It's not always second-hand

Being thrifty doesn't always mean buying second-hand.  It also means that you know where to look and how to shop.  As a general rule, I avoid paying full retail price.  Everything will go on sale at some point, or there are online coupons for brick & mortar stores, or coupon codes for internet shopping.  It also demonstrates how crazy our fashion industry is, that items can be marked up so high, to then be reduced to 50% or more off the original price, and there is still a profit margin.


I do fully appreciate that you get what you pay for.  In some instances, I've been a victim of poor quality items for cheap price, only to have them fall apart after moderate wear.  I get that.  But I also get that those items aren't the ones that I am hoping to get a lot of mileage out of.  There are some things that I consider to be disposable, and some that are investments.  I often view shoes this way.  I am not a $400 shoe-buyer, but if I am after a basic black flat, for example, I am going to look for more quality materials (leather vs. synthetic), and am willing to spend a little more.  Flight of fancy flats, though, I'm more willing to compromise material for lower cost, especially if it is an item that may appear dated after a while.  I've also had plenty of inexpensive items surprise me and far outlast what I would have expected (I'm looking at you, hot-pink Target flats).  I find, especially with shoes, that the margin in retail price between leather and synthetic is often small enough that I will pay the extra to get leather--Why would a pair of synthetic flats cost nearly as much as leather?  Buy the leather.

That being said, I purchased the green shirt I wore yesterday from Lands End.  I have a lot of Lands End and LLBean products, because I love their quality (and their prices are reasonable for what you get), and their customer service is fantastic.  This shirt was "On The Counter" a while back, and I nabbed it up alongside a solid pink shirt in the same style.  I think they were under $10 each.  If you're unfamiliar with "OTC" at Lands End, they add limited quantity sale items on Mondays, and increase the discount as the week goes on, until all the items are sold.  A lot of these items are lucky sizes, or items that maybe just didn't sell as well.  In short, there are really great deals to be had, especially if you can wait till Fridays, when the discount is at least 75% off.  Lands End also has a great clearance section, as well as offering some "Not Quite Perfect" items at pretty steep discounts.  I can't recall if I've ever gotten a NQP item, but the item descriptions talk about minor stitching flaws or color flaws.  Obviously, this is a risk, but sometimes it's worth taking the chance.

Outfit: Green polka-dot Lands End button-up (from Lands End OTC); Navy Loft boyfriend cardi (passed down by a friend); Levi's jeans; Ariat Heritage zip boots (purchased new several years ago)