frugal/fashion Friday

Can I discuss clothes for a minute? (Of course I can. This is my blog.)

I remember when I was pregnant, I would order clothes on a whim, or stop by Gap maternity in the mall for one more cute shirt. I found fabulous maternity jeans at Kohl’s on more than one occasion. And after I had the baby, I was in this in-between size. Stuck between maternity and “real” clothes. I have a closet filled with my in-between sizes. (I should probably re-sell most of those items.)

Over the past several months I’ve been trying to move old clothes out and buy new, well-fitting and non-stained clothes. Especially shirts. For whatever reason, I’m the world’s worst at getting stains out of shirts. I’ve given up my mall days and have been shopping at Target here and there and if I find something I love, I buy it in several colors. So far it’s working for me. (And in case you don’t get Target coupons texted to you, sign up TODAY. They often have coupons for their clothes. I don’t buy anything now without a coupon.)

I’m fortunate to live near the J.Crew distribution center. Almost monthly, they have a warehouse sale and on occasion (maybe once a year?) they have a HUGE warehouse sale. Like, stand in line for hours before they open, kind of sale. This past weekend was one of those sales and I just happened to swing by it after I picked up my race packet. I snapped a couple of photos of the discarded umbrellas outside the warehouse, and then when I walked into the warehouse.

The place is insane. As you walk in, you’re handed a price sheet (nothing is labeled with prices. There are prices for pants, shirts, coats, etc. and it’s just one set price.) You could spend hours and hours digging through boxes looking for clothes that might fit you. I, however, did not have hours to dig. I had about an hour to get in and out of there.


I managed to luck out in the bathing suit department. I found this bathing suit and scored it for just $5! The bathing suit was originally $88 – and there is no way I could spend that much on a bathing suit. I also bought a two-piece suit ($5 a piece) and purchased two tops, because I didn’t know which one I’d like better. (Turns out I’m not in love with the two piece, so I may sell it on ebay.) I found pants for $15 and I also bought a pair of pants for the husband (also $15.) The biggest deal of my visit may have been this coat. I bought it for $50. It’s originally $375. This is my second J.Crew winter coat I’ve bought and the last one is still in great condition (though the lining needs some mending.)

Total, I spent $100. That included 4 bathing suit “pieces”, two pairs of pants and a coat. Considering I haven’t had a big clothing purchase (for me) recently, I’m extremely pleased with this trip.

Are you a big clothing spender? What stores have you found great deals at recently?