A Year of Living Frugally-The $17 Dress Excursion

I honestly can not remember the last time I paid full retail price for a piece of clothing. I like to shop, don't get me wrong. I just don't like to spend. Recently I realized I needed a dress for an event. First I shopped in my own closet. Sadly, every thing I had was either to big, to small, or seasonally inappropriate for my summer event. I checked the budget, and saw I had about $15.00 to work with. So first I checked out the Goodwill. Once in a while, I do make a pretty successful score there. However, that was not to be on this trip. As a plus sized person, I often find that the items in my size are limited. It seems plus sized people do not make many donations to the Goodwill or Salvation Army for some reason. Still, I was undaunted. The next stop was Fashion Bug. I love Fashion Bug because they always have at least one rack of mark-downs. Plus, I had an entertainment book coupon for 20% off a purchase. I thought if I could find something marked down to at least $20.00, I would still be good. I did see many things, and actually several outfits that would have fit into my budget. But, not exactly what I was looking for. I then went to the next store, which is a consignment shop in Davenport called Ritzi ReRuns. I like to check this store at least once a month, as their inventory changes all the time. I love consignment stores, as you usually find clothing in much better condition, and higher quality than you would at a Goodwill or Salvation Army. Of course you are going to pay a little higher price, but still much less than retail. As luck would have it, I found the perfect outfit. A cute light weight black skirt and yellow polka dot jacket set that was summery and appropriate for the event I was attending. Best of all, it was new! It still had the original tags on it. I was able to purchase this suit for $12.00. As I was checking out a spied a purse, that matched the suit perfectly. $5.00 for the purse. I couldn't resist. Ok-technically that put me $2.00 over the budget I had set for myself. But a summer suit, and matching purse for $17.00? Seriously, I was high five-ing myself all the way home.