Dressing for A Lot Less

I seem to get at least ten different catalogs per month. Out of all ten catalogs, I order from one the most. The others I've probably ordered an item once or not at all. (How do they seem to find me?)

Before I banish them to the recycling bin, I torture myself. "I wish I could afford this gorgeous top", or "someday I'll buy that classic leather bag." Then, comes the "I can't justify purchasing this for what it costs" bit. What a waste to send me these printed catalogs, only to be looked through just once.

One of these culprit retailers happens to be J. Crew. I love this company and their style is classic. I enjoy looking through their catalog because most of all, I think their styling is fantastic. But looking through their most recent catalog had me gasp at some of the outfits and their costs.

This was the cover outfit. Cute. I looked at the item details and added each piece altogether. $700. Are you kidding me? It looked artistic and relaxed but this kind of look should never cost that much. I have a better idea. Go to your local thrift store and look for a cargo jacket, usually at a cost of $7. These jackets were popular back in the 1990s. Buy a pair of jeans while you're there for $5, tie them on the rear bumper of your car and drive for about 30 miles with them dragging behind. Cut them off and roll it up. And the undershirt? Buy a plain white shirt at your favorite cheap haunt, and hand paint your stripes with black fabric paint. Look for your favorite heels somewhere in the back of your closet that might be gathering dust. Same with the bag. All for a total cost of no more than $25.

This outfit also has that funky artistic vibe that I love so much. This outfit also added up to $360. Again, I know I could go to my local thrift store and find a white skirt for around $5. Do you remember how to tie-dye from middle school art class? Just add rubber bands and dip parts of the skirt into differing colors of dye. Make your kids do it since they might be hounding you for something to do. A denim shirt is commonplace. My bet is that you could find one for less than $20. Pair the two items up with one of your bulky bib necklaces and some brown boots and you've got the look for around $25! And it may have even brought your family closer together!