The Cheapest Place To Shop For New Clothes, Shoes, and Home Decor On A Budget
What up Queens?!
I just got back to LA a few weeks ago after celebrating the Christmas holiday at home in Boston with my family. Usually when I’m back home I really try to make time to go shopping because some of the biggest perks about being from Massachusetts are:
Our sales tax is SIGNIFICANTLY lower than California’s
There's NO TAX on clothing and shoes (YAAASSS!)
Everything just feels more affordable
But this time around, because I was computer-screen-deep into finishing my new e-book, Eat Your Way To Self-Confidence, it left me with no time to really enjoy my favorite form of cardio—shopping.
But as I’ve mentioned in a prior post…
“True creativity presents itself when limits are present.”
Also let’s be real, as a grad student with student debt up the wazoo, I have to be very mindful about how I spend my money on nonessentials. But I can’t lie, ya girl loves to shop—especially on clothes, shoes and home decor. But on this recent trip home I actually discovered the cheapest and most underrated place to get new clothes, shoes and home decor FOR FREE.
That’s right y’all—free; as in no money leaves my wallet and everything I get is either new with tags or new without tags.
I know many of you might think that the only way to get a deal like that would involve a five-finger discount, but in fact, there is no stealing involved.
The cheapest place to shop for new clothes, shoes and home decor on a budget is…
Your Family and Friends’ Houses!
Me wearing sunglasses my sister, Erika (right), had just given me for FREE!
I know hand-me-downs get a bad rap, but in our shopping obsessed culture, many of our family and friends have closets full of clothing, shoes, and other items that have never even been used.
And while it may feel “untrendy” to say that you got your newest purse from your mom or sister, I don’t think this alternative form of “shopping” should be dismissed. Not only is it super budget-friendly (I mean most times it’s free), but it is also great for the environment because we’ll be using more of what’s in circulation and decreasing demand (and the environmentally unfriendly practices that are used to meet that demand).
It’s crazy how often many of us shop with our eyes and not with our hearts. We buy things because they are trendy or cheap, and not because we actually want them with our heart.
Because of this, many people are starting to end up with emptier wallets and fuller donation bags of barely used or brand new items still with the tags on them.
In a future post we’ll work out how to curb this bad habit. But the next time you find yourself with the retail therapy itch I would urge you to check in with your family and friends about anything they are thinking about giving away. Depending on the quality of the items, you might be able to score a lot of dope clothing, shoes or other items that are in great/new condition for little to no money.
I was able to score this dope backpack, slippers, metal tray, silver sequined headscarf, toiletry bag, and Ugg boots all for FREE (over $100 in value)! And in the past I’ve gotten dresses (both pictured above), sneakers, sunglasses, jewelry and more from friends for very little money.
But if you really cannot afford to spend any money right now, and your friends/family cannot afford to let you “shop” in their houses for free, I have another budget friendly solution to offer you…
Throw a swap party!
Gather some of your other fellow #BrokeAndBougie Queens together to do an informal swap party.
To make this worth everyone’s while, tell your guests that their items should either be new with tags (NWT) or new without tags (NWOT) and from retailers with a similar price point. This way no one feels cheated.
You could even do themed nights based on the style or type of clothes or around a particular brand (think fast fashion night or ath-leisure night or Forever 21 night).
I would also make sure that if you do a clothes and shoes swap party, then you should reach out to friends/family that are around the same sizes as you. This way everyone can walk away with something!
I hope you found this post helpful.
Happy “shopping”!
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