modestyle: "Deals & Steals" For Reals

"But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs."
--1 Timothy 6:8-10

Louis Vuitton bag, list price $3,738.98 (Surely this must be a typo?)

I like looking at fashion magazines, but I have a feeling the only ones who could actually afford to buy the items pictured are the actual people pictured in the pages. Even the pieces in the articles about "cheap finds" or "deals and steals" cost $50 to $100. I'm not sure what you spend in a month, but magazine prices do not match my budget.

Here's my standard:
$0=steal
$10=deal
$20=decent price
$30=splurge
$40=investment
$50=not worth it

Now, I think I have pretty decent style (hence me writing this blog), and I have never spent more than $50 for an article of clothing. That includes running shoes, winter coats, and prom dresses. (My wedding dress did cost more than that, but I didn't pay for it...Thanks, Mom and Dad!) One of my goals in this blog is to show you how I put together my outfits thriftily.

There are a few reasons I don't spend much money on my clothes. They are:

I'm fickle. Often, I will buy a piece of clothing and after I wear it 3 or 4 times I'll decide I don't like it anymore. I used to return about half the things I bought, until I learned a little self control. I've heard that a good guideline for buying clothes is $1 per wear.
There isn't a whole lot to spend. Even though I stay at home (meaning no paid job), I'm grateful that my husband gives me money to spend each month on whatever I want. Our spending budget is only a small percentage of his income, and we try to live debt-free (meaning no credit, ladies!). I believe this is a godly way of living, and it keeps us living within our means without getting trapped owing anything to someone else.
I'm used to it. I have never had a full-time, year-round job, having gone straight from high school to college, then getting married immediately (working part-time) and staying at home after the birth of our son nine months later. Thus, I've either relied on my parents or my husband for at least part of my income.
There are much better uses of my money. Even if money grew on the trees surrounding my house, I don't think I would pay much more than I do now for clothes. There are people who need food and homes; charities and ministries that can send workers overseas to help others; and tons of other more worthy things for which to use my income. Yes, I need to wear actual clothes to function in society, but if I can find them for $5, then why spend $500 or even $50?
I enjoy the so-called thrill of the hunt! It would be quick and easy to put together a gorgeous outfit if I had an unlimited budget. It's exciting to find a $7 dress that looks good after shopping for two hours.
I have to be prepared for any number of messes. Each day I encounter dirty diapers, food and milk spills, spit-up incidents, and falls in the dirt. That adds up to about 27 opportunities per day to ruin my clothes. I cringe at the thought of washing spit-up off a $3000 purse.

Here's an example of a typical casual outfit for me: