How to Shop Smart: A List of Stores Where You Can Save Money

So the other day I was out shopping with my best friend at this mall by our house. We both bought similar clothing items, same brands, two to be exact, yet ended up with sharply different totals. Mine came out to be $15.46 and hers, whooping $149.23. And then I realized: some of us are smart shoppers. And some of us are not.

The trick to shopping smart is digging and digging through racks and racks of sales. And what better place to find these than at Macy*s. See, my friend bought similar clothes in the same exact department store. Hers were on display on a mannequin, full price. Mine were wedged between size 16 pants and last season's tank tops. To her, money is not an object, but to me it is. That is why I took longer and looked through every rack, something most people do not do out of laziness.

At Macy*s, there is always a pleasant surprise when you get to the register to pay. Almost always when an item is on sale, it is written on the price tag with red pen. And almost always when it is scanned, it shows a fraction of that red pen price. I was willing to pay $22 for this really cute black sweater, but I was even more willing to pay it when the clerk told me "$9.18".

Another store for smart shoppers? T.J. Maxx and its evil twin Marshalls. Evil twin because usually the better quality clothes is sold to T.J.Maxx, though at Marshalls sometimes diamonds can be found. By diamonds, I mean Lucky Brand jeans at $20. Like Macy*s, it is just a matter of wading through the racks and finding pieces that will compliment your closet. I've left these stores many times without a thing, so you have to ask the clerks on which day of the week their store gets stocked and go that day. With consistency, you are bound to find a BCBG dress for a fraction of its worth or Diesel jeans 75% off.

Now you are probably wondering, what about shoes? The best place for discounted brand name shoes is Loehmann's. Yes, the name screams elderly lady, but you would be surprised at the designer names inside and the price tags. Here there is not much looking to do since the shoes are right up on display and usually they carry the most common sizes. Loehmann's has all types of shoes from running shoes to heels to platforms to Lacoste flip flops. Yes, Lacoste.

It might seem like a hassle at first being a smart shopper, but when you look at your wallet at the end of the day it pays off (no pun intended). It is just a matter of getting into a habit. While it may seem easier to just go to the mall and pay full price for those Express jeans and Juicy Couture sweater, you could buy those jeans and that sweater for a fraction of their price at stores such as Macy*s, T.J.Maxx, Marshalls, and Loehmann's (and I forgot to mention Ross, as well).

Now that you are pointed in the right direction, head to those racks and rip them apart! Happy hunting.