What are some shopping rules you wouldn’t necessarily recommend to others but which you follow?

Ever since my little thrifting experiment with my observations here, my rule is to avoid and pretty much abhor paying retail but I know secondhand goods can make people squeamish … Like my mother who thinks it comes off dead bodies and has spirits embedded in the fabric.

I also recently offloaded about 50 pieces of clothing, and when I look back at its retail value of what I paid, I managed to only get less than 1/3 of it back, after fees etc.

It’s a sad, sad feeling and rather makes you feel disgusted at the money you’ve wasted.

It has to be a darn special piece for me to fork over my money, and even then, I am going to wait for a sale, a coupon, or try and hunt a similar piece down first.

For instance, this skirt has been haunting my dreams lately. It is a high-waisted, perfect army surplus green, with a belt, midi (I would need to get it chopped up), and with pockets.

Price tag? Around $250.

I don’t want it in the pale blue version on sale right now, I want it in that perfect army surplus green version.

I tentatively bought it but have the tags still on, ready to return it for when it goes on sale.

I guess I wouldn’t recommend that as a shopping rule… 😉

I am also waiting to find its twin on a sale rack elsewhere or in a thrift store.

If it doesn’t go on sale, ever, and I never find it before the time period is up because it’s such a perfect skirt, then I will be happy I snagged my size.

Don’t shop with the intention of returning it.. You may never do it and you are out that money. 

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

The entire series can be found here: Women in Clothes Style & Fashion Survey