fun on a budget: clothes

OK, I’ll admit it: “What Not to Wear” is my guilty pleasure. Stacy and Clinton crack me up, the transformations amaze me, and watching the show makes me want to update my wardrobe, rethink my fashion choices—in short, it makes me want to go shopping.

I’ve been “good” for several weeks: my last clothing purchase was in the end of March or beginning of April, and I only bought two things: an adorable spring dress and a black-and-white tunic top, both from JCPenney, for a grand total of $70.

But I’ve been feeling that itch. You know the one? The longing for something new and shiny, something wrapped in tissue paper and placed inside a shopping bag with handles? I tell myself Soon. Soon, when you land the job, when you have the spending money.

And in the mean time, I find contentment in these quasi-shopping means:

The Frugal Fashionista: I put this site in my Bloglines weeks ago, and its feeds are shortened so you have to open the site to read the posts. Let me tell you: I open every one. Name the celebrity, and FF has tips for scoring a similar style, at lower prices.

Reorganizing: I’ve been doing this regularly for as long as I can remember. Once or twice a year, I take all my clothes and shoes out of my closet and throw them on my bed, the dresser, the mirror, wherever. Then I try everything on. Really. I ask myself if there are new ways to wear old things, if I can restyle items. Bonus: I always, always find clothes I forgot I liked wearing. I don’t know why this happens.

eBay: With all the reorganizing, I usually set aside a stack of clothes that I can’t believe I ever bought: that bunchy skirt, the too-tight jeans, etc. If they’re in good shape, and especially if they’re brand name, I list them on eBay. Quality clothing really does sell well online, and then I’m adding money to the new-clothes fund. The not-as-nice stuff I pile in a bag for Goodwill and haul it out later on.

Right now, I’m wearing a newly put-together suit. It’s a jacket I bought at Sears a year ago, for $20; a pair of pants from the Limited, $60 but SO worth it because I wear them all the time; and a white t-shirt I got at H&M last year, for less than $10. The t-shirt was an accidental outfit choice last week, and I loved it so much, it’s become my interview staple.

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