5 Tips to Clearance Sale Shopping

Many of you who follow my Sunday Best posts may have noticed that I buy ALOT of my clothes on clearance. Yes I am a self proclaimed clearance queen! I have been shopping clearance racks for over 15 years now and I have turned it into an art form.

I grew up in a very poor family. We're talking welfare, food stamps, Ramen for dinner, Bradey Bunch 8 kids in one house kind of family. I was the second to youngest and my parents really didn't have the time or money to care if I was "in style". At the tender age of 12 years old I decided I loved fashion to much to keep wearing all the hand me down ugly thrift store clothes I had in my closet. So I took it upon myself to make my own money and buy all my own clothes. That is where my journey began and over the years I have perfected the art of thrifty shopping. So without further ado I bring to you my tip for shopping the clearance racks.

1. Know when to shop: When is the best time to shop the clearance racks? Well it's rather simple... when the seasons are changing. When the Fall/ Winter clothes start coming in the spring/summer clothes start hitting the clearance racks. Usually they start stocking for the next season a month or two before the following season starts. Fall clothes start hitting the racks around August and Spring clothes around February. Guess what though, I know a few secret times to shop when the sales are even deeper. Late October to early November is an amazing time to find extra discounted items. Stores are stocking up for the holidays so if there is anything left in the clearance section it's usually discounted ON TOP of the already low clearance prices. These clothes usually include the previous season's back to school items. You'll see signs that say 50% off clearance items... I picked up a super cute pair of palazo pants for $4 during one of those sales in early November! You can also find deep discounts just after the new years when stores start clearing out all the overstock from the holidays (Right Now!!). This is a great time to load up on accessories and beauty products that stores stocked up on for the holidays and now need to clear out.

2. Buy classics: As you may already know clearance items are the merchandise from the previous season that didn't sale and the stores need to get rid of. That means there are many items on the clearance racks that won't be in style after the season ends. So when shopping the clearance racks you want to avoid highly trendy items and instead look for classic items that will work in your closet for years to come. This way you can save money on the classics and splurge on next seasons hot trends. Here is a list of things to look for:
Neutral colors- Neutrals mix well with almost anything and transcend from season to season.
Classic patterns- Polk-a-dots, simple florals, stripes, and chevrons are some examples of prints that never really go out of style.
Classic shapes- Choose shapes that have always flattered your figure no matter what the current trends are. For me that is dresses with empire waists, shirts that flow away from my midsection, boot cut pants, and high waisted pencil skirts. Figure out what shapes work for you and keep an eye out for them.

Here is a list from Overstock.com of the Top 10 Must Have Women's Wardrobe Staples: Flattering Jeans, A Little Black Dress, Cardigans, Basic Tees, Fitted Blazers, Button-Down Shirts, Pencil Skirts, Black Pants, Trench Coat (I think this could also be a Pea Coat), and a Day Dress.

Keep all these things in mind while browsing the clearance racks and you'll be set.

3. Save Time: Have you ever walked into the "Sale" area of Forever 21 and then walked right back out because it was such a crazy mess that it gave you anxiety just looking at it?  Many people think looking through over crowded clearance racks is too time consuming and stressful. Well guess what! I have found the perfect way to cut down time and anxiety while searching through those mounds of discounted clothes. One thing to remember is the sizes noted on the racks are usually never right. Clothes are always miss placed in the clearance section, so don't limit yourself to just the area that is your size.
Now here is what you do:
Walk up to a rack (I usually start with the one that is my size then work my way around.). Place your hand lightly over each item and walk around the rack. You don't have to look at each piece individually just graze over them. Then only if you see a fabric that speaks to you pull that piece out and look at the whole item. If you don't LOVE it in the first 10 seconds put it back. If you LOVE it check the tag to make sure it's in your size and price range. If so GREAT hang onto it to try on and keep going! If it's the wrong size hang on to it and keep an eye out for that same fabric because you might find it in your size somewhere else. There you have it! Only pull items that speak to you and avoid the rest! So simple right! Years ago I went through every piece of clothing in the clearance sections and it took hours now I'm in and out and onto the next store within minutes.

4. Know when to say "No!":
I used to have the worst problem with buying clothes just because they were on sale and then I'd never wear them. The bottom line is don't buy it if you don't love it!! Make sure you absolutely love it, try it on, think about what else you can wear it with, and how comfortable you are in it. Will you forget about it as soon as you leave the store or will you be thinking about it for days to come? If and only if you think you will get more then your money's worth out of it, buy it. A shirt for $3 isn't a good deal if it just sits in your closet with the tags still on.

