In case you live under a rock – or around the Equator – you know that it is cold outside. The Midwest and the East Coast has been repeatedly socked with snow, bad weather, and unnaturally chilly temps. For those of us in MN, we say SUCK IT UP, YOU WHINERS. It’s always cold in February in these parts, and will continue to stay cold well into the beginning of April.
However, there is a frugal silver lining to the deep freeze – and it pertains to sales/clearances/rock bottom pricing. Historically, retailers across the US drop prices on winter gear to clearance it out of their stores, making room for the Spring stuff. This massive move-out begins in mid-January and lasts until everything winter-related is gone. To help get the product out the doors, stores keep lowering their prices and putting more item on their clearance racks as the weeks go by. It’s not unusual to see 80% off in some places.
Retailers of every ilk also take advantage of government holidays like President’s Day to have mondo sales – often extending them for a week or two. For example, Saver’s Thrift Stores had a 50% off sale on Monday, where I snaffled up these items:
A dark red, lacy knit tunic, perfect for layering over a tank and leggings. It was $8, so I got it for $4.
A heather grey boyfriend sweater, originally available at Target last season. Sale price on this cozy piece was $5.
Why am I buying winter gear in February, you ask? Why haven’t my thoughts turned to Spring? Well, I answer, it’s hard to excited about dressing for warm weather when it’s 7 degrees outside. Furthermore, in our cold clime, these winter weather conditions will stick around for at least another 2 full months. That’s 60 days of wear left for my winter gear, before I can bust out the open-toed shoes and bare skin.
And THAT, my friends, is one of the best reasons to live in Minnesota. You can buy dirt cheap winter clothes and still wear them for a few months, before packing them away for next year. Embrace the deep freeze, I say, and rock out in your newest winter duds. Especially if you picked them up for a song. Nothing looks as pretty as saving money.
One last tip – for the dude on Facebook last week, asking where he could still find gloves for sale? There were a boat-load of hats and gloves and such at Saver’s in Maplewood on Monday. Check your local thrift/consignment stores – they keep all their products on the shelves until they sell. Also, look on eBay for some great discounts and deals.
What great winter deals have you snagged in the last few weeks? A new coat? Inexpensive leather? Cashmere on clearance? Share in the Comments, and you’ll be entered into our prize drawing March 1st.
6 Comments
Hi! Nice to meet you on Wednesday at Cub’s. And also great to find your blog. I am scared of shops, so it’ll be nice to have somebody tell me just where to look
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Great job! I tend to have good luck at my local thrift stores with shoes and purses and bags. I got the “almost perfect’ purse for me several months ago after the purse I paid $20 for pretty much died. This one is way more durable- and it was only $5! I’ve also gotten some wool pants and a matching grey sweater since the (ulp) puppy got ahold of my old grey pants. She seems to finally have outgrown the desire to eat clothes and shoes, but for a while there she enjoyed munching on (and destroying) zippers.
I was informed of hoop skirts being at the Valu Thrift Store in the Sun-Ray Plaza (off the McKnight Rd exit, St. Paul) earlier in the week. As I had never been there, I thought I’d make the trek on my day off. BIG MISTAKE! They were long gone! BUT, the place is HUGE! If you’ve never made it there, I suggest you go, TOUT SUITE! Whether for costuming or just regular clothing, it’s a treasure trove of all kinds of goodies..
You can see what I found next time I see you.
Not this winter, but last winter around this time, I got a number of pairs of leather gloves on clearance at Kohl’s. Naturally, I’ve lost a couple pairs.
I also usually have great luck at the thrift and consignment stores. I’ve found a couple of leather coats, dirt cheap, $9 and $20, at those places in the past.
Got my Eboy some nice Columbia boots at Value Village for $7.99. ‘Cuz some other kindergarden boy took his fine red Land’s End boots home mistakenly. Oh well, now we have a back up pair!
Haven’t really found any stellar deals on clothes this month, but I picked up a discount book all about embellishing clothes. So, I am going to attempt to alter some clothes that are looking a little tired and out of date. This should revive my wardrobe AND use up some crafting supplies that are collecting dust. It’s a two-fer.