by Kara Kull

 

To be a true budget fashionista you have to shop the discount stores. Now I know that the lighting is always weirdly dim and most desperately need a clerk whose full-time job is organizing their shoe department but if you want to find great deals, they are the place to shop.

Myself, I love them. As you all know, I can't stand spending my hard-earned cash on something I can find cheaper elsewhere so Ross, TJ Maxx, Marshall's are my little slice of heaven. Because you really can score some amazing deals (Seven jeans, anyone?) with just a little bit of time and focus.

But I know it's not everyone's cup of tea and since shopping at discount stores is not the same as shopping at the mall, here are a couple of tips to (ahem) help ease the pain.

1. Don't shop for specifics. The fastest way to Disappointment Town is to have an idea of what you're looking for in your head. This is not the place to shop for something you "need"; it's a place to find unexpected deals and finds to impress all of your friends. Get that perfect black heel out of your head and you may just find a perfect orange and pink heel you never knew you needed.

2. Take a friend. There is something about those stores that suck the common sense right out of me and suddenly I can't tell if the denim, fringed vest is the deal of the century or really bad idea. Your best defense? An honest friend who will say, "Honey, you are not Cher and this certainly not the Summer of Love."

3. Be patient. The reason the cool stuff is hard to find is because it's buried beneath a whole lotta junk. So, you're probably going to have to sort through some see-through tank tops and zebra striped leggings before you hit the good stuff. Think of it as an exercise in Zen ...

4. Try it on. Not sure if you are going to like it on? Try it on. Really, go ahead. It doesn't cost anything to try on something that's a bit our of your comfort zone and you may be surprised. I've helped clients find brand-new looks just because they finally went ahead and tried on something they were unsure about.

5. If you don't love it, don't buy it. Seriously. It's not a good deal if you're not going to wear it. I've got a whole lotta bags sitting by me, ready to go to Goodwill, singing, "Hallelujah!"

6. Go in with an open mind. Discount stores are a bit, well, discount-y. So, it's best if you remember you are there to see what you uncover and have fun. And if they really creep you out (Mom), it's all right.... You can still be a budget fashionista. You just need to send me your receipts for the next year.

7. Wear pieces to shop in that you really, really love. Your outfit for your discount store outing should be something you adore and feel like yourself in. That way when you're trying on pieces that you're uncertain about you have a good baseline to refer back to. For example ...

You stop by your local discount store wearing a pair of jeans that you don't love but had to wear because they were all that was clean. You try on a discount top. It's slightly stripper-esque (and you're more librarian-esque) but you think with your favorite pair of jeans it might look all right. You buy it and take it home and try it on with your favorite jeans. Nope, still stripper-esque. You head back to the store, ruing the day you decided to save a few bucks.

Moral of the story: I give freakishly good advice.