living on the chea[

Stick to the classic styles and good quality that you can wear for a very long time. You can change the accessories, as others have said, and that makes you feel and look like you have a brand new outfit. Also, find your colors and stick to those tones, whether you buy at a thrift store or a retail store. A few good, basic pieces in the right colors will go a long way toward making you look good inexpensively.

Accessories can completely change the look of an outfit. As the previous poster mentioned, you can get them in thrift stores, Walmart etc. I check out garage and estate sales. Another thing that I do to save money on clothing is go to stores like Ross, Marshall's and outlet malls on a regular basis. I don't always buy something but I only do so when I find a good bargain. Buying in color groups is a good idea as well. I never buy something that I can't use with several different pieces of clothing, so with one piece, I can create two or more different looks. It's possible. It just takes a little work. Good luck

I agree with AnythngArt on learning to sew. You can save so much money by creating your own garments or even buying at thrift stores and updating the styles. Yesterday, on the Oprah show, they were doing an accessory "intervention", showing how even the right purse and shoes can change an ordinary outfit and make it outstanding. There was a new style scarf on the show that is supposed to be really fashionable right now. Basically, it is a very large circle without any ends to tie. Really cool, because you can wrap it around a couple of times and be warm and fashionable and not lose your scarf either. They said the scarf was around $50. Now if you sew or crochet or knit, you could make that same scarf for a few dollars and be in style. Depending on the fabric, you could make winter scarves or dress scarves for a dress or plain top to jazz it up. That's what I do. I look for some new fashion trend that I can make and copy it by doing it myself. Any of the fashion magazines or even just looking online will tell you what the "new" styles are. My grandma worked in an office. She didn't have a lot of clothes, but they were beautiful because she was quite a seamstress. She also knew how to coordinate her wardrobe and add scarves, pins or different blouses to always look professional and in style. You can look like a "million bucks" for a few dollars. I do recommend learning to sew to everyone. It is a life skill that can really pay off. P.S. My cousin and I are decorating sweatshirts and making some of them into really nice jackets for Christmas presents. The sweatshirts I bought for $5 each at the Walmart and all the trims I have in my fabric stash. We will be able to make them for everyone in the family and not spend much money at all.

Accessorize! scarves, jewelry, etc. You can get these in thrift store or walmart.

buy plain & classic colors & classic patterns (polkadots, stripes, plaids) and do like others have said accessories like pins, scarves, costume jewelry, belts ect. When rummaging or thriftshopping try to look for more current styles... wich I know can be a PITA. Also if you have a Salvation Army check & see if they have a bargain night like the ones here do after 5pm on Saturday the "color of the week" items are .49!

It is actually hard to go really cheap at Christmas time with out looking cheap. I actually prefer saving money all year long to help pay for Christmas rather than shopping cheaply, but some crafty people and good bakers can get away with making gifts. I wrote an article a couple of years ago on how to not go broke at Christmas time, if you would like to read it you can go here: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/404137/tips_for_not_going_broke_this_christmas.html?cat=46 As for dressing nicely for the office you can save money by mixing and matching what you have and adding accessories found at thrift stores rather than purchasing all new outfits. Expand your summer wardrobe by placing suit jackets over top of summer blouses or dresses or adding long sleeve blouces or turtle necks under neath them, and changing belts from different outfits and trying them on with others to see how they look.

I have several suggestions. The first is learn to sew. I have been sewing for years, and not only can you save money, but your clothes will be your own. You won't see anyone else walking around in your outfit, and you can make them fit perfectly. Second, it is better to buy one quality piece of clothing that will last forever than many cheap things. Buying one classic jacket or skirt a season is a far better bargain than cheap clothes. If you can't afford that, I suggest going to the best neighborhood you can and looking for resale shops. These are shops where ladies with a lot of money who get new designer duds trade in their old stuff for pennies on the dollar. You will find designer labels on both clothing and accessories. Look for Junior League connections. These ladies don't garage sale, they Junior League. Finally, I would say to shop the off season at the best retail store you can afford. Once something goes for its third or fourth markdown, you can still get nice clothes. I used to do this with Nordstrom and Bloomingdales all the time. True, you will have to wait half a year to wear the item, but after that, you'll have a nice piece of clothing for many, many years. Good luck...hope these helped.