Get the Best Bang for Your Clothing Buck

I'm cheap. I know it. I don't deny it; I own it. But, I'm not ashamed to share my secrets to saving big bucks when shopping for clothes.

Many of you have written me to ask where I buy my dresses. Here are my big three money-saving locations when on the hunt for a new dress for work. You asked where and how I shop. I'm happy to share my not-so-secret frugality. I want to be clear, none of stores have compensated me in any way for this article.

Stein Mart

I have three kids and am always pressed for time. I don't like to browse. So when I shop at Stein Mart, I have a strategy.

I check the website for their Mad Dash items, merchandise generally on sale for a very short period, as well as their sale items. I also check for coupons. Stein Mart usually has a coupon for a percentage off all of your red-dot clearance items.

Combining the coupon with the red-dot clearance price gets the best bang for your clothing buck. The store has great labels for prices less than most department stores. When those prices are marked down and you can add a coupon — cha-ching!

Also, don't be afraid to ask a sales associate which day of the week they do markdowns. Plan to shop the next day before the merchandise is picked over.

Nordstrom Rack

I like Nordstom Rack because the majority of the product comes from Nordstom's brick-and-mortar and online stores as well as from vendor closeout. So you're getting the same quality and brand names you get in the store.

That's different from many outlet stores that sell product made for the outlet. Often the products made for outlets and sold at outlets are inferior in quality to those sold elsewhere. That's not the case in clearance centers.

I always buy clearance items, and it’s even better when the store is having an event called “Clear the Rack” which is held several times a year. At those events customers get 25 percent off the clearance price.

Dillard's Clearance Center

Ah, this is a cheapskate's paradise. It's filled with unsold merchandise from Dillard's stores and marked 65 percent off. In addition to that, the store has weekly sales. I wait to buy dresses marked half off the clearance price, often finding great labels for less than $20.

Be prepared; this shopping experience is a workout. The Irving location, for example, is huge. No baskets are provided. It's usually painfully disorganized, and I've never waited less than half an hour for a dressing room. Also, trying on clothes is a necessity because all purchases are nonrefundable.

But when you find a Laundry by Shelli Segal for $23 that fits you like a glove, you know the god of all cheapskates created heaven and called it The Dillard's Clearance Center.