Budget Tip: Watch the Sales Now
Happy Thursday! Allow me to offer a Budget Tip: Watch the Sales Now.
Today is one week before Christmas Day, and, if you are like me, you could use a budget tip or two after purchasing gifts and food for entertaining.
I feel very confident in saying I believe 98% of my clothing has been purchased on sale…at clearance…or at re-sale.
If I really, really want something, I have been known to purchase it at full price…that is rare…and only 2%.
My budget tip is to watch the great sales going on now…you may purchase at these sale prices or watch what you want go lower into January.
I am showing examples today….so come along.
BUDGET TIP: WATCH THE SALES NOW: NOTE YOUR FAVORITES
There are favorite sales I watch and participate in more than others and Talbots sales are at the top.
Talbots cardigans are favorites to purchase in the Red Door Sales or even in the spring sales.
I love this gold cardigan I am wearing here…it has flecks of metallic threads and is nice for special occasions. I purchased it in a big sale two years ago.
Talbots still sells the COWL-NECK SWEATER SHELL…though it is only available in a color called Plumrose. I have enjoyed the ivory one I purchased on sale and worn it often.
Once I see a garment that I would love at a lower price, I make note of it and watch it through the sales.
I look at the colors and the sizes that seem to be selling the fastest…and then decide at what point I want to purchase or say goodbye.
Of course, they can always do something different, but typically Talbots has a big Red Door Sale in January.
The snowflake brooch I am wearing today was a $2 find during summer at Kohl’s.
Right now, I am watching these cardigans at Talbots to see what happens with them in sales:
CREWNECK CARDIGAN – I love the style and length of this one…and I like both colors.
ORGANIC COTTON SHAKER STITCH OPEN FRONT CARDIGAN in Ivory
V-NECK CARDIGAN in pink rosette heather (In my spring palette)
In fact, another budget tip is to stay true to your best colors and not allow sale prices to take you down rabbit holes.
BUDGET TIP: WATCH THE SALES NOW: FOR WARMER CLIMATES
If you are like me and live in a warmer climate, my budget tip to watch sales makes even more sense.
I am not going to wear the heavier garments as much as those of you who live up north, so it just makes sense to shop them on sale.
I do wish I had this Talbots Poncho in a smaller size, but I am glad I have it for the colder days. It is warm and a beautiful color.
Talbots has returned it for sale again this year (mine is from two years ago in the Red Door Sale) . This is the TURTLENECK PONCHO in dark teal.
Recently, I wore that poncho on a very cold day with this cashmere sweater underneath it.
Another budget tip is to shop Quince.
They may not have as many sales, but they also have amazing prices for quality pieces.
The cashmere sweaters are so soft and warm.
I am wearing the MONGOLIAN CASHMERE BATWING SWEATER from a couple of years ago in a deep maroon. This color is no longer available but other colors are.
I usually wear it as a third piece on a cold day under something.
My budget tip goals this week is to get you looking at the sales or even regular priced items you love and would love to own.
Then watching them going forward into seasonal clearance sales…a daily look see could land the garment for you at a good price.
Also, pay attention to Sunday Flash Sales at your favorites…they can be quite lucrative. Saving money is a great way to give yourself a gift!
I hope this helps…thank you for joining me today for BUDGET TIP: WATCH THE SALES NOW….I will return tomorrow and hope you will as well…until then…
CHOOSE JOY & KEEP SMILING!!
By Pamela Lutrell
For all your shopping, please use the links on my SHOPPING PAGE…thank you, thank you to all who shop this way and show support for this blog. It means the world.
Thank you for this reminder that it often pays off to shop for ourselves during the holidays! Just yesterday I visited a local boutique and gift shop that is going out of business after many years in my community. They were the only place I could find that would add my grandson’s name to the Savannah Bananas baseball jersey I am giving him. When I went in to pick it up, they had marked everything that remained in the store 40% off. I realized that while I have some holiday outfits for warmer weather (like the upper 70’s we are predicted to have) they are all a smaller size than I wear now. I was hoping to find something suitable for the family gathering at my house. I not only found a nice 3/4 sleeve cotton Christmas tee in my size, but also a lightweight dressier top in beautiful burgundy crinkle velvet. I can cook and play in the yard with the kids in the tee, and change into the nicer blouse for our meal.
