Hooray for Frugalness

It will probably come as no surprise that I've never been much of a clothes horse (crazy talk, I know). I've just never really cared, especially about labels. The only name brand I visibly sport on any of my shirts is my French Connection shirt that reads "fcuk fashion" - and the reason I got it was to not promote the brand, but rather because it basically says "fuck fashion". I'd rather spend my money on other things... like French classes, apparently. But every now and then, even I have to shop.

You see, even though the dress code at my new job is "casual and comfortable", I figure I need some dress shirts anyway, especially by the time the festival rolls around. So I set out today for H&M. I'd hadn't been to the SF one yet, and was hoping their prices were going to be as reasonable as every seems to think they are. I got there, and it was packed, and I didn't even see anything that warranted a trip to the dressing room. Strike one.

So I left and crossed the street and entered Macy's, in case, by some miracle, they would have some tops that I'd like at a reasonable price. I don't think I've ever shopped for clothes at Macy's--I hate that they separate everything by brand as opposed to style. (I remember going in there once a few years ago and practically wanting to scream "I just want a pair of jeans!") I quickly browsed the fourth floor, saw a couple decent looking dress/work shirts, but when I saw the price tags ($50-$70 each), well, it wasn't long before I was back on the sidewalk. Strike two.

I started heading home, figuring the trip hadn't been a total waste (it was a nice day and I had walked the two miles from my house). A few blocks later, I happened to pass a Goodwill store. I popped my head in, and to my immediate right were racks and racks of dress shirts. In less than ten minutes I had gathered over a dozen articles of clothing--though thank goodness they had a dressing room, because I ended up keeping less than half. Long story short? I ended up getting five shirts for under $25. Sweet.