Who doesn't love shopping??

I am a total girly girl and love to shop and look for deals.  As my size got bigger and bigger it wasn’t nearly as much fun to try on clothes.  But let me tell you it was euphoric to start grabbing the smaller sizes!  As you start changing your eating & exercise habits you will notice the weight coming off and you will need to get some new clothes, but you don’t have to spend a fortune doing it. 

I learned the right colors and styles for my body shape, Wowza!

When you are buying new clothes the first step is to figure out what colors look good on you and what styles and cuts complement your body shape.  I have cool undertones, so I can completely ignore all the browns, taupes and fall colors when I go shopping.  It makes it so easy to quickly eliminate what doesn’t work on me.  Even as my body changed, my colors and style cuts still worked.  And even when the number on the scale wasn’t where I wanted it to be, I was wearing colors and styles that flattered my shape, an in turn immediately looked thinner.  Here’s a quick plug for my sister in law and mother in law and their color consulting business www.classycolorsconsulting.com  If you are in Ohio or California you need to meet with them and figure out what works with your skin tone.  They also do skype consulting, I promise it will change your life and how you shop!  No reason to waste any more money on clothes just hanging in your closet that you can't figure out why they don't work on you!

I went from a size 14 to a 4 in a little over 6 months, so needless to say I needed some new clothes.  As much as I love shopping, I love a deal even more.  Luckily I had saved some 10’s & 12’s that I slowly starting fitting back into.  But at 2 lbs. a week, it was a long process and you can bet I celebrated every success of zipping up those 10’s, then 8’s, then 6’s!  Carrie was heading into the sizes I was growing out of, so she inherited plenty of my business attire.  Let me tell you how much better it feels to have a suit you love be too big than be too small!  Have a clothes swap party with friends who are going through a healthy change with you.  It's not about giving your "fat" clothes away, it's about paying it forward to someone else who can use them.  I know when I was bigger I hated people giving me their fat clothes, but that was because I didn't feel good about myself, not because they were doing something mean.

There is no reason to spend money on clothes you will soon be swimming in. You are working hard and looking good and want to celebrate that buy not wearing the same old schlumpy clothes.  Belts don’t work for everyone but they were great for me to cinch in a too big cardigan or shirt.  It allowed me to show off my waist and made me feel confident without having to buy a new top just yet.  Depending on your lifestyle you will need some basics like jeans, a couple pairs of dress or casual pants in neutral colors, suit, dress or skirt and some shirts or sweaters.  You can always add pops of colors in with jewelry, purses, shoes and those won’t change size.  Retail always goes on sale, so don’t pay full price, especially if you are losing weight.  I loved the clearance rack at Kohl’s and then using my extra 30% off coupons, but the clothes are usually for the season we are going out of, so when winter rolls back around I didn’t know what size I was going to be.  $5 is great deal on a sweater, but not if it’s the wrong size when you get around to wearing it.  Now that I have settled in at my size you can bet I troll the off season clearance racks, but I would advise against that until you stabilize for a few months.  You can always check the racks of Ross, TJ Maxx, Marshall’s or whatever discount stores you have near you.  I have found some great work suits for about 70% off retail.

I also love to go to consignment stores.  You can also check out thrift stores if you are really strapped for cash, but usually the items in consignment stores are higher quality and have had less wear & tear.  I had an amazing pair of red corduroy’s I LOVED but they were a 14 and it was hard to give them to Carrie (which I am happy to report are now way too big for her too!)  A few months later I found the exact same pair of corduroy’s in a 4 in a consignment shop.  I danced with glee when I saw they were only $5.  Thank you to whoever donated your red Talbots cords to My Sister’s Closet in Edmond.  I love you!!  Once Carrie, and my co-workers dug through all my too big clothes I took what was left to a consignment shop and over the course of a few months I earned over $200 back.  And that was just the leftovers that I had!  There was my shopping spree money, which most of it I promptly turned around and purchased staples from consignment shops to get me through. 

I know Carrie and I both had problems going into the stores and still reaching for XL, or whatever size we were, going into the dressing room and realizing we were at least 2 sizes smaller.  When you grab that size, whatever it is, for so long, it’s hard to adjust to your new size.   But it’s a fun adjustment.  I’m short so size 4 works for me, but your ideal size might be an 8, and you might have long amazon legs that I admire!

What consignment or discount stores do you love and what’s the best deal you have gotten?