Paying more for your clothes doesn’t mean that you will look any better in them. You can get a fabulous look without spending a boat load of money. From funky design digs to the season’s best accessories, this economy crisis doesn’t have to stop you from looking your best.

Here are some tips for shopping with your budget in mind. It doesn’t mean that you can’t have the best clothes, you may just need to adjust how you shop a bit to make sure that you’re not blowing the bank in the name of “fashion”. These little strategies for saving, cost-cutting, and getting the most for your money could help you to build your wardrobe without going broke:

Shop at the mall…but ONLY in the clearance or ultimate sale sections. This takes a bit of discipline because you have to pass so much cool stuff along the way. But, you could actually save lots of money going right to the mall and buying your clothes there. Stores usually put the clearance section all the way in the back of the store or off to the side. Don’t get side-tracked by the other stuff. Just keep walking until you see those 50-70% off signs.

Every “sale” is not for saving. Cost-compare during the year to find out if the new “sale” price is really a bargain. Sometimes, they will put the word sale on something that has been priced up to the suggested retail price. That’s no deal. Know what you are doing when you go to buy so that you don’t get bamboozled into spending more on so-called “sale” stuff.

Make sure that you know what you have! There is nothing more wasteful than buying the same item that you already have by accident. What good is being able to buy for cheap when you already OWN the item and it’s in perfectly good condition. Plus, by taking an inventory of what you own, you will be able to identify opportunities to mix and match other pieces that are low-cost.

When you have identified a true sales opportunity at your local retailer, maximize the savings by using coupons that they offer, joining their insiders or “email” list so that you can be the first in the know when there is a huge bargain break going on. You will be able to buy for cheap all year and you will also be able to save even more just for giving them your email address.

Look for freebies online through sites like Craigslist or Freecycle. How cool is it to be able to get a tons of free clothes that you and your friends could potentially share. People often post their stuff and you just have to make the effort to go to get it. However, always be safe and be sure that you travel with a couple of friends to retrieve the items. Another option is to do a clothing trade with your best buds. Everybody has to get rid of stuff or simply wants to get rid of stuff at some point. Trade and save money while bulking up your own clothing collection;

This economy crisis may put a damper on some things, but being fashionable doesn’t have to be one of them. Try these strategies for getting the clothes that you want without the excessive spending. You can be frugal yet fashionable by saving, cost-comparing, and using your network to your advantage. It’s easy and it works!

Everybody’s looking for a deal during this economy crisis. Families are trying to scale back and stretch their savings and budgets to the max. Garage sales are a wonderful way for families to earn a few extra dollars and for other consumers to reap the benefits of having an opportunity to buy for cheap lots of different things.

But, every garage sale is not a perfect event. In fact, plenty of people make some basic mistakes that keep them from making the money that they desire. Here are a few basic tips that will help you to host a money-making garage sale during this economy crisis:

Your signs need to be great. They don’t need to be expensive…just great for their purpose. Think about it. Poorly made signs won’t get noticed or they will get noticed, for all of the wrong reasons. People will decide, based on the look of your sign, if they even want to come to your sale. So, it needs to be done in the most optimal way.

The location of the sign is very essential to your sale’s success. Make sure to post your sign, legally, every where that you can, including grocery stores, neighborhood centers, and libraries. Never post a sign on poles without permission because you could end up getting a big fine or a citation from the cops. Also, when you make your sign, be sure that the text cam be read as someone is driving by. So, no tiny writing or funky lettering that no one can figure out. Keep it plain and simple, and always put the time, arrows that lead to your home, the date of the sale, and the fact that it’s a “YARD SALE”.

Do your best to protect your safety and that of your patrons. When people come to your home to buy for cheap, they don’t want to meet your pets. For a number of reasons, it is completely unsafe to present strangers and animals at a yard sale. Also, parking is another important part of a yard sale. Patrons need to be able to park their vehicles without putting themselves or you, in danger. So, take parking into consideration. If there is no parking, people won’t stop and you will not have a successful sale.

Advertise the yard sale in online and in your local newspaper classifieds. Most local papers will allow you to post your ad for free or to buy for cheap a little ad in which you can list a few items that you plan to sell in addition to the basic information that is necessary for the posting. Try websites like Craigslist.org or other local group websites that offer free ad space. Don’t forget to include the yard sale date, time, and the exact address.

