Why It Pays To Shop Off Season: Rue21/Tilly's Haul

Check out this cute online shopping spring/summer haul from Rue 21 and Tilly's.

I managed to score all the clothing pictured for just $30 including shipping.

So, what is my secret for finding bargains like this? Well...all of these warm-weather items were actually Black Friday 2015 deals!

Shopping off-season is one of the biggest ways to save on clothing. If you know how to take advantage of end-of-season sales you can easily build a stylish wardrobe for next to nothing.

Here are a few tips to help you make the most of your clothing budget: 

• Shopping off season doesn't mean you will be out style! Fashion flows in waves. Most trends circulate for a few seasons in various forms before dying out. If you stay up-to-date on fashion and have a good grasp of what's still in style and what's on its way out, you can easily grab trendy and fun clothes that still look fresh for next season.

• Shop holiday sales. I find that the best time to shop online is during any holiday. There are deep discounts and better than usual shipping deals.

• Never pay for shipping! When shopping online, be smart about shipping. Shop on days when stores are offering free shipping on all purchases or lower free shipping minimums. But don't buy things you don't want/need in order to get shipping deals.

• Have patience and plan ahead. You have to be forward-thinking in order to shop this way. You've got to know what you are going to need and what type of events you are going to need to dress in coming seasons. You have to be prepared to let your new purchases hang in your closet until the seasons change. 

• Shop mid-season sales. Since the sale cycle starts so early in retail, you can easily get clearance clothes that are still in season.

• Look for past-season clothes that can transition into the coming season. For example, if a store is clearing out winter merchandise, snap up that light-weight pink sweater that works perfectly for a cool spring day. 

• Be choosy. I used to buy just about anything I found on sale. While I did have fun trying lots of different styles, I also threw money away on clothes that didn't suit me, or that I never found a reason to wear. Now, I put just as much thought into buying sale items as I would full price clothes.  

Rue21 Faux Suede Skirt $6

Rue21 Geo Print Joggers $3

Rue21 Crochet Fringed Sweater $3

Rue21 Halter Top $3

Rue21 Open Knit Sweater $3

Rue21 Crochet Back Top $3

Rue21 Crochet Back Top $3

Rue21 Strappy Tank $3

Tilly's Floral Duster Vest $3

So, Do you ever shop off season? What is the best deal you have ever found in end-of-season clearance sales?

Bargain Brag: 5.99fashion.com Haul and Review

Hi everyone! Today I would like to share with you a haul from one of my favorite online shopping guilty pleasures... 5.99 Fashion.com.

So, on to my haul...

5.99fashion Haul

Floral Off-the-shoulder Skater Dress- $5.99

This dress is one of my favorites EVER from 5.99fashion! It is a light scuba-type fabric and it is so flattering and pretty. 

Printed Deep-V Mesh Back Skater Dress-$5.99

This dress is so cute! I saw a similar dress on sale at urban outfitters last season. The fabric is a soft thin blend and the mesh is not too sheer.

Floral Print Basic Skater Dress- $5.99

This dress is so pretty on! It has a nice clean line and beautiful fit.

  

Black and Tan Chevron Print High-Low Dress-$5.99

This dress is so stylish and versatile.  Alone, it makes a nice dress for going out because it has a sexy open back.  Throw it with a jean jacket for a casual look or a cardigan for work.  The fabric is a little thin, but still a great item!

Pink Tweed Dress-$5.99

I was really surprised by how heavy this tweed dress is! With a cardigan and tights, it is perfect for colder weather. It is way nicer quality than I expected, and I love the Chanel-inspired look it gives.  

Derek Heart Black Stonewashed Crop Sweatshirt-$5.99

This cropped sweatshirt is a great winter basic from a brand I'm familiar with.

Gradient Red Sweater-$4.99

I got this sweater on sale. Yes, $5.99fashion has sale merchandise, too! I worried this sweater would be scratchy, but it is actually super soft! I also saw a very similar sweater featured in People StyleWatch this month. 

Faux Suede Low Bootie-$5.99

I grabbed these little booties because they seemed like great comfy shoes for work. I ordered them in tan as well, but they sold out before my order was processed. 

