Budget Shopping, Part I

I waited an entire week to go shopping in order to be able to use my Ann Taylor Loft $25 Savings Cards. Normally, in non-budget times, I would have bought what I saw a week ago and then went back and bought more with the Savings Cards. But, now that I'm financially restricted and overall, a bit smarter, I decided to shop the right way.

I really think that anyone can shop anywhere and never have to pay full price. I'm almost always shopping with a coupon or waiting for the store to go to all 30 or 40 percent off (yes, stores do that. Perfect way to move inventory for new floor sets). Here's the thing: a lot of people shy away from giving their email addresses to stores at the register. I always do. Why? First, because I used to work retail and it was annoying to get reprimanded for not getting anyone's email (seriously, it's not that I didn't ask!). Second, because that's where you get all the good deals. If you're uber concerned with emails flooding your inbox (which they do, I'm not going to lie), create a separate Gmail account that you only give to stores. Easy as that. You get the deals, without the clutter! Brilliance, I tell you, pure brilliance.

Now, here's what I bought:

• Knit Eyelet Lace Tee - $34.50
• Synthetic Cropped Pant Marisa Fit - $39.99
• Knit Tie Pullover - $44.50

You'll notice the tie pullover missing. It was sold out online so I couldn't work my Fotoflexer magic on it! Trust me, it's legit.

Here's a breakdown of the deals:

The pants were on sale and it was an extra 30% off sale. This brought my pants down to $28.00.

Then, I added in my $25 Savings Card, which brought all my totals down to:

$34.50 --> 26.44

$44.50 --> 34.10

$28.00 --> 21.45

Then, yes there is more, I added in my $20 Rewards Card (sounds cool, but it really means that I spent about $400 in the last 3 months to get that little nugget. This was pre-budget, I swear). Bringing my grand total from $118.99 to $66.17, saving me $52.82. That looks like a happy budget to me.

Plus, I bought everything knowing at least three different outfits I could create with each piece. But, that's a whole other blog post! Look for Budget Shopping, Part II soon!