Shop in the sales!

Always check out the sales - being frugal isn't about completely stopping spending money. Its about spending right.

If you need to buy new clothes - and sometimes you do need to buy brand new clothes - example of this is underwear. You'd really not want to wear second hand pants ... would you? OK I personally draw the line at underwear. I really believe that its worth buying it new!

So how do you shop in the sales?

You shop in the sales by sticking to your budget! You have a budget in mind for your clothes spending? You should have a budget for what you're prepared to spend on new clothes (or clothes in total) - or whatever category of item you're going shopping for.

Set your budget

Once you know how much you have to spend on clothes then you can either divide it up into 12 - and then that is your monthly psend, or decide whether you need to invest once or twice a year in new clothes and in that case do you splurge at once or save up until you've got halfway through your year,

Monthly budget or yearly spend?

It is up to you whether you divide your avilable budget up into monthly amounts or spend it in bigger chunks - either annually, or half yearly.

If you are an impulse buyer you might find it hard to resist spending once you start. In this case you might be better putting it off for as long as possible. At least 3 months - then you can spend 3 months clothes allowance in one go. If you over spend then leave your next spending spree longer and take cash out of the bank - so you can only spend the cahs you have.

This cash only technique is very useful if you can't resist spending money.

Make a list

The secret of sticking to a plan is to have actually thought about the plan enough to have written it down. Write down your whole budget (this will be covered elsewhere on this site) - and write down the indivudal things you need to buy.

So for clothes - as this is the example we're using you write down how much underwear, hosiery, skirts, jeans, shoes, boots, hats, special occaision wear you need and work out roughly how much you have to spend.

You'll start to realise you can't buy everything new - or designer labels. There are lots of cheaper options for buying clothes these days. Lots of online stores, like ASOS, Frank is Frank, Grattons, Freemans, and lots of other high street names operate online and offer discounts and money off vouchers. These are well worth exploring.For clothes vouchers see this site

Also consider adapting your existing wardrobe, borrowing or swapping clothes with friends, making your own clothes, accessorisiing, trying cheaper stores, buygin from second hand stores and charity shops. You don't have to buy new clothes all the time - but perhaps allow yourself a few new items if your budget allows - especially if you can save money using discount vouchers.

Shopping in sales hints

• Make a note of what sales are on - ask in store when the sale is expected to end and if they're having any blue cross days (when prices get slashed)
• Don't buy for the sake of buying. Ask yourself if it fits, looks good, is what you need AND meets your budget.
• Check that items are well made and not damaged when you buy them. If they're damaged then ask for a further reduction at the till. If they refuse then don't buy it!
• Check the online sales - always worth watching out for online shopping sales and bargains.
• Check you pay the right price.
• If you're not sure about an item don't rush into buying it. Perhaps ask a friend's advice or ask yourself if you'll still be using the item in 6 months.

Related links for getting discounts and finding out who has got a sale on