Did you know you don’t have to shop at the mall for clothes, home goods and gifts (weddings, holidays, graduation, etc)? You didn’t know that? I feel a song coming on…click here and sing along….
Still not convinced? I know all of you Southern women default to Belk for everything from Easter dresses to housewares to Christmas gifts. There may be some of you who think the thrifty alternative to this is heading to Walmart or the Goodwill. Not so!! Come shopping with me for a minute. As my Nana would say, “Grease your elbows, girls! We’re going in!”
I walked into TJ Maxx on a weekday and headed right to the big red CLEARANCE sign. (TIP #1: always shop the clearance rack first). The first thing I found was this lovely serving platter, made in Portugal. The suggested retail price was $26 (what you’d pay at Belk), but it was marked down to $5! This would be a great wedding shower gift, or even a nice addition to your own serving dish collection!
This is not a clearance deal, just a great regular price deal. A stack of 8 very nice washcloths, tied with a pretty polka dot ribbon. This would be a thoughtful addition to a “back to college” gift bag.
16 drinking glasses for $12.99! If you have small children (or you’re clumsy like me), you probably have a hard time keeping a matching set of glasses. This would also be a nice wedding shower gift.
Wedding gifts from Bed, Bath and Beyond (or heaven forbid you’re shopping for someone registered at Williams and Sonoma!) are very expensive. You can find the same stuff the bride has registered for at BB&B right here at TJ Maxx. Look at all these cool pots! (TIP #2: Stock up on wedding/baby shower/graduation gifts when you find a great gift on sale. This will save you from making a mad, expensive dash to BB&B the day of the shower)
Let’s move to some really fun deals. Check out these lovely red heels, originally $89, marked down to $20! If these had been in my size, I guarantee I would have walked out of the store with them!
In the above picture, the purple top and gray jacket are from Ann Taylor. The gray skirt is from J. Crew (thanks Alli). The brown belt around the other top was $3! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve worn that scarf, paid $5 for it. These are all things I wear to my office job. Can you image what these things would have cost at the mall? Gracious me.
Where do you do your bargain shopping?
*Disclaimer: TJ Maxx and Plato’s Closet have not paid me for this review. I just like their stores. But if they want to send me gift cards, I’d gladly accept them 🙂
RefreshHer 
So I might be humming that song all day. And I think we should just start our own blog
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I always hit the clearance racks first thing, too. I get great things on clearance at Kohl's and they send me coupons constantly, often for 30% off, no less than 15%. I only shop when I have a coupon and I stick to the clearance racks. I often get shirts brand new for $3-$5. I like Old Navy too, but only sometimes.
My limit is $10 per piece MAX for me & hubby. I try to stick to $1 per piece for my boys, but have gone up to $2.50 or maybe $5 for something like a winter coat.
My best tip it to buy off season, too. I buy winter clothes in the spring/summer when they're being clearanced out & summer clothes in the fall/winter. Especially on the boys clothes!
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@alli…you must be happy. you were humming! =)
@christina…I think I need to go shopping with you! $5 for a winter coat? incredible!
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Yup! The clearance rack is the primary place to be when shopping to get a good deal! Thank you for all these mystery shopping techniques! Keep them coming!
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Now, that is definitely good shopping. Thank you for your post! This can serve as a useful guide for shoppers.
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