5. Stay Ahead On Fashion Trends: Like I motioned earlier clearance items are items that are no longer in season. So in order to make sure you are picking up clearance items that won't be out of style in a month, you need to keep up on fashion trends. If you know what trends are coming in the next couple of seasons you can pick trendier items that will transition well from season to season. Here are a couple examples of how I made this work. At the end of last summer I found an amazing pair of light green skinnies for only $5! Since I knew that one of the fashion trends for next fall/winter would be pops of color I decided they would be a perfect item to transition into the next trend. I also recently picked up a beautiful Kenneth Cole light weight leather jacket only $20 originally $109! I decided this jacket would be perfect because Spring 2013 will include a lot of leather mixed with soft feminine fabrics (which I have tons of yippee!). So if you stay up on what fashion trends are coming in the following seasons you'll be able to pick
out clothes that wont just sit in your closet.


I hope these tips will help you get the most bang for your buck! If you have any further suggestions or comments please feel free to share.

China Glaze Emerald Sparkle & Orly Glitz & Glamour Holiday Mani

Today's mani Monday was very loosely inspired by this look I saw on Pinterest. I love how the second color runs down the side of the nail. Isn't it beautiful and so well done... *Sigh* Someday I hope to have skills this good. 

So I thought I would try a look like this in Christmas colors. I used China Glaze Emerald Sparkle as the main color. I am crazy about China Glaze Emerald Sparkle which is the green equivalent of China Glaze Ruby Pumps. It's completely amazing and beautiful! I used Orly Glitz & Glamour (which I am also crazy about) as the stripe down the side. I defiantly made the stripes to thick so it really looks nothing like the picture that inspired me. 

I wore my nails like this for a day and kept feeling like they weren't complete and needed something else. So added the black stripe to separate the two colors and I  really think it finished the look. I liked this mani but for some reason it kept feeling more like Green Bay Packers nail and not so much Christmas nails. 

What do you think are they Football nails or Christmas nails?

Thanks for stopping by and make sure you stop by and check out some other manis over at these fun link ups.

Sunday Best- Mikarose & ShoeDazzle

Today's Sunday Best features pieces from two of my favorite websites to shop. I'm a mom and I live in a small town so shopping at the mall isn't really a practical option for me most of the time. So I end up doing a lot of shopping online. Here is what I wore and where I got it.

Dress: Mikarose

I am crazy in love with Mikarose! They make beautiful modest fashion forward clothes.

Shoes: Shoedazzle

Shoedazzle is a membership based website where you get a showroom full of personalized recommendations from their stylists every month. Membership is free and the selection of shoes is amazing!

Here's my face! Haha I did some green eye shadow to go with my sexy green sued shoes.

I accessorized with my pearls. Wearing my pearls makes me happy!

AND this what I had on my nails!! Nfu Oh- 61 It's one of my all time favorite nail polishes. I just really wanted to show you guys because I will be doing something different for Mani Monday tomorrow.

I hope you enjoyed today's look for more check out these fabulous link ups.

   

Sunday Best- Guest Post by The Mommydom Chronicles

Hi All my lovely readers! Thanks for stopping by for today's Sunday Best. Unfortunately I stayed home sick today and with all the illness that has been going around my house this week I really didn't wear anything worth looking at... Unless you want to see me rocking yoga pants and my husbands old work shirts... No, you don't... Ok I didn't think so. 

So my friend Dee from Mommydom Chronicles stepped up to the plate and wrote a guest post for you today. Please stop by her blog and say "Hi". Oh yeah and don't forget to enter my OPI Giveaway that's going on right now. ENTER HERE!

Now on to Dee's favorite outfit:

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I'm really excited to be part of Sunday Best! My name is Dee and I blog at the Mommydom Chronicles (http://Mommydomchronicles.blogspot.com). I'm married and the mom of 1, with a dog, cat and a crazy life filled with faith and fun. I have a passion for fashion, cooking and crafts. 

Do you have a particular outfit that you just love more than any other? One outfit that, no matter what your mood, if you put it on you just feel great?? For me it's my tweed skirt, with my boots. I look forward to the cooler weather just so I can wear it!

I live in South Dakota and we've had wacky weather this year. It's December and the temperatures are in the 50's. While I am grateful for the warmer temperatures to get ready for Christmas, it's looking less likely we will be dashing through the snow on the way to church!

In between warmer temperatures, we've had some bitterly cold days, including when we went to the Parade of Lights the day after Thanksgiving.

