frugal shopping |

Is Black Friday Worth It?

November 14, 2012 · by Organizedisland · 17 Comments

When I was a teenager, my mother and I would wake up really early on Black Friday and head to the shopping center. Back then, May Company, Robinsons and Bullocks used to open at 7:00am with great sales. All the holiday merchandise was at least 50% off and the stores had various special sales on clothing, housewares and gifts. We would buy wrapping paper, ornaments and housewares.

We would have so much fun getting our shopping done and finishing just in time for a late breakfast. There were never any incidents of violence involving shoppers.

Now things are so much different. Now you hear about people camping out the night before (Thanksgiving) to be among the first in line at stores. In fact, I heard that Walmart is starting their sale at 8:00pm on Thursday. There are still some great sales, particularly in the area of electronics, but often there are limited quantities. Add the internet sales and all that is available there and I have to tell you that I will most likely skip Black Friday.

If you do go here is my list of helpful tips:

Make a list from the ads of things you are looking for by store.
Prioritize that list, each store gets busier each hour so choose strategically.
Don’t buy something unless it is on your list or is such an incredible deal that it is truly worth it.
Wear comfortable clothes (but not pajamas).
Black Friday is not for the faint of heart, be prepared for crowds galore and long lines.
Take a bottle of water and snacks because the time goes by fast.
Treat yourself to a nice breakfast or lunch afterwords. If you time it right, you will still have most of Friday free.
If you decide to skip it, there is always Cyber Monday.

Will you be going out to the Black Friday sales?

Checking out the LA Fashion District

September 9, 2012 · by Organizedisland · 12 Comments

The other day, my friend Laura and I went to explore the Los Angeles Fashion District. When I was a little girl, it was called the garment district and I used to go there to shop for jeans with my mom. Today the fashion district is 100 blocks of fashion and textiles sold at discount prices. So I am sharing our adventurous day with you.

First, we wore comfortable clothing and comfortable shoes. Most of the stores have changing rooms, but if you have a t-shirt on, sometimes you can just throw something on top of it to see if it will fit. The stores take debit and credit cards, so it isn’t necessary to bring a lot of cash.

Before we headed out, we printed out a map of the area. There are lots of places to park your car, but if you have a large car and a small car, I would suggest taking the small car. They stack the cars and the parking stalls are kind of tight.

We decided to focus our visit on Santee Alley. It is really an alley that looks sort of like a bazaar and a swapmeet from the alley, but like boutique shops once you are inside. This is what the view looks like from the alley.

It doesn’t look that special from the outside. Once inside the stores, they look like this:

LA fashion 4 LA Fashion District, cheap jewelry

The prices were pretty reasonable.

It was a great place to get inexpensive sandals, and oh the selection!

One of the best buys had to be these scarves, can you see the prices? Yes, it says 3 for $10. If you know me, you know I love scarves. (See how I organize them here).

That day, I ended up with two dresses, two tops and a couple of scarves.

We had a great time and our feet hurt from all the walking. We will have to check out the other blocks another day. If you want more information on the Los Angeles Fashion District, there is a very informative website with a map and directions here. Do you have a favorite discount shopping area? Please share!

Filed Under: Frugal Fun, Places, Shopping · Tagged: bargain shopping, clothes shopping, frugal shopping, Los Angeles Fashion District, Santee Alley, shopping in LA, shopping in Los Angeles, what to do in LA

Discovering DownEast Basics

August 10, 2012 · by Organizedisland · 13 Comments

Recently I had the opportunity to check out a store that I had never been to before. I am a bit of a creature of habit when it comes to clothes shopping. I tend to find stores I like and only go back to those same stores. I like to wear comfortable clothing that I can dress up or down. I work in a professional office, so the garments have to look neat and stylish, but not too trendy. I also like a streamlined closet so it is important that my clothing be suitable for work, social functions and casual weekends.

DownEast Basics is a new favorite of mine.

Their clothing easily complemented what I had in my closet.

Their styles could take me from a casual coffee date to a social event with a change in shoes and jewelry. The other factor I appreciated was that their prices were very reasonable.

In fact, that week most of their skirts were just $25. I added three skirts to my wardrobe (here are two of them). With a cardigan or blazer and a pair of heels, I can be work-ready.

DownEast Basics was hosting an event the evening I visited and there was a gift card in the gift bag that I did not use that night. I will definitely go back again. They have stores in the southwest and there is an online and by mail catalog available. They also have girls clothing and accessories. This post was not sponsored and I am sharing my personal opinion. Check out their blog here. They are having another sale! Be sure to stay tuned the upcoming closet organization project I will be sharing soon!

What is your favorite store to shop for clothing? Please share!