Tuesday, June 2, 2009

What is your price point?

I went to the mall today to exchange something and as I was walking around I realized that I don't remember the last time I was even in a mall. As I looked around, I saw some super cute stuff, but everything was so expensive, even the sale items! UHHH.

So I left the mall without purchasing anything, and I am ok with that. I like to shop at places like Marshalls, Ross, T.J. Maxx, and of course, the mother ship--Target. When I go into those stores I head straight for the sale rack. The prices on their regular priced clothes are low, but the sale prices are even better. I have gotten to the point where I don't remember the last time I bought an item that was not on sale.

That being said, I have a really hard time shopping and buying things that are over a certain price point. I will often pick up a few things, and then walk around the store browsing while I am debating the purchases. I cannot tell you how many shirts I have in my closet that I purchased from Ross that were 7.99 or lower, and they are super cute shirts. I have a Michael Kors sweater wrap that I got for 10.00, that is normally 75.00. Today, I went to Marshalls and I bought a Nike swimsuit for 19.99 that retails for 72.00 normally.

I realized that I have a hard time buying tops for more that 10.00 and pants for more than 15.00. I just can't justify spending a crazy amount of money on clothes at the mall when I can go and get something just as great at a discount store. All of those stores have name brand labels for a fraction of the price. And, I know which store carries more of what I am looking for. For tops, Ross cannot be beat. For pants and shoes, its Marshalls, and for skirts and dresses its T.J. Maxx. The discount trifecta! I think that I am such a bargain shopper because P and I have our "fun money" which is 40.00 a month in cash for us to spend any way we choose. He spends his on eating out during the day, and I usually save mine and spend it on clothes, and because I don't have a ton of money to shop with, I want to stretch my dollar as far as it will go.

But, it extends even beyond clothes. My husband and I adore Restoration Hardware, but their furniture is so pricey. Fortunately, we live near a huge outlet mall that has a RH there and we have gotten a ton of furniture at rock bottom prices. We have a 3 drawer dresser, coffee table, mirror, book case, duvet cover and banquet table all from there. Each was around $100.00 except the banquet table, it was about 250.00. We bought each of these items at different times, but they are all from the same line. So every few weeks P and I hop into RH and browse for good deals, and it makes regular priced furniture seem so expensive.

So am I just cheap/frugal? What do yall thing? What is your price point? What are you willing to spend on certain items?

3 comments:

Rochelle said...

You are definitely not cheap. That is reserved for me. My price point must be zero. I rarely buy myself clothes which get me in trouble. Right now I only have a few items that fit me but I can't stand the thought of going shopping. I don't mind spending money on my kids however. Most of their clothes come from the outlets near us which is great. I can get a lot of clothes from ON, Gap, THP and not spend a fortune. If I could hire a personal shopper I would be thrilled. And if they got them at great prices -WOO HOO!

Simplelivin' said...

You are totally frugal, and that's a good thing...it brought you out of debt didn't it? Even though you may have a low price purchase you make sure the item isn't cheap. You are buying good quality stuff for less, which I call smart! I am a sales freak also and love the stores you mentioned as well as the outlets. Gotta love great deals!

Anonymous said...

Your husband sounds great keep loving him, he's got a good thing with you.