more. Mixed metals are worth less. Gold overlay is trash.
A 1 carat clear diamond with a high brilliance and no eye-inclusions is worth more than a carat worth of diamond chips. My mother always favored a large signature piece over 5 smaller pieces. I gave my husband that advice. He foregoes buying lots of little things throughout the year so Momma can get bling at Christmas.
The mark-up at the pawn shop is usually only 100 to 200%. Even then, you can haggle. Sitting in the case is not making them money.
Go shopping during the summer (after Mother’s day to October). Deals and steals and lay away.
Pawn shops are also great places for guns, bikes, and musical instruments. Avoid the handbags, though. They don’t know how to price them properly and pay too much to the seller for a beat up name brand. Yuck!
For “blow away the competition” handbags, get on the Dillard’s or Macy’s sales list. Forget Coach, Michael Koors, etc. The bag to have that will look amazing even with two years of constant, everyday use is Brahmin. I buy nothing but Brahmins; they look new for years, are waterproof, clean easily, and don’t lose their shape. The almond color goes with everything.
If you get on the secret sale list, you can snag a $400 bag for $235. They are also not prone to being forged (still, it’s better to buy new and register it; they will fix for free -although I’ve never had to use that service).
It’s the middle class equivalent to an Hermes bag. Women who buy Brahmins acknowledge other women who buy Brahmins.
Happy treasure hunting!
I always buy my jeans at thrift stores. I pay $8 for jeans that cost up to 10 times as much regular retail.