Let your network work for your sale. Never discount the value of word of mouth advertising. People tell other people stuff all of the time. Just let the masses in on your yard sale information and watch it spread like wild fire. During this economy crisis, many are seizing the opportunities that arise to buy for cheap, for saving, cost-cutting, and getting items for free. So, people WANT to know about yard sales like yours!

Don’t just dump your stuff out there for people to buy. Organize it and present in a way that will be inviting. People should feel compelled to buy for cheap something that you have at your yard sale. When the items are displayed nicely and the prices are there so that your patrons can shop without asking you a million times about pricing, then, the sale can be enjoyable for everyone involved. Unorganized items, dirty stuff, and no prices is a recipe for yard sale disaster.

If you are nice to your customers, organize your stuff, price the items low enough to get buyers, and obey a few basic community rules, you should have a great sale. Put the nicest things up front to attract attention and get people to stop. Then, after you have sold off your good, sit back, count your money, and enjoy the new found space from turning your old junk into a financial treasure for your family!

Not many frugal living methods work as well as the ones I’m listing out below. If you do learn something new and are able to save by following the advice, remember to come back and let us know.

Airflow helps much more than air condition. It’s tempting to just turn on a/c but if you open the windows on both sides of the room, the temperature cools right down.

There are many free magazines around the web so you really don’t need to pay for most of them. Just search the web for free magazine offers and they will probably give you a complimentary one year subscription.

Reception on your mobile phone is good enough to the point that land lines are becoming obsolete. If you want to save some money, it’s probably time to cut the land line out.

Did you know that there are promotions from ebay that let you list items for free? You can save so much money off your listing cost which only improves your ROI.

Coupons used to be a newspaper clipping exercise but not anymore. With online coupon sites, they do all the work while you get all the benefit. All you have to do is just search for them before you buy anything.

Those free printers can never be sold because there are so many free printer offers out there. If you want to save some money, keep them and just plug in a new one every time you run out of ink.

Save those shipping boxes when you order online. While most people will throw them away, you can really save money if you save them so you don’t have to buy them when you resell the item.

Forever stamps might just save you a few cents in your lifetime but you can get additional savings by buying in bulk through Costco.

Go to garage sales and see if you can find something that you can reuse. Someone else’s trash could become your treasure. I know someone who regularly does this and her house is beautiful.

Washing machines are loud but they also use up a ton of energy. To save and waste less, just group your clothes together and do a bigger load instead. You will probably find that you can save some time as well.

There must be a million different paths to frugal living so the following are just the tip of the iceberg. To find more, you can always search the web or look through my website which have a ton of information on frugal living and saving money.

Airflow helps much more than air condition. It’s tempting to just turn on a/c but if you open the windows on both sides of the room, the temperature cools right down.

There are many free magazines around the web so you really don’t need to pay for most of them. Just search the web for free magazine offers and they will probably give you a complimentary one year subscription.

Cancel your land line because you don’t need it. Cell phone work just as well these days and unless you fax multiple times a day, staples or kinkos will do the trick for fractions of the cost.

Ebay is a great place to sell your junk but the listing fees are really expensive. If you wait until they have promotions, you can list your items for free without fear that the listing fees will eat up your profit.

Coupons used to be a newspaper clipping exercise but not anymore. With online coupon sites, they do all the work while you get all the benefit. All you have to do is just search for them before you buy anything.

Don’t sell those free printers. To be honest, there are so many printers for sell these days that you won’t get much for it, not to mention that ink is ultra expensive. In order to save, you can just install the new printer, use the ink and sell the printer without the ink afterwards.

If you save all the shipping boxes every time you buy something online, I bet you will save a boatload of money since you don’t have to buy boxes when you need to sell the item again later.

Buying forever stamps at Costco in bulk will actually save you some money. It may not be the most efficient but it will save money for sure.

I used to go to garage sales and just repaint whatever I buy to make them look great. After I do that, I can either sell it or use it because it gives me tons of saving.

Washing machines are loud but they also use up a ton of energy. To save and waste less, just group your clothes together and do a bigger load instead. You will probably find that you can save some time as well.

For some families, after they have paid their mortgage or rent, their next most costly expense is childcare. During this economy crisis, many families are trying to pare down their overall living expenses in order to make ends meet. It is not always as simple as clipping coupons or getting a great sale when it comes to trying to reduce the amount that they spend on childcare. So, families need to find alternative ways to get cheap and reliable babysitting for their children during this economy crisis without blowing their “new” family budgets.

