PlanJam!From your screen to the scene

Remember when you lived at home and your income was yours to spend as you liked? Remember back when you two were jealously referred to as DINKs by your straddled coworkers and clothes shopping was considered to be a leisurely pastime? Remember all those beautiful designer shoes your closet used to be loaded with but you can no longer afford to shop for? Well buck up! This is the best time of the year for getting a new wardrobe, for you and even your kids, and your wallet won’t even complain!

First off, the department stores are all trying to lure you in with their various sales, because they know many of you have your tax returns on hand, and you also need to start stocking up on a lot less layering. If you want to go that route, Carsons should be your first stop, because they’re having their annual Goodwill sale. For every item you donate, you get a coupon for a new item for 20% off, even if it’s on sale, and of which there is a lot of! You do good for someone else, and you get treated for it. Not bad! The other stores of its caliper, like Macy’s and Kohl's, are also having big sales right now, so you might want to explore all three.

Now if you’re like me and want to go vintage and retro, your first stop should be the Village Discount Outlet, especially if you’ve never tapped a store like this before. Hey! You there! Stop your moaning and eye rolling! Yes, thrift store clothes are used, and yes they have that weird smell to everything, but they’re also fun, cool places to shop and have really nice stuff if you know where to go! I like the one on Elston when driving, and the one by Diversey and Halsted has some pretty high end stuff to check out.

Now, once you get broken in to how the system works, you might just be ready for the smaller boutiques and theme shops. Shangrila Vintage in Roscoe Village is just so fun to check out, and the people working there are awesome! A Ragstock location is another place you’ll want to check out if you’re of the 20-30 year old persuasion, because they always have a sale going on, the stuff is so friggin’ cool, and they’re even a happy medium between new and used. I like the store on Belmont the best, even though the parking is pretty scarce.

So definitely get your shopping freak on and enjoy your new duds! Just remember to bring cash to the vintage joints!