Cheap and Chic; It Is Possible

If there is one thing I have learned how to do well since leaving college it is shopping cheap. It used to be that I would pass my time between classes stocking up on designer jeans and over-priced coffee concoctions. That, of course, was when my parents were footing the bill and I could tell my mom I bought 2 pairs of jeans, 3 shirts and an oh-so-necessary text book for the price I really spend on some new oh-so-sexy boots.

Those days are long gone.

Now the only person reviewing (with a mixture of shock and horror) and paying my credit card bills is me, so I had no choice but to do a little switcheroo on my spending habits. That doesn’t mean, however, that my love for fashion has changed. At first that made things difficult; it isn’t easy having an obsession with the latest runway styles on a post-graduation limited budget. But I soon found it was possible to be tre fabulous on a tight budget.

And here are the stores to visit:

Kohls: This store didn’t need the new Simply Vera by Vera Wang to be a go-to for women on a budget. Even before the uber fabulous line made its way into stores across the country (and my closet, obvi), Kohls had beautiful and stylish clothes at super affordable prices. Mix and match this stuff and it won’t be hard to make people think it’s from Neiman’s.

Target: Obviously. Take your pick of awesome clothes from their GO designers to their staples like Mossimo and Isaac Mizrahi; this store really does have it all. And taking weekly shopping trips will not kill the budget (or force you to choose between eating and dressing).

Old Navy: I know what you are thinking: everything looks so cute in the commercials and just isn’t in the store. I used to be the same way, but then I realized that Old Navy is the place to go for staple items. You know, the layering tanks, the solid shirts and the rest of the building blocks of fabulous outfits.

Marshalls: The discounted prices here are almost too good to be true. $7 for a shirt? $12 for a pair of pants? You could spend an entire day in this store and still have money left over for some cocktails. You may have to pick through a lot of ugly shit (like seriously, ugly), but the deals you will find – especially on designer duds – are totally worth all the work.

For those of you shopping on a budget like me, just remember that mixing discount items with a few key big ticket items in an ensemble is the trick to looking absolutely fabulous – and not so cheapo-bag-lady) on a budget. Happy shopping!