You can get cheap and safe babysitting by trying one of these 2 easy saving, cost-cutting measures:

Create a new babysitting program. It only takes a couple of families to come together and share some of the babysitting duties for each family to feel a great financial relief during this economy crisis. Saving, cost-conscious families can greatly benefit, not only financially, but socially also because your child will know that many people care about them and are willing to work together to raise them.

Pretty much, you just set up a schedule that works for everyone, which would allow for people to have special nights out, daily afterschool care, or full weekend coverage. Plan on a quarterly basis to keep it flexible, open, and fair. It would be even better if you make a pact to offer special activities, low or no cost, for the children, such as learning certain skills or participating in certain free community programs when they are in each family’s care. That will keep the kids from being bored and the families from feeling overwhelmed.

Another way to save is by having a relative work for you in exchange for room and board. This is a great way to ensure that your children will be well cared for while saving. Cost-cutting families can greatly decrease their childcare expenses by offering a family member a free room and meals just for taking on caring for your child. This is perfect for a young relative that may be going to college or looking for a way to save a few dollars.

The cost of weekly childcare at a professional day care center can run a family upwards of $300-400 per child. Just by having a live-in childcare arrangement in place, a family realizes a huge saving. Cost-reduction for live-in childcare could be as much as 75% or about $200 savings per week. It’s definitely worth it for everyone involved. The children get the attention and love of a family member, you get peace of mind that your child is safe, and the relative gets to save a few dollars which could really help them to manage their own costs of living.

While these two strategies may not work for everyone, those that could possibly benefit from a chance to save will appreciate them during this economy crisis. If they can work for you, try them, sit back and enjoy the opportunity for saving!

This year, why not have the happiest and cheapest new year celebration ever?! You can have a frugal affair without compromising on the fun and festivities. Seems virtually impossible to be able to pinch pennies while bringing in the year with a bang. You can make it happen by just following these cost saving tips:

Avoid costly alcohol. Truth is, alcohol contributes to a lot of New Year celebration misteps for people anyway. So, instead of putting out tons of cash on liquor, try something different that you can buy for cheap like sparkling cider or fizzy, sherbet punch for your guests. You will save loads of cash by keeping alcohol out of the party.

Get your party supplies at second-hand shops. As much fun as people have at their New Year’s celebration, they seem to never get a lot of wear out of all of those party supplies that they buy. So, they pass the fun off to others by donating the excess to local thrift shops. You could buy for cheap hats, streamers, plastic glasses, and all types of New Year novelties right at your local second-hand store.

Add some personal flair by making your own party hats! With a little cardboard or card stock, wrapping paper, and string, you could make some really funny cone-shaped party hats that your guests will love! Simply roll the cardstock into a cone, secure with tape or staples, wrap with colored paper (could be newspaper comics), and use string, yarn, or ribbon to make a tie. Voila! Silly, simple, and a great savings for your event.

Make it a pot luck affair! Have guests bring different foods so that you won’t have to come out of your pocket for all of the food. Get the “non-cooks” to bring the condiments, chips, and paper supplies. This will not only be lots of fun as everyone tries out different or new foods, but it will also eliminate the stress of having to please everyone by yourself.

Start the New Year off with a few extra pennies in your pocket by saving on your new year’s celebration. Frugal recipes, taking advantage of every opportunity to buy for cheap, and being an ultimate frugal fashionista by making your own party goods could help you have a fabulous affair without spending fabulously!

Parents everywhere are approaching the back to school season with mixed emotions. While many will be happy that the kids will be back in their pursuit of structured education, but are not looking to the costs of preparing their children and supplying them with all of the things that they will need for the school year. Here’s a school supply buying guide that any frugal fashionista can appreciate, as it outlines where and how to buy for cheap, saving, cost-cutting, and planning so that you don’t blow your family’s budget or get too frantic with the school supply buying frenzy:

Keep That School List - From year to year, your child’s school will provide parents with a list of the school supplies that they will need. Most schools leave these posted on their website through the year. This is usually a basic list that stays the exact same every year. Therefore, you know what to buy and don’t have to wait until it’s back to school time. You can pick up stuff during the year and you could possibly get much better prices on those supplies. At the end of each year, get with other parents and see if you can set up a trade for items that their kids may not need for the upcoming year. You could all save lots of money this way!