I also took advantage of the sale and bought myself three very unique tops as a Christmas gift. One is a beautiful hand embroidered linen top for summer, and the others are lightweight corduroy in two of my best colors. It was a splurge to buy for myself so close to Christmas, but the store is closing and there’s no way I would be able to come back after the holidays and find these pieces. All my friends and my kids are foregoing gifts for the adults this year due to financial strain, so those tops will be what I mention when asked what I got for Christmas. I hope everyone’s holiday preparations are coming together, and that the joy of the season outweighs the extra work. Yesterday’s wonderful post on traditions reminded me that the extra effort does matter!
Mixed emotions…so sad for you to lose a boutique you love, but happy you found some bargains.
I too am a 98% sale person, and can only think of a very few items I’ve bought that were not on sale. But I readily admit that I do buy items on sale that fit my colors, but recently, I’ve been reminded of something some fashion person said, perhaps on your blog…” Remember, items on sale racks are there because no one wanted them!”. However, I now have several cashmere sweaters I’ve bought during Talbots Red Door Sale so I look forward in particular to that sale. Talbots carries petite sizes which Quince does not so their sweaters fit me better though I do have some cashmere from Quince. You’ve mad me aware of some items from Talbots that I will be watching during the sales.
As usual, you make great sense. I have too many clothes, so I’ve shopped very lightly for myself this autumn, adding a few brown pieces and some Vionic knit sneakers to wear in Italy and Greece. Too often, I bought a clothing piece just because it was on sale and would add volume to my working wardrobe, and I carried this mentality too long into retirement. I’m really hunting sales these days for quality, versatile pieces, and just made my first Frank and Eileen purchase on sale that has not been delivered yet (fingers crossed it fits as it was final sale … yikes!). In Greece, the economy is not as robust as in Italy, and the people usually have second jobs or a side hustle. While to Americans, it’s a remarkably cheap country, their wages are not high and they express worry over rising prices. The guides we had for three days I was able to observe more closely. They definitely have a curated wardrobe, with not as much black as in Italy, and they all wear a lot of blue-greens, teal and jade. What stood out for me most in both Greece and Italy was how little costume jewelry they wore. Almost nonexistent. My guide’s clear point of style pride was a pair of Gucci sunglasses she always carefully put back in the case rather than pushing them to the top of her head. They seemed to love leopard, and wear gold accessories (the jewelry stores were jaw dropping and silver seemed reserved for tourists), and lovely scarves enlivened the basics. I’m sure the Greeks are shopping sales, which were definitely “on” in Athens as shoppers bustled late into a Sunday night shopping stores decked out for Christmas. Travel broadens us in so many ways, and I was often thinking/wondering why someone was choosing what to wear and what stories it told about their personalities and lives.
I do shop sales for the exact reason Celia quoted, “Remember, items on sale racks are there because no one wanted them!”. Being petite, short waisted and with short arms I often find pieces that don’t fit anyone else. I also often find pieces that are incorrectly labeled so go by how they look and not what the tag says. My goal is to do a good closet clean out in the new year to be assured I’m buying only what I need.
I understand the thinking that sale items are there because they were not popular with someone else. This is where reading the comments on the website can be very helpful. But, because I believe we are all unique with our own personal style, if a garment fits my style adjectives and not others that does not bother me. I also look closely at what others are saying about the fit. But don’t always assume it is a loser garment…just takes a little research and pondering if it is for your own unique style.
Once my cataract surgery is done, I am considering gifting myself a pair of really nice sunglasses. But I have seen many at the second hand shops. I have really enjoyed your travel style observations, Linda and thank you for sharing.
I also want to do that closet clean, but may wait until I drop some more pounds. When I gained after the move, I confess I purchased items for the “larger” me because I had so many clothes that were too tight. I hope to move on the ones that are too big now…but I definitely desire to keep losing. I much closer to where I was a few years ago and want to wear those summer dresses this year that have been too small.
Great advice, Pam. I rarely buy at full price. You give us some helpful sale tips, thank you. You look fabulous in all the outfits. Hope everyone is having a very special Christmas week. I’m trying to keep some balance and not get over-tired or sick. But it’s hard. So much to do. Try to make your chore days joyful. I have Andy Williams playing right now.
Love Andy Williams! I need to put that one on while I cook today…thanks Marcia!
I wanted to just mention how wonderful you look, Pam. The last few weeks you have been glowing and I love the outfits you have been wearing! Joy is coming thru loud and clear and I appreciate that, your posts and pictures make me smile every morning, thank you.
