Recently my husband and I retired and we had to take a new approach to money. Money feels different when you have a limited income and we took it as an opportunity to live more modestly. When I met my husband, over 20 years ago, I was about $35,000 in credit card debt, and he helped me get on a budget and pay off my credit cards, and live in a cash world. So, what does that look like when you are a plus size clothing blogger. It means you find a way to buy clothes on sale, do some thrift shopping, or to take a “do it yourself” point of view, and I do all three.

I found this sweater at Modcloth that I loved and thought would be very becoming, but since I had recently splurged on a Moto Jacket that I had been waiting to go on sale, I knew I was going to have to find a bargain.

I decided thrifting was the way to go, but because I am even a little larger than a regular plus size, which is usually a size 3X/24, and I am a size 4X/26, I suspected that my local Goodwill or a regular thrift store was probably not going to work. So I knew my best option was to try on line. I recently wrote about shopping for vintage/pre-owned clothing in my size. I started with ebay, because they have such a wide selection of clothing, but I did not have any luck, so I moved on to FatToo Grand for Size 28+, a group on Facebook where women can share clothing that is no longer working for them (it is a private group, you have to request entrance). The FatToo groups are not intended to make money for the creators of the group or the sellers, it is not a commercial venture.

And guess what, I found this fun sweater, for $5 plus shipping. It is perfect for spring and that was an especially good price, and similar in style to what I was looking for. So it was a great savings, and it feels really good to get a good bargain.

When I am thinking about making a purchase, I like to think in terms of what it would take to earn that amount, or what percentage of my income it will be. Will I love the clothes as much as it feels good to have savings and live within my budget?

I was invited to participate in the “Splurge vs. Save” Campaign by writing this post, through Credit Card Insider. I loved their goals:  “We are advocates of the responsible use of credit, building and managing your credit history, and making informed decisions when selecting a credit card.” Because it is work we all need to do in our lives.

What do you think, do you love to get a great deal, and save some money for the future?

I would love to hear more about your hunt for a bargain.

Peace…affinity