Catch Those Sales - When the time comes, the large discount stores such as Target, Wal-Mart, and Kmart will have an abundance of school supplies at rock bottom prices. To squelch costs during this economy crisis, buy as much as you can afford to get. If they don’t have items, get rainchecks if you they allow, that way you can get the items for the same price at a later time! During those major back to school sales, you can expect to save up to 75% off of the regular retail price. So, when the opportunity arises, buy in bulk!

Find more than drugs at your local pharmacy chain - Drug stores almost always have school supplies and if you do a little planning, you can get some fantastic deals on your child’s school supplies. From 1-cend pencils to 10-cent markers, they are sure to have stuff that you can use during the school year. Most people will save as much as 75% off of normal prices.

Shop For After Season Specials - After all of the kids have gotten their back to school supplies, stores are left with a lot of leftovers. They want to sell this surplus as much as you want to save! As they start to try to clear out their inventory, you can expect to get fantastic deals on some of the big ticket items such as backpacks and lunchboxes. With these, your child or any frugal fashionista could have cool cartoon character backpacks for up to 90% off of the suggested price. Instead of spending $20 on that backpack, you could get it for as low as $2!! An even better alternative is to look for plain backpacks that can be used for back-ups in case the character backpack tears or gets messed up.

Always Check Thrift Stores - In addition to finding deals at regular stores, you can find super deals at your local thrift store or Goodwill. Always canvas them. There you will find just about anything that a child could need for school at a cost of pennies on the dollar.

The key to back to school supply buying success is planning. With a little resourcefulness, your children can have all that they need without it costing your family an enormous amount of money. Follow these tips if you really want to plan to save!

With summer quickly approaching, there will be droves of children that either don’t know or care about this economy crisis, looking for something fun to do. Parents, on the other hand, will be trying with everything that they have to keep the kids entertained while not blowing the new family budget that is a result of the economy crisis. Camp can be a very expensive solution for families, especially when they have multiple children. Well, just in case you really want to send your kids to camp, and of course…they REALLY want to go, here are three ways that you may able to please everybody and still save money:

Barter! Bartering is not a new concept, but it is one that is being used and reused more as the world deals with the economy crisis. Most people have something to offer and these same people are searching for ways that their family can enjoy some money saving. Cost-conscious families may want to consider offering their services in exchange for a space in a summer camp. Camps always need people to do maintenance and repairs, so, it is a real possibility. If you have a place in your business where camps can advertise or if you work with a publication, such as a church newsletter or local paper, there may also be opportunities to trade print space for camp admissions for your kids! You won’t know if you don’t ask.

Earn a few extra dollars by selling bottles and other items to recycling companies or by having a garage sale. This is an activity that everyone in the family can get in on to help earn money for summer camp. Just make an effort, as a family to be on the look out for cans and other recyclables, and of course, save your own recyclables. Find your local recycling center and get the money for your work!

Any frugal fashionista and her family know that they have some things that others are willing to buy. Plan to have a family or even multi-family yard or garage sale. By giving people a chance to buy for cheap, your family will earn the money that you need to pay for summer camp, and you could potentially have more left over!

Don’t give the private camp your cash, make community day camp your kid’s fun haven! It may be tempting, but those expensive residential camps can cost upwards of $500 per week, per child. That’s a lot of money. Look into the resources that you have right in your community and your child could potentially go to camp for as cheap as $35 per week! That’s a perfect opportunity for your family to buy for cheap the summer camp activities that your child may want but without the extreme expense. Many community summer camps have so many different activities planned that just deciding which type of camp that your child will attend could provide a lot of excitement for him or her.

Another great priced camp alternative are those offered through organizations such as the Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, or YMCA. There your child will learn wonderful skills and your family will enjoy not having to spend tons of money. Plus, with these organizations, they often have activities that are ongoing through the year and may offer additional discounts or camp scholarships if you and your child are members.

Summer’s coming…very quickly. Before parents know it, the kids will be out of school and ready to start exploring and getting their share of summer fun. During this economy crisis, many families will need to scale back or be a little more resourceful with how they spend their money to provide their children with a good summer and still make ends meet. For some, it may seem like an impossible task, but really it’s not. Here are 3 tips for families to use to get out while not causing too much of a strain to the family budget:

For those with more than 2.5 kids, you could really take advantage of the great deals that many local attractions offer. Purchasing tickets for attractions like the museum or children’s fun lands can be very expensive for a medium to large sized family. This can make a frugal fashionista feel a bit weary about putting out large amounts of money for these one day events. The best way to enjoy them is usually to get an annual membership which has tons of great benefits for families.

