I for one am a huge bargain hunter, let’s just start there. If I can find cute items at a much lower price that simply means I can take my savings and reinvest them into another aspect of my life. For me often that means I can take more adventures, it is my budget saving tip that I encourage everyone to explore for making more of living life to the fullest.
I always enjoy finding a few new looks before traveling to really make me feel special when I am going to a new destination to make new memories. And that, in addition to the cost of the travel itself, can quickly start to get out of hand and add up if you are not being mindful. But why not look into options which provide cute styles which can incorporate into your day to day while also saving coin??
Now with this being said, I will add that shopping at some of the discount based stores is not for the faint of heart. With savings often comes lack of organization and so those who have the phobia of not being able to find things due to scattered racks, you might have a little harder time with this concept. But for those who believe a good discount is worth a little digging, this is for you!!
With summer soon fading into fall I wanted to find a few items which could transition and add value to both seasons. I really hoped to find 1 item in each of the following categories to see just how they could compare to similar items at other leading stores: Dress, Pants and Shirt.
Additionally, because I often enjoy doing many of my travel based activities in leggings I wanted to see if I could find any softer leggings with bold prints to again compare to other retail shops I have frequented.
No two ROSS shops are the same this can be where it becomes a bit tricky to find items you are looking for specifically. There is a random selection which might have similar notes which carry over from store to store littered with a few hidden gems here and there which might be location specific. The key is finding these gems and not giving up until you do!
The High Low Dress
When I was searching for a dress I did find many options however the high low skirt was something which really appealed to me when I first noticed it in store. I don’t have anything in this cut and really wanted to at least give it a shot, if nothing else to see why I didn’t already have something of similar nature. Was I glad I did!!
The off shoulder look is something I really enjoy, it emphasizes my shoulders which I love but hides my arms which I do not. The fabric was soft and thin so it allowed great movement and comfort and with a false button front it gave a very nice illusion.
The skirt itself adds drama when you walk and can be paired with a heel or a flat because of its length which is perfect for many scenarios from a stroll through a downtown corridor such as the streets of New Orleans or on the sandy beaches of the Jersey Shore. The cut is just high enough to show a little knee without being scandalous and I could easily see this being accessorized with a belt or a hat or being worn solo.
So let’s get down to the price though. I found a similar dress online at Forever 21 for $22.90 by far this was one of the best deals I was able to find online after browsing countless websites which typically ranged from $35-$65. However our find at ROSS by the brand NEW LOOK was priced for only $8.99.
Featuring colors which will transition easily from summer to early fall the style was an absolute steal at this price point. I paired it with a simple floppy hat from WalMart which retailed at $4.99 and was ready to go on a day date or a trip just the same.
Paper Bag Pants
By far one of the hardest things for me to find personally is always pants. I carry more of my weight in my lower half and though I have a somewhat hourglass shape that still doesn’t validate that most brands simply don’t carry my proportion.
I really wanted to find a pant that was able to be dressed up or down and had the potential to get a lot of use as the seasons transitioned. This year goldenrod is a hot color which they predict will continue well into fall months so when I saw these pants I was immediately drawn to them. With a slightly pleated material which is soft to the touch and the faux paper bag style waist I was intrigued. Typically this style of pant is very forgiving and a bit more comfortable in wear, however it is a comfort which transitions based on your styling.
I was able to find an XL in this style which is a polyester/spandex blend. With an elastic waistband this allowed me to maneuver around my curves but still have a fitted waist, which is something which often times I struggle with in fit.
Similar styles online vary in price point depending on the retailer. I found at SHEIN a pair for as low as $18.99 however a similar pair at Nordstrom was $85.00. More and more we really are starting to notice that there are variations depending on your spending level on almost every style. What was my price point however? I found these for only $7.99 from Soho Apparel! Insane right!!
Styling these for summer I had a little off shoulder black top which was very simple and a cute summer hat in addition to some platform sandals. If I were to dress these up for winter I would wear them with a black or cranberry body suit with a 3/4 sleeve and wear a nice strappy heel.
Cropped BOHO Style Top
Tops seem to be everywhere so it is a bit harder to find one that really steps out above the next. Sometimes you find a cut that just stands out and you know it is right for you. When I went into the dressing room I can say there were several styles at ROSS which really spoke to me all for under $10. But when it came down to it, I found one which set itself apart from the rest in way of colors and fit.
The boho style comes in many versions, some have full sleeves others have capped sleeves then others even have a loose fitting 3/4 style like the one I found. The rich almost denim grey blue base of the top I found was complimented by a trim with a muted golden print and an accent which added just enough intricacy that I could easily see this being a part of my days or evenings. It is the title details which set apart an item from the next so often I will find items which are a little unique like this to really set off a look.
I looked for similar items online and found tops which varied so vastly it was impossible to narrow down to this exact blouse. Prices ranged from $10 to $50 again based on retailer. However my ROSS find by the brand OLM was only $7.99 marked down from its suggested retail price of $18.99. What a find!!
This look I can easily wear with a pair of brown or black sandals and rolled cuff jeans during the late summer months for daytime and for evening with a nice pair of chunky heels. My personal favorite look with these is mixing them with my Jessica Simpson heels which add a lot of height to my look for a night out with friends.
Leggings
Finding a good pair of leggings in potentially one of the hardest things to do, especially blindly through online shopping. You need something which fits at the right place on your body and does not form a cut in line which creates an odd shape, something which is not sheer and something which is comfortable to wear. Depending on where you are wearing these you will also want to consider durability.
My line between fashion and function is always blurred with leggings, because I consider them to be pants for daily life not just athletic wear or something to be worn and hidden away under a long top. For this reason I find a lot of bold prints and make a statement when I show up to more than a few places. But finding the perfect pair is much more difficult than it should be.
Online at World of Leggings you can find a variety of the buttery soft leggings, read reviews and find a variety of prints which range from abstract to themed. This has always been an appealing site to me for finding this style of leggings after I recognized they do have some of the similar brands I have found in stores which are tried and true in my world. However with that being said, the prices ranging from $10 to $18 has always seemed a little crazy to me when I know I have found the exact same leggings for less than $10 in stores and did not have to pay for shipping.
On this trip to ROSS I was on the lookout as always and found a variety of leggings in stock.
Yes they had athletic leggings in a variety of brands including Nike, Reebok and Adidas all priced well in comparison to that of off rack pricing, however I wanted the buttery soft bold prints and found just what I was looking for in the Junior’s section of the store. Two brands, NEW MIX and LEGGINGS DEPOT were located in the One Size area of the store and I was able to browse a variety of prints and styles. Prices were much more reasonable varying from $3.99 (what I paid for each of 2 sets of leggings) to $5.99. What a steal of a deal!!
Final Thoughts
When checking out for the day my total for 5 items was just under $35 tax included. I was able to find items which could easily serve purpose in my daily life or my travel life and could transition from season to season. I spent about an hour browsing and trying on, which all in all was not a bad investment of my time considering how much money I saved and how I would then not have to wait for items to arrive through online ordering.
Is it worth it? YES! Think about the savings overall, the key items which you can add to your wardrobe and how you can then increase your value based on time saved from not waiting for shipping and uncertainty of not knowing if sizes run true. Trendy styles can be found on all budgets, this experiment proves that and let’s face it no one is pulling your tag out to check to see if you spent $40 on a pair of pants or $7.99. Be you, be unique and be smart so you can reinvest your savings in something you would like to be doing to live life more fully while also being fashionable!!
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