free fifty, my favorite price.

There's a common misconception: in order to get a quality product, you have to spend a lot of money. This is completely untrue. While there is some truth in thinking that higher quality will generally be more expensive, it doesn't necessarily mean you always need to spend more to get it. It just means that you have to be a bit more strategic in acquiring said products.

If you want to look fresh without having to sell your kidneys to fund your shopping, or wearing clothes that are going to fall apart in the near future, you need to find the right times to buy. Bargain shopping is one of America's greatest past times.

Now I understand that being able to predict sale dates is nearly impossible. Which is why you should't try to predict them in the first place. Instead, use a little common sense and do some research. For example, everybody knows that fashions go on sale at the end of each season. So it stands to reason that the best time to buy swimwear would be the end of summer/beginning of fall. Likewise, the best time to buy a winter coat would be the end of winter/beginning of spring. There are also sales that occur yearly like back-to-school sales, and end-of-year sales. If that's not enough, many companies will stick to a yearly sale calendar that you can find with minimal research. For example, here are the yearly scheduled sales for Nordstrom:

• Half-Yearly Sale for Women and Kids—starts Wednesday, May 23
• Half-Yearly Sale for Men—starts Friday, June 15
• Anniversary Sale—starts Friday, July 20 and ends Sunday, August 5
• Half-Yearly Sale for Women and Kids—starts Thursday, November 1
• Half-Yearly Sale for Men—starts Tuesday, December 25 online, and Wednesday, December 26 in-store

But wait, there's more. Almost every reputable clothing store also has an online store. And every single online store that I can think of always has a special "sale section" with very recent fashions. In fact, most stores will have a clearance rack in the store itself as well.

There are also several third-party companies that deal in discounted name-brand products as well. From these types of stores you can get the same products for a much lower price. Try a few of these (click for links):

That should be plenty to get you started. Now there's no reason to walk around in anything less than the best. So keep your eyes peeled, your ears open, and your umm....your....mouth closed? Your feet shuffling? Your fingers clicking on the mouse to find sales online? I guess there aren't anymore catchy phrases referring to what your body should be doing. But just keep a lookout for sales on the horizon.

- James

Bargain bags.

if you're looking to pick up a cool backpack or rucksack but aren't down to pay upwards of $50, check out these great looking Mossimo bargain bags from Target.

You don't have to be rich to look good.

- James