My daughter recently informed me that she’s going for best dressed at school, and just like that a shopaholic was born! It was time for a lesson on how to bargain shop from her money saving mom!
I have taught her to bargain shop at Plato’s Closet, Marshalls and even a garage sale, but she loves nothing more than a shopping day at Abercrombie, Hollister and American Eagle!
So, this money saving mom set 3 simple rules for her mall shopping sprees:
- She must make all her purchases with a discounted gift card.
- She can only buy sale items.
- She must try to find a coupon.
Discounted Gift Cards
I purchased a $50 Abercrombie gift card for $43. Instant savings of $7. Discounted gift cards are available to hundreds of stores, but the inventory changes daily, and you must plan ahead since the gift cards take about 1 week to arrive in the mail. Patience pays!
Sale Items
Don’t be tempted by all the fancy displays in the front of the store, just head straight for the clearance section in the back of the store! Their clearance merchandise is generally from the current season. Here’s what we found:
- T-shirt – regularly $17.50 on sale for $5.95
- T-shirt – regularly $17.50 on sale for $6.95
- T-shirt – regularly $19.50 on sale for $8.45
- T-shirt – regularly $19.50 on sale for $8.45
- Top – regularly $24.50 on sale for $7.95
- Top – regularly $24.50 on sale for $7.95
Coupons
Before our shopping trip, my daughter checked the Abercrombie website for coupons, but no luck! She’s also given her e-mail address to her favorite stores, and they frequently send her coupons. Often, the stores do not allow you to use the coupons on sale merchandise, but it’s still worth looking.
How does all of this add up?
Original Price of all items: $123.00 + tax
Sale Price of all items: $45.70 + tax
Instant Savings from gift card: $7
The bottom line is we bought 6 shirts for $43!
Even better, if she doesn’t stay a size 0, we can sell them on e-bay for about the price we paid!
If you’re planning a clothes shopping trip soon, make sure to order your discounted gift cards today and start looking for coupons!
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Image courtesy of: nuchylee / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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