but it's such a great price...

i recently went shopping with a girlfriend of mine...she wanted me to help her as she is updating her wardrobe...on a limited budget...so all the sales felt as it would be a great time to shop...

while this is a great time of year for sales...sales does not always equal "great price..."

this is how our conversation went...

friend: what a great price!

me: yes...but is this something you would wear?

friend: but look at the price!

me:  i'm looking...but where would you wear that?

a few moments later...new item

friend:  oh my god...what a deal!  and it is a suit!

me: you don't wear suits

friend:  true...but it is such a great deal!

me:  $54.98 is a great price for this suit...but it is $54.98 too much for you to spend on a suit that you won't wear

are you getting the picture?

les sigh...it is so easy to be hooked in by the great sales...but keep in mind...if it is something that you won't be wearing...it doesn't matter what the price is...the price is too high!  and you have just spent money on an item that will now sit in your closet - the item that you can lovingly look at...and think...what a great price...is an item that you paid too much for...

now on the other hand...if you can find items on the sale rack...that are missing pieces in your wardrobe...or possibly replenishing old items...then i say...you've struck gold!

photo source

we are starting the year off...

with a sale...i mean...why not? currently...fabulous finds consignment boutique is bursting at the seams with lovelies in all shapes, sizes and colors...and i thought...why not offer a sale exclusively to my twitter, facebook & blog followers...

so...starting today (actually yesterday) through sunday january 8...everything in the boutique is 25% off...so...if you have been eyeing something for a while...now is your time to jump on it...

oh...and even better...use it as much as you like...buy 2 items...they are both 25% off...and so on...and so on...and for an added bonus...if you spend over $50.00...shipping will be free... =)

now...it requires a little bit of work on your side...sorry...the way for you to get your item with your discount is to send me an email...so...once you are looking at an actual item that you want...click on the button that says "ask seller a question" and send me a note stating that "this is the item"...i will then adjust the listing for you...and voila...we will be ready for some serious shopping...

click on the link below...and it will take you right to the boutique...keep in mind...that all the categories do not show up on the main page...but if you click on the top right "categories" it will give you a drop down menu to see all that is in the boutique...for example...men's corner & plus size...

so...happy shopping!


fabulous finds consignment boutique

when to not wait for the sale...

who doesn't love a sale? there is something wonderful about getting that absolutely perfect piece that will enhance your wardrobe...while it is on sale...but can there be times where a sale may actually waste your money?

some things...are not worth waiting for the sale...when would that be? let's say you are looking for a black skirt...and let's say you find this perfect skirt for $100...now you like the skirt...this skirt fits and looks good on you...and this skirt makes sense for your wardrobe...in many ways...no problems there...but still...you hold up this plain black skirt...with three seams and a zipper...twenty inches square...and you feel that something is not quite right...and what's not quite right is that you can't figure out why this very simple item should cost $100...

one of the things that i will often go over with my clients is the cost per wear...or what i like to call "fashion accounting 101"...and if you find a piece of clothing that fits you perfectly...and you know that you will be wearing it over and over and over...if the item is within your budget...don't skimp...

the savvy buyer holds out for big discounts whenever possible...i mean...why shouldn't you? however...the problem is that there are also many ways to make a mistake saving money on clothes...or waiting for that big sale...

and here would be some reasons...

- if you have trouble finding clothes that fit...

- if your rushed for time...

- if you need something for a special occasion...

- if you need to replace a staple in your wardrobe...

while i am not saying that you wouldn't be able to find an item on sale...holding out for a discount can prove to be a mistake...if you find yourself continually sacrificing comfort or quality or style...to the bottom line...that can be a mistake...

and perhaps the biggest spending mistake that can be made...is buying bargain clothes that don't fit correctly or aren't flattering or don't go with anything else in your wardrobe...and then never get worn...

say for example...you go through a store and that purple blouse that's on sale attracts you...you don't have any idea what that purple blouse is going to go with...but..."it is such a great price"...you end up never wearing it...but because it was such a bargain you "had to own it..."

if you hadn't done that...if instead of that purple blouse at $50...and the other 9 items that you purchased...because "they were such great deals"...at $50 a piece...you could have put the $500 into one item you wear over and over and over again....the $500 ends up being a better deal...

photo source

window display: dress of sales tags...

you know me...love a fabulous window display...this one was taken by my good friend adena while she was shopping in new york...she can't quite remember what store it was...although the reflection in the window shows bloomingdales...so...any fellow new yorkers care to take a guess at what lovely establishment this might be?

photo taken by adena ditonno

but i got it on sale...

don't get me wrong...there is absolutely nothing wrong with getting something on sale...in fact...if you can get a good price on an item...more power to yah! and...especially this time of year...a great time to be out shopping for those pieces that are missing in your closet...for example...need to stock up on some cashmere sweaters? get thee to the store...soon! prices are being slashed everywhere...

but...

when i've been in the middle of helping a client with their closet...and we pull out that one...sometimes two, three or more pieces...that are hanging in the closet...most times with the big red sales tag hanging off of it...and i hear that lovely phrase come out of my clients mouth..."but i got it on sale"...les sigh...

and??

simple math 101 tells me that...if you bought something at 70 percent off and you never end up wearing it...you're not actually saving money...you're wasting it...so please...don't let the big red sales signs lure you into buying something that you know full well...does not go with anything else in your closet...is not anything close to what you would be able to wear to...____________(fill in the blank with your lifestyle)

because then...when you are out shopping...and you find that piece that is SO you...without hesitation...you will be able to buy it...and know that you saved lots of $$...especially when you take the fashion accounting approach...which works on full retail price or sale...

it was on sale...

as a wardrobe consultant...i would have to say that the statement i hear more often then any other...is..."it was on sale"...now don't get me wrong...i am not saying that one cannot find some exceptional items on the sale rack...but...to buy an item just because it is on sale...is just not a good habit to get into...

it is seldom possible to recognize a bargain at the time you buy it...because the true cost of a garment is not necessarily the sum that is marked on the price tag...in order to figure out how much it really cost you...you would have to take this price and divide it by the number of times you wear the article in question...and then...and only then...accord generous bonus points for the pleasure...self confidence...and elegance it may have given you...

a dress marked down to half price and worn only once is sheer extravagence...while a perfect little custom-made suit costing six times as much and worn with confidence day in and day out during eight months a year for several years is an outstanding bargain!

there are no handy rules to guide a woman in her quest for bargains...but personal experience has taught me that love at first sight is usually more successful than a marriage of reason...at any rate...each time that i have bought something because it was a sensible purchase...i have worn it very little...whereas my irresistible impulses...which seemed sheer folly at the time...have usually been amortized very rapidly...

so what item in your closet is the best amoritized bargain?

sale: saks fifth avenue...

ok fabulous fashionistas...

friends and family sale at saks fifth avenue...
25 % off (woo-hoo) or use code friends3 for online checkout...

don't say i didn't warn yah =)