Write On: The art of frugal shopping

When I was growing up, my mother taught me an important lesson about clothing: Never buy anything full-price.

Buying back-to-school clothes, I was always restricted to the sale section. We’re not talking the 25% off sales. No, we’re talking the 60% percent off sales, paired with a coupon for an additional 25% off. 

I get it now. But back then, I’d fight my mom on this, sometimes succumbing to tears in the middle of Dillard’s.

My wardrobe never measured up to the cool kids’. When dark-wash, flared jeans were stylish, I was wearing the light-wash version. When everyone else was rocking the Adidas three-stripe tennis shoes, I shuffled around school in the $29 Costco imitation. When Tommy Hilfiger was the designer to wear, I donned Calvin Klein.

My parents both studied finance in school and are incredibly frugal—something I can appreciate and relate to now. But back then, I was sick of shopping at T.J.Maxx when it seemed like everyone I knew was shopping at Macy’s.

How very quickly things changed once I got my first job. I realized how expensive clothing could be and how quickly the cost of tops, pants and shoes added up. Even moderately priced pieces could easily add up to make a $100 outfit.

I began following fashion bloggers who mixed high-to-low, pairing designer sales finds with cheap purchases from Target. I fell in love with discounted, flash-sale websites like HauteLook and Rue La La. I spent hours in Marshall’s hunting for the perfect pair of sandals in my price range. I became hooked on cheap, fast-fashion stores like Forever 21, where I could find trendy dresses for $15.

I’d exit a store, bags in hand, gleeful that I’d managed to purchase four things and only spent $60.

Yes, I had become my mother.

But throughout the years, I’ve still learned a lot of hard lessons on my own. There’s truly an art to shopping, one that I don’t think I have fully nailed down yet.

I’ve bought so many trendy pieces from fast-fashion stores, only to have colors fade after the first wash, buttons mysteriously vanish and holes appear after two wears. I’ve learned that outlet and discount stores play tricks with price tags, and that some of them even carry lines created specifically for outlet stores—so yes, they’re cheaper, but they’re also lower quality to begin with.

I’ve learned that sales can trick you in other ways, too. I’m embarrassed to think about the number of times I’ve bought something just because it was on sale, not because I really liked it all that much.

The older I get, the more I’ve slowed down on shopping. I try to be more thoughtful with my purchases now. I have a decent hat collection, for instance, but they’re all from Target. I’ve decided I won’t buy another $20 hat again from there because I could probably get a better quality hat from a local boutique on sale for $30.

And Baton Rouge’s boutique culture has inspired me to stray from department stores and even my beloved T.J.Maxx in favor of the unique pieces you can find when you shop local. Every time we work on a shoot for 225’s style section, I always find at least four or five things I’m dying to have from the local boutiques. (Olive leather shorts and faux fur vest from Vertage, I’m looking at you.)

Now, I just have to wait for them to go on sale.

Reach Jennifer Tormo at [email protected].