Shoe Jackpot

I love shoes. I have many, many pairs of them. People find that funny, because I don’t wear them out. How could I possibly have a need for so many shoes? Just because I don’t walk in them, that doesn’t mean I can’t love them. I love shoes just as much as any ambulatory girl. They are a great way to enhance even the most boring ensemble.

The other day I stopped in a discount designer clothes shop to pass some time. Nothing in the store is over $10, because everything has some kind of flaw. Most of the clothes have a hole in them, so I moved on to the shoes. In my mind, I hit the jackpot. I pretty much only wear a certain style of Skechers when it comes to athletic shoes. Needless to say, I was thrilled to find a decent selection of them. I ended up with three pairs – white with sparkles, cream with sequins and one with just a fashionable brown design. I love sparkles and anything shiny, what can I say? And for two of the three pairs, the only flaw I could find was that they had mismatched sizes (one shoe is a 6, the other a 7). That doesn’t make a difference for me, since, afterall, I don’t walk in them. Ha. I have yet to figure out what the flaw is on the third pair that actually has matching sizes.

Aren’t they fabulous?

To some people flaws are worthless, to others they are absolutely perfect.

Oh, how I love shoes...

It has been awhile since I've posted and it's not because I haven't found any fabulous finds. It's because I'm practicing exercising something known as self-control. Maybe you've heard of it. It means I'm trying not to buy something that I don't really need and can live without, instead of buying it just because I want it. It's an interesting concept and is definitely an adult thing to do, that's for sure.

Before I truly starting practicing this notion of self-control, I came across a pretty amazing find. I stopped in Kohl's to find a super cute pair of Lauren Conrad shoes that I saw in a commercial and that were supposed to be on sale. Unfortunately, they didn't have them. I guess that ultimately was a good thing, because I didn't really need them, they probably would have been around $40 and they probably would not have been comfortable.

I decided to peruse the clearance shoes and oh boy was I delighted to find a pair of Candie's shoes I've been drooling over for months. Usually when I find something on clearance that I want, it's not in my size, and I figured that would be the case, especially since they only had one pair. It was my lucky day! The one pair happened to be my size. And, the best part was, that these shoes that were normally over $30 were just $7. Score!

Check them out... aren't they just uber cute?!

Stay tuned for another blog about another amazing shoe find. :)

It's Like Christmas... Or Possibly Better!

Some might think that Christmas is the best time of year to shop, because of all the big sales and offers out there. I disagree. In recent years, I’ve come to find that it’s after New Years that is the best time to shop. Pretty much everything is clearanced to make room for Spring merchandise and the prices are actually better than any Christmas sale. I once got over $200 worth of merchandise at J.C. Penney for $60 this time of year. And last year, with a combination of clearance prices and in-store cash, I got $150 worth of merchandise at Express for $70. Many people have gift cards this time of year, which means sometimes it can actually cost you nothing to get some fabulous attire. Really, this time of year is like Christmas all over or possibly better!

To wait out some snowy rush hour traffic after an appointment this week, I paid a visit to Southdale and I found a couple of pretty fantastic deals at two of my favorite stores.

First, I ventured into Express. Oh how I love Express. Yes, in general, they can be expensive, but I have mastered the art of perusing their clearance racks with Express cash and discount cards. Over the last two years, I have made many, many great purchases there with very little cost to me. The more you shop there, the more you ultimately save by earning Express Cash or discount cards they mail you. Now, if you buy stuff at regular prices, you’re really not saving money in the longrun, but if you’re like me and only buy on sale or on clearance, you will save. I hardly ever pay regular price for anything there.

Anyways… I immediately made my way to the clearance racks and my favorite clearance boxes (you gotta dig thru them, but it can be very worth the effort). I managed to dig up two of my favorite style of sweaters – lightweight v-necks. I love these because first and foremost, they are lightweight, because they aren’t itchy and because you can dress them up with a great pair of dress pants or dress them down with jeans. I got the exact sweater last year in purple and wear it often. This year, I snagged a pink one and a black one (pictured below). Oh, the price… they were already on clearance for $19.99 and they were an additional 20% off. I’ve paid more than that for cheap sweaters at Target or Old Navy. January is a great time to shop at Express and keep making visits because things can keep getting marked down. I think July is also another good time to shop there for deals.

Next, I made my way into Aeropostale and was delighted to find their logo t-shirts on sale for just $3.99. $3.99! Seriously, it’s hard to beat that price anywhere. I’ve always loved their logo and graphic tees because they are so lightweight. They are great for pairing with jeans or jean shorts, for layering with camis or for pairing with plain ole loungewear. They usually come in a wide variety of colors, too. As pictured below, I snatched them up in navy, pink and turquoise.

Also in the picture above is a white and blue longsleeve I spotted on the clearance rack for just $5.99. I guess you could call it a thermal or henley. I love stripes and have had a craving for a white and blue longsleeve for months (don’t ask me why). Needless to say, I was very pleased with this find. I think it will go great with jeans.

If you’re looking to replenish your wardrobe or just add to it, now’s the time to get out there and do some serious shopping.