Tall Faux Suede Roll-down Boots-$5.99

I chose these boots to replace the tan booties that were out of stock.  I like that they can be worn two ways. It's like getting 2 pairs of boots for $5.99! 

Silver Filigree Circle Necklace-$1.99

This necklace is very cool. It looks like something I would find in Urban Outfitters!

Rhinestone Statement Necklace-$1.99

This one is just ok. It is pretty and sparkly. I plan to wear it with a white button down shirt or a black dress.

Gold and Pearl Charm Bracelet-$1.99

This little bracelet is so cute! And the link of the chain is heavy and nice. This is one of the highest quality jewelry pieces I've gotten from 5.99fashion.com

Large Gold Link Bracelet-$1.99

This was my least favorite item of the haul. It's ok...but it looks like it cost $1.99 and the clasp doesn't stay closed very well.

Pearl Choker-$1.99

This was my favorite jewelry item. I like its trendy Chanel-inspired style and it's way cheaper than Zara's version!

So, to sum it up...

I got:

5 dresses

2 sweaters

2 pairs of boots

3 necklaces

2 bracelets

All for $59 shipped to my house!

See why I love 5.99fashion.com???

5.99fashion.com Review

First, I'd like to say, I've seen some reviews online where 5.99fashion.com provides three items to bloggers for review purposes.  This is not one of those reviews. I bought all of the items in this haul with my own money.  Since I shop this site pretty often, I just thought I'd let my readers know about this fun online store.

I have been shopping 5.99fashion.com regularly since about 2011.  They are an online-only store located in Los Angeles, CA.  They sell junior's and plus size clothing, shoes, and accessories.  They also carry some children's and men's clothing.  Everything they sell is $5.99 or less.  The clothing all starts at $5.99,and many accessories are less.  They also occasionally mark down prices of older products. Merchandise moves really quickly on this site, so order it when you see it! Even if you order quickly, be prepared for the possibility that one of the items you ordered will be out of stock. Because they add new items a couple times a week, it's easy to become addicted to shopping this inexpensive site.

5.99fashion.com offers a huge variety of clothes. Most are brands I've never heard of, but very occasionally I have found a more common brand in my order.  I've gotten a couple Derek Heart items, and a couple of "Dot's" store brand pieces (I got those before Dot's closed.)  In general, the quality of their merchandise is way more than you would expect for the price.  I have gotten some items that were cute, but the fabric was on the cheaper side.  Even though that is not generally the case, it's good to be aware of that. 

My favorite items to buy from 5.99fashion are their dresses and shoes because they are fairly easy to fit and a great value for the price. Really, how often can you find a $5.99 dress or shoes? My least favorite items from 5.99fashion.com are the jewelry. The jewelry prices, in my opinion, match the quality, and they are not an especially great deal.

My tips for shopping the site are to examine each item very carefully before buying, especially in regards to the fabric and the length of dresses.  5.99 fashion has very good pictures and gives measurements for all their models.  They also list fabric details. Before ordering, check their website for discount codes that can range from 3%-10%. Finally, don't keep anything you don't like. They have a very easy free returns policy, so if something doesn't work for you, it's free to exchange it for another item.  I have returned a few things. It really is very easy and you don't pay anything.  

The one thing that keeps me from ordering from 5.99fashion more regularly is that they don't offer free shipping.  In the past, they had free shipping on orders over $100, so I made a couple of $100 orders. (That's A LOT of $5.99 clothing!)  They stopped that (and my wallet rejoiced). Now, they offer a shipping deal that they call "free shipping".  If you spend $50 and your order includes 5 jewelry items, you get free shipping.  Shipping on a $50 order is $7.99.  Their accessories are mostly priced at $1.99.  So, you can spend $8 for shipping and get nothing, or spend $2 more and get 5 pieces of jewelry.  As I mentioned, I'm not a huge fan of their jewelry, but I usually do the jewelry deal when I order. 

***UPDATE: 5.99fashion.com has lowered their shipping cost at each price range! And orders over $50 that include only 3 jewelry items qualify for free shipping.

Here is the link to their website and Facebook page if you would like to check out 5.99fashion.com for yourself.

So what is your online shopping guilty pleasure? What's the best thing to buy on your favorite site?