I picked up the tweed skirt at a consignment shop a few years ago. It was one of those once in a lifetime bargains that I'm so grateful for. The gray turtleneck I got at the end of last winter at Target. I've had my black cardigan for ages, and I probably wear it at least once a week. My Steve Madden boots I bought on clearance from Macy's before we moved from New Jersey in 2005. They are my go-to cold weather footwear. 

My favorite part of this outfit are my grandmother's pearls. She was like a second mom to me, and when I wear them it's a connection to her. In fact I wore them on my wedding day. 

Holiday Snow Polish & OPI Giveaway!

With December starting tomorrow I decided to get into the holiday spirit and did a nice snow topped Christmas mani. I have a dear friend who is also in love with nail polish and she rocks the snow topped manis most of December. So I decided I would give it a try.

For today's mani first I did three coats of my all time favorite red China Glaze Ruby Pumps. This color is stunning on its own! Ruby Pumps is a gorgeous red jelly that is dense with red glitter. It's absolutely stunning.... Ok I think you get the picture I LOVE this color.

After Ruby Pumps I added the white snow tips. For the tips I used a Styli-Style Xtreme Nail Art Dual Polish & Pen. This can be found in my Shop but has a VERY limited quantity. I really like the polish/pen combos because the polish is thick and opaque which make them perfect for nail art. To create this look I used the polish end of the lid.


Then I topped the whole look off with some SV. I really like how it turned out! What do you think?

Before we get to today's giveaway let us all please take a moment to morn the loss of my once beautifully long nails. This happened to me on Black Friday and it was a black day indeed.

Maybelline Downtown Brown (Sorry for the crappy cell phone pic.)

I'm not opposed to nubs it's just heart breaking when you're nails are at their ideal length and SNAP... Anyway onto happy and brighter things.
Today's Giveaway!!

I am giving away 2 OPI Nail polishes that are perfect for the holidays and year round! A $17 value!1 winner will receive a bottle of OPI Number One Nemesis from the discontinued Spiderman Collection and a bottle of OPI Bagota Blackberry. (Click on the nail polish names to see swatches of each color)

Enter here to win:

a Rafflecopter giveaway  

Looking Fabulous On Ordinary Days

Do your make-up brushes ever get a mind of their own? How about you hair straightener?
On occasion while getting ready for a completely ordinary day my make-up brushes get a mind of their own and I end up looking like I'm about to go to a red carpet event. I love to have fun with my make-up and I won't apologize for it because it's just so fun to play with.

Here are a few examples of glamours looks for not so glamorous days.

Here the glamour bug struck two of my friends and I... So what better to do then have a just for fun photo shoot.

This is my amazingly beautiful friend Amber Michelle. She is an Actress/ Freelance Make-up artist, she did all our makeup for this shoot. Amber is such a beautiful person inside and out! Love her!

Well thanks for checking out today's silly little post.

Sunday Best- Mommy Daughter Edition

Today's Sunday Best features my lovely amazing daughter.  When I asked my husband to take my pictures for this post my little Zoey got supper excited and asked if I would take pictures of her too. How could I say no to that! So I bring you today's Sunday Best Mommy Daughter Edition.

Here is my wonderful little Zoey! I Told her "Do your modelings!"... and this is the magic that happened. This is every picture I took in the exact order I took them. I LOVE HER!

Want to know what Zoey is wearing?

Everything she is wearing is from Walmart except the headband.

The Top and Leggings are both Garanimals and the lace skirt is from Walmart's Holiday Time Collection. Isn't that skirt cute!?! I want one in my size!! 

The headband is from DownEast Basics... yes we share hair accessories.

Everything she has on was $5 or less.

I will forever tell my daughter that she is beautiful and encourage her to love who she is! You can read more about that Here.

Here we are both doing our Kissy faces:

Ok, Ok, Here is what I wore today:

Dress:  Tiana B 

I got this dress for $1.50!!!! I picked it up at a local thrift store in my small town the retail value is $50!

Boots: Bamboo Store: Shiek Shoes

Belt: Unknown Brand Store: Ross

Accessories:

Earrings: Target... I Freaking LOVE these Earring! What do you think?

Ring: Beauty by Crystal

I also had on a simple black bangle bracelet. I've had the bracelet so long I forget where it came from.

Now for the make-up:

Well I hope you enjoyed today's Sunday Best! Feel free to let me know what you think, your comments mean the world to me.

Want to see more beautiful looks check out these other link ups:

<< All items were purchased by me and all opinions are my own.