Frugal Style

Today I have two more outfits with pieces I chose for my summer remix challenge.  I've been busy this week with VBS and yesterday I wasn't feeling 100% therefore I didn't take any pictures.  So today I kept the same top and remixed it with different bottoms and voila!  Two outfits done!

I haven't told you how much I paid for some of the pieces in my summer remix challenge.  I will do that in this post and also explain why I get so excited about it. 

One of my revelations during my year-of-no-shopping was that when I do go shopping, I don't have buy full-priced retail name-brand items.  I know, I know, such a simple concept, but it's difficult to realize sometimes.

I grew up in Hawaii where you can wear a t-shirt, shorts, and slippahs (a.k.a. flip flops) every day, all day, year round and from year to year.  It never goes "out of style."  Sure, the "mainland" trends would  reach us too, but everyone is pretty content to wear super casual clothes. Like if you decided to wear jeans, people would ask you why you were dressed up.  Locals usually own one pair of tennis shoes (usually white) and one jacket (usually black) to match everything.  Okay, I may be exaggerating...then again maybe not.  

Growing up, my parents never had a lot of money to spend on clothes for us.  My sisters and I usually wore hand-me-downs from relatives, and we only went shopping for school clothes.  In high school and college I had part-time jobs to help me buy things that I wanted.  I even worked at Gap and especially enjoyed the employee discount.  After college I moved to Southern California where some people dress casually and others don't.  I got my first job as a teacher and finally had a steady income.  It was easy for me to want to buy clothes at the hundreds upon thousands of malls and retail stores literally everywhere.  I was in debt with college loans and yet I would go shopping for "work" (and "play") clothes almost every weekend. 

 

I tried to be frugal by shopping at outlets and cheaper retail stores.  I always looked for what was on sale or on clearance.  I remember shopping one day with my cousin at the mall and after browsing a few stores, I said to her, "What are we doing here?  Let's go across the street to Ross and Marshall's!"  Sadly, I never learned how to shop wisely.  In my attempt to save money, I would buy poor quality clothes.  Sometimes I would buy pieces that didn't fit me well just because they were on sale.  The result was a closet of unwearable clothes because they were either faded or pilling or ill-fitting. 

I have a whole different mindset when I shop now.  I try my best to only buy items that fall under these categories. 

A.  I look for quality classic pieces that are comfortable and will hold up well when washed and worn. 

B.  I look for pieces that can be remixed for my lifestyle: work, weekend, church, etc.

C.  If I buy trendy pieces, I try not to spend a lot of money on them knowing that they'll only last a season. 

Outfit 1: striped t-shirt $3 at Old Navy + Levi's jeggings $1 at Plato's Closet

Outfit 2:  same striped t-shirt $3 at Old Navy + coral corduroy jeans $2 at Old Navy

Okay so here are two outfits under $5!  Isn't that crazy!?  Our Plato's Closet here in North Little Rock has these awesome $1 clearance sales pretty much every season.  (Stay tuned for a shopping haul post from the last sale!)  I've gotten some steals there because it's a consignment store that carries some really good quality name-brand stuff.  The Levi's jeggings are a prime example.  The shirt and coral jeans are from Old Navy. I love Old Navy for the fact that I can get brand new (as opposed to consignment which is usually worn) trendy pieces on clearance. 

I've already worn all three of these items a bunch of times because of their remixability.  (Is that even a word?)  I get so excited knowing that I only spent a few dollars on cute comfy clothes.  It also makes me feel good that I'm being a better steward by wearing these pieces over and over again by remixing them with items I already own.  That's why I love remix challenges like these.  They show me how many outfit options I really have and remind me that I don't need to go shopping every weekend!  I can be content with the things God has given me. 

How do you feel about your closet?  Are you a frugal shopper?  What are some things you do to be a better steward of what you already own?
 

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