Clothing rant with a side of bargain

I confess I've been having a hard time shopping for my goal clothes. I've been so long from any sort of serious clothes shopping that I've no idea where to shop, what's appropriate for my age, or even what colours go together. Add that to the fact that I was seriously depressed that, after all this effort, the smallest size I could get into at Reitmans was a size 8.

Yes, despite all my flowery words to the contrary about being happy with my body blah blah blah, I'm still a little shallow in that I want to say "oooh, I'm a [insert ridiculously small size here]!" Yeah, I know. Sucks to be me ;)

But after four shopping trips, I've figured it out. Clothing sizes suck. While I might be a size 8 at Reitmans, I'm a size 6 at Eddie Bauer and MEC, a size 4 at Lululemon, a medium at the Bay, a small at Mark's, and a potpourri of sizes (including XL) at any given store I've been into. No wonder shopping is hard.

Anyways, now that I know clothing sizes are all over the board and I fit into a size 6 at more than one store, I'm a little happier and my closet is less empty now.

But enough ranting. How about some deals? I picked up a few bargain tips that might help other people.

• Retimans: Between now and June 28, 2008, get a $25 savings card for every $50 you spend. The card is good for the month of August (fall shopping alert!) on purchases over $75. More info on their website. If you go in, keep your eyes peeled for the stretch "business" capris. They're comfy and look really classy.
• Mark’s Work Wearhouse: Check out the RedFlagDeals forums for a $30 off coupon. I used it last night without problems. It's good until June 30th. If you sign up for Mark's Rewards Club, you'll get advance notice of coupons automatically. Lastly, there's a 3-day sale coming up. 20% off all women's clothing (pdf link). Mark's is often surprising in their clothing selection. I found a number of really nice work tops there.
• Eddie Bauer: They've got excellent prices on clearance jeans right now. I bought a pair for $20. Sizes can be limited but it's worth a look. Also, if you join their free "friends" club you'll get advance notice of sales and get coupons, too. You can sign up online (though I'm not sure if it also covers Canada) or in-store. Oh, and if you have a small waist like I do, their Shaped Fit jeans are the bee's knees.
• RedFlagDeals.com: It's surprising what you can find if you do a bit of searching at RedFlagDeals. Not only did I find the Mark's coupon I mentioned above, but I also spied in-store coupons for American Eagle, Sport Chek, and Bluenotes. Check the main apparel page, the coupons page, and the hot deals forum before you go shopping. Note: though this is a Canadian site there appears to be a number of online deals that'll work for anyone.

Hopefully these will help snag you at least one good deal. If you're still working your way to goal, get out there and treat yourself to something special. Looking nice has a funny way of making you feel nice, too. And if you feel nice, you look great inside and out :)