These annual memberships usually come with a year of unlimited entry into the attraction, such as a museum or kids play park. Your family could really get your money’s worth by visiting very often. After one or two visits, you will have gotten more fun time for a cheap price. For as little as $50, you could get unlimited access, free guest passes, free parking, or even discounted or free admissions to other attractions. Even though you were able to buy for cheap the membership, the benefits will seem like an even bigger steal! Also, many of these attractions are offering deeper discounts during this economy crisis to get more people to purchase the memberships. Get a great package deal and watch as your family reaps the rewards!

Plan like your budget depends on it! Instead of just looking up a couple of activities for the kids to do this summer, plan out a schedule of events for every day of the entire summer. There are so many places to look for events such as local family magazines, social service organizations, and the chamber of commerce. Whether you and the kids decide to go everyday is up to you, but just knowing about where you can buy for cheap tickets to events, or go to free attractions, is worth knowing. Plus, once you know what’s available you won’t have to keep researching or being scared that you have missed something free or cheap. For families that are into saving, cost-cutting, and managing their time wisely, knowing this type of information is very valuable.

Have fun being a helper! Don’t just donate your money to a cause, give it your time and honest day’s effort. You and your children can have a wonderful time helping out at a social service organization, nursing home, or even your local library. Many of these organizations are losing valuable funding and need all of the help that they can get. So, instead of “spending” money on trying to have fun, save your cash, and spend your time making a difference.

When planning your summer volunteering adventure consider the distance of the facility from your home. It may be possible for your family to get a double dose of fun by including bike riding or using a scooter into your transportation plans for getting to the facility if it’s not too far away. This will help to save on gas expenses. During this economy crisis, your family could be a great comfort to an organization and to your inner-selves. Knowing that you took the time to be a help and that you may have saved some money along the way will make it all worth it. It will be a summer adventure that your family may not soon forget!

Got a sweet tooth, but don’t want to pay “sweet” money to satisfy it? Well, during this economy crisis, by just following a few simple tips, you could have your goodies without breaking the bank:

Make baking a family thing. Processed cookies, cakes, and other goodies can cost a lot of money. So, while an economy crisis is engulfing much of the world, you could enjoy a world of tasty treats by baking at home with your family. Start by researching or creating some frugal recipes. These frugal recipes will most likely call for basic ingredients that you can buy for cheap in bulk. If you buy right, you could end up saving, cost cutting, and still make out better than purchasing the processed stuff for lots of dough in the stores. Plus, your family will have a ball making their frugal recipes come to life!

Snag a sale! Everything goes on sale and baked goods are no exception. Not only will you be able to find in-store mark downs on baked items that are near the “sell by” date or that the store has terribly overstocked, but you will also find “buy one, get one” specials and “crushed box” deals if you take the time to look on the shelves. When you do snag a good deal, keep in mind that some of the items can be frozen for your enjoyment at another time. Bakeries do it and so do stores. It’s one way that they always make sure to have cakes for decorating on hand. Why not do it at home too?!

Use coupons. Many companies offer coupons for their baking mixes or pre-packaged baked goods. With these coupons, you may get items free! Often, a company will offer a coupon worth up to 50c and your local grocer will double the coupon. But, the big savings comes in when you are able to catch a “buy one, get one free” special in addition to using your doubled coupon. With cake mix costing, on average, about $1.50 per box, you can only imagine how quickly the savings will mount when you are able to get the mix or icing absolutely free. To be quite honest, this is exactly what manufacturers want you to do with their coupons. They want you to use them and they want you to fall in love with their products. While the falling in love part is optional, for your family’s sake, you should definitely make an effort to take full advantage of these deals when they present themselves.

Research and find bakery thrift outlets. There is a market for people that buy near “sell by” bakery items along with product overstocks. The bakery companies make these great deals available through their own bakery thrift outlets. At the bakery thrift store, consumers can expect to save as much as 70% off of the retail price tag. If you are planning for a big affair, you could potentially save a mint by picking up your items from a bakery thrift outlet. But remember that the key is saving, so don’t spend a lot of cash on gas trying to get to the thrift shop. Be wise in all of your saving endeavors!

The good news is that you can have your cake and eat it too without costing your family too much