Thank you so much for the encouragement, Alice. It is such a blessing to me. I am feeling so much better since beginning the diet and getting some of these pounds off…and of course, the season just gives me joy. Thanks for being here!
Love your opening photo look today, and also the camel cardigan with cream tipping – what a great style! I have the pink rosette heather cardigan from Talbot’s and wore it just last week out to my husband’s birthday dinner. I love any kind of heathered effect in sweaters and tees, but this one is especially pretty and is super flattering if you dab a tiny bit of pinkish blush on your cheeks, ànd do a muted pink lip. The fit is shorter than most cardigans and a touch boxy, but I am enjoying having some varying silhouettes in my closet.
Thanks for sharing on that cardigan, Connie. I have my eye on it! I also am enjoying different silhouettes… I do not ever see me sticking to just one.
It’s always a balance between the size/style/color that you want and whether you get a sale price. My feeling is that retailers, order inventory with a great deal of thought about what will sell at full price and what will be marked down. That means that something that ends up marked way down likely is something nobody wanted. Sometimes that can work for you, but sometimes you end up with something that isn’t exactly what you wanted and takes you down the rabbit hole of finding something to go with it or not reaching for it regularly in your closet.
If you see something you like, that checks off your boxes it may be a good idea to buy and not wait for after Christmas clearance.
Thanks Rose…I am very careful with my process. There are years I have made mistakes, but as I get older I seem to get it right more than not. For me, sale shopping is just as fun as second hand shopping…kind of a treasure hunt.
As always, a well-written and interesting blog, Pamela!
I’ve also heard bloggers say “if it’s on the sale rack, nobody wanted it”. Maybe it was still there because it’s something that may not have mass appeal, but works perfectly for me. I too, choose clothing for my personal needs and style and don’t base it on what others are wearing. In trying to determine if something on sale or at a consignment shop is a wise purchase, I ask myself “would I pay full price for this?”
I agree! You are looking great Pamela! You are my inspiration for loosing this extra 4 pounds I have gained from all of the Christmas cookies and candy everyone is giving us. My thin husband refuses to eat any of it! I’m out of my 10P and back into my 12P! At only 5’1” tall even a little extra weight really shows. Once I get past New Years, I stop eating any of it. That should work but it is harder at 81 than it used to be. Right now I’m still waiting for actual winter to arrive. We have only had a random couple of days down in the 50s. One snowstorm that came and went in two days. I want to be able to wear my sweaters but it is still tee weather here in southern Colorado.
Pam I agree, you are looking fabulous lately. The outfit you are wearing in the first photo is outstanding. Love the pearls with it. When it comes to shopping for items on sale add me to the club. Its been a very long time since I bought something just because it was on a really good sale. Usually I “stalk” an item I want and watch for markdowns. While its rare when I find anything good in my size, color & style on the clearance rack I always look because you never know. I look for my colors and don’t look at anything else. Then if the color is right I’ll look at the style. I do better shopping online for sales. For instance J Jill frequently offers a big additional markdown on their sale items so I take a look at what’s available in my size. Every now and then something pops up that I looked at when it was full price and I get it for steal. I’m guessing I got lucky when something was just returned. When Chico’s and Talbot’s have their flash sales I sometimes luck out and find the piece I was looking at included. Chico’s has s 60% (plus another 5% for passport) off a jacket in their new teal. I’d been eyeing the jacket since I first saw it. I don’t wear true navy so this looks like a great alternative. Since its not likely to go any lower I ordered from your shopping link.
Good tips, Pamela, and you are by really shining! Congratulations on your weight loss. Regarding sales, I never buy anything at Talbots or JJill ( my go-to basics) unless it is during their regular and many sales (30 or 40% off). I think that they inflate the prices in order to have mark downs. I do look at the real marked down items, but I never buy unless it ticks my boxes in color, fit, and style. There are sometimes gems. Case in point, I picked up an icat print button up dress at JJill when it was on deeper mark down. I will never wear it as a dress; I wear it as a duster over slim pants and top. The SA thought it looked great that way, better thuan as a dress. It was in my colors and style. I think the racks are worth looking through. Leave no stone unturned. I DO buy items at full price from Kettlewell or when traveling if I find items that are special. I loved LindaLM’s travel tidbits. Always interesting to ponder what other cultures are doing!
I usually wait until after Christmas to purchase things because I am often gifted items I like, so I am not sure what I will need. I do have my eye on a couple of things at JJill that I will be checking on.