Bitches On A Budget: Surviving Tough Times In Style
Author Rosalyn Hoffman shares her best tips on shopping at Wal-Mart, Target, Costco and how to bring fun back into our lives and homes despite a tough economy
Sure the economy is bad, but does that mean living well has to go out of style too? No, declares Rosalyn Hoffman, author of "Bitches On A Budget: Sage Advice for Surviving Tough Times in Style." This former buyer for Filene's and Lord & Taylor's in New York City shares her advice on how to have fun, dress well, get your hair done, shop at discount stores, and decorate on a budget!
Commitment: I think right now we all feel in the need for some fun--but with tight budgets, lay-offs and hard economic problems, fun can seem out of our reach and expensive. Can you share with us some of the wonderful ideas in your book on how to have some fun even though money is tight?
Rosalyn Hoffman: Our overall philosophy is to get in touch with the things that matter in life: family, friends, good food, interesting travel and play. Find your passions and indulge them, a lot of time spent looking (but only if you’re genuinely interested) for just the right aubergine 1950’s vase will mean money not spent on mindless junk. Become a potter or poet. Get back in touch with ‘play’ and doing things yourself. Yes, play. Games, sports, just being silly are all free. Whether it’s cooking a delicious dinner, planting an herb garden or painting your living room. You’ll save money and feel proud of your accomplishments.
Commitment: Is it really possible to live a stylish life during this economic downturn?
Rosalyn: Absolutely. Style is not about money. It’s an attitude. Whether you’re dressing yourself or your apartment, great style is achieved with simple lines and simple design. It’s individual. Keep the basic bones of your furnishings and wardrobe simple, jazz things up by rotating in and out the latest trends. Anyone can be ‘stylish’ by adding just the right flourish and that never need be expensive.
Commitment: You write about how we can get the most out of stores like Wal-Mart and Target during this tough time. So tell us, what can I find at Wal-Mart and Target that will make me feel pampered, spoiled and stylish, even though the prices are for modest budgets?
Rosalyn: Make a beeline for the accessories departments at big box discounters. They’re quick to catch on to the latest fashion trends and you’ll have huge, huge success with shoes, handbags, jewelry and scarves (one we bought two months ago at Target finishes off some of our priciest outfits!).
Commitment: I think many of us long for more dinners out with family and friends. Any tips on how we can enjoy more evenings out at restaurants on a budget?
Rosalyn: First of all, you need to go out to enjoy the company and the food. Don’t waste your money or your calorie intake on mediocre cooking. Eat good food! That’s a rule.
Look for restaurants that are BYOB, this will save you big, big bucks. Check if there is ‘special’ pricing if you go early or late. Many restaurants have fixed priced three course diners which can offer a huge bargain if you’re looking for full, festive night out. Or, consider ordering an appetizer and splitting a main course with your date. Or just have an appetizer for dinner with a glass of wine; skip the main course and dessert. If you’re with a big group get one dessert and six spoons. Your sweet tooth will be sated and you’ll be able to zip your jeans in the morning.
Commitment: For those of us on tight budgets, can you share with us ten ways we can dress nicely and with style despite not having a lot of excess income?
Rosalyn:
1. Wear clothes that fit. Nothing looks chintzier than a too baggy or too tight dress. Find a tailor in your neighborhood you like and trust. This will save you buying new clothes with each pound put on, take off, or just when simple gravity bites.
2. In the same spirit of great fit, making sure your everyday accessories are in good condition go far in making you look stylish and well put together. A great handbag, fashion-forward polished shoes or boots and a trend-setting coat are key ingredients. BTW we love color on our coats. Red, Coral, Cobalt, Blush, all rock.
3. Be an educated consumer. Whether you spend time cruising on line, (Vogue to WWD) or you’re out shopping the high temples of fashion, (Bergdorf, Barney, Neiman, etc), study the trends. Examine silhouettes, colors, and hem heights each season. See what’s in and what’s trending out.
4. Apply your knowledge.
5. We like to invest in basic pieces (see below) and add on ‘hot’ looks from discount stores, low and medium priced specialty stores. For example, this season knit tops with attached chains are hot everywhere. Adding one into our wardrobