I’m a runner and, as such, I like to have nice, practical (yet cute!), and comfortable clothes to strut my stuff in at the gym or on the track. The whole, baggy T-shirt and sweats just doesn’t cut it anymore; a lady likes to keep it together, even covered in sweat.

So, where do I go to get my favorite sneaks and workout clothes? Read below where this runner gets her kicks – and looks.

Marshalls. I swear by this place. They have everything from sneaks to sports bras to running pants and Under Armour for those chilly workout days. And it is all way cheaper than you would find at a regular store.

Dick’s. Get your mind out of the gutter, ladies. I am talking about Dick’s Sporting Goods store. A close second to Sports Authority (which, despite its top notch designs for workout attire, packs on a heavy price tag), you can find the best name brands for lower prices than other chain athletic stores.

Old Navy. Wife beater tanks in a billion colors, yoga pants and athletic shorts…all for under $15. You really can’t beat that.

Ebay. I know, sounds risky, but you can find Nike, Reebok, Adidas, New Balance and many more brands on this site. All you need to know is your size. Don’t know off the top of your hand? Run to a store, try on the gear, then come home and purchase what you want online for less than you’d pay anywhere else.

Ross Dress for Less. Similar to Daffy’s, Ross Dress for Less is a discount store that offers name brands at extremely (I’m talking $5 tops ladies) low prices. Google and find if there’s a store near you; they have stores in 27 states. Read More »

Ah, cheap yet stylish clothes. Does it really get any better than that? Where else besides Forever 21 or H&M can you snag a $5 top on clearance, or track down a pair of really sweet wide-leg pants for less than $30?I suppose Target or Marshall’s might fall into a similar category, but I’ve always considered their clothes to be on a different level. Target is known for stocking basics over trends, and Marshall’s is known for stocking trends… from two or three seasons ago, so we’ll just leave them out of this discussion.

I have this theory: you’re either a Forever 21 person or an H&M person. You are what you are, and you can never switch over—it’s sacrilegious. If you shop at both, let’s face it: your loyalty lies with one, and you’re just cheating on it with the other. Shame on you.

I happen to be an H&M kinda girl. There - I said it. H&M is and always will be better. Is there really a competition? Not even a little bit. Read More »

A new school season is here, which means more than new books, new cute boys in class and new dorms. Back to school clothes are one of the most essential things on your list of “To-Do’s” before you pack off for another year of learning and debauchery.

So, where to look for the best finds, as well as the best prices? Check out these stores and, if they’re not near you, pop on their websites!

Target - This is the mini-mall of a college girl’s dream. Here you’ll not only find the best bedspreads and towels, snacks and sodas, but you can now also peruse the clothing section, which seems to be coming out with new high-end-like lines every other day. With prices ranging from $9.99 and up, you’re sure to find some cute basics and exotic prints at this fine, serious leap from Wal-Mart.

Marshalls/TJ Maxx - Get ready to dig, dig, dig, but dig with the best of them because if you do, ladies, you can find the best Seven Jeans, Joe’s Jeans and Theory shirts all for a quarter of the price than on the racks at Nordstroms and Bloomies. Who said we can’t have designer trends in college, despite our almost empty pockets? (Why, I was just in Marshalls today on my lunch break – productive, I know – and I snagged a pair of Joe’s Jeans for just $69.99, a quarter the price than the $200 plus pairs at Bloomies!) Read More »

[Every once in a while, we have to go something that blows. Something we’re not prepared for. Something, that at least, makes a good story…]

I looked down at my shirt, suddenly wondering if it was too revealing for this slightly backwoods New England waiting room. The few other people also waiting for the doctor were mostly over 40, fans of crocs and t-shirts advertising farm stands, and all seemed to be looking at me over their glasses or magazines. I turned back to the wall and checked my watch; I really wanted to get out of here so I could swing by Marshalls before handing the car over to my parents. A week out of the city had its perks – and cheap clothing was one of them.

The doctor herself opened the door to the waiting room and looked at me, motioning with her hand that I should follow her. I got up, vaguely wondering why she had come out to get me herself. After all, I had just gone in for a simple x-ray; proof that a dislocated rib I acquired as a kid was still dislocated.

Instead of walking inside an examination room, we stepped into her office, and she pushed my x-rays up on a light board so I could see them. Something looked strange. I blinked.

“So, you can see, right there, you’ve got a tumor on your ninth rib.”

A what? Huh? I shook my head. I felt like she was speaking French. I couldn’t understand. Read More »

So, you’re at the newly refurbished mall with your friends. Some out-of-town architects have tried to give your childhood mall major face lift. It kinda worked, but you still remember when you hung out there and it looked more like a scene from Mall Rats – not exactly the most glamorous image, right?

Anyways, you and your buddies have decided to cruise the new boutiques, while also trying to avoid all the people you hated in high school (thankfully, you were smart and went OUT OF STATE for your college degree). Regardless of how maxed out your credit cards are, or the fact that your bank account is close to being in the negative, you find yourself tempted, enticed, and nearly seduced by the merchandise. That’s when you realize that those architects didn’t do such a bad job after all.

You’re eyeing the new display cases, admiring the artificial, yet calming ambiance, wanting to give into temptation, and, well, just buy a bunch of really nice “stuff.” But resist that temptation, girl! It’s fine to admire things. Hell, go ahead and drool if you like, but spending your money, say, at a place like Nordstrom or Macy’s is just foolish. Read More »

If there is one thing I have learned how to do well since leaving college it is shopping cheap. It used to be that I would pass my time between classes stocking up on designer jeans and over-priced coffee concoctions. That, of course, was when my parents were footing the bill and I could tell my mom I bought 2 pairs of jeans, 3 shirts and an oh-so-necessary text book for the price I really spend on some new oh-so-sexy boots.

Those days are long gone.

Now the only person reviewing (with a mixture of shock and horror) and paying my credit card bills is me, so I had no choice but to do a little switcheroo on my spending habits. That doesn’t mean, however, that my love for fashion has changed. At first that made things difficult; it isn’t easy having an obsession with the latest runway styles on a post-graduation limited budget. But I soon found it was possible to be tre fabulous on a tight budget.

And here are the stores to visit:

Kohls: This store didn’t need the new Simply Vera by Vera Wang to be a go-to for women on a budget. Even before the uber fabulous line made its way into stores across the country (and my closet, obvi), Kohls had beautiful and stylish clothes at super affordable prices. Mix and match this stuff and it won’t be hard to make people think it’s from Neiman’s.

Target: Obviously. Take your pick of awesome clothes from their GO designers to their staples like Mossimo and Isaac Mizrahi; this store really does have it all. And taking weekly shopping trips will not kill the budget (or force you to choose between eating and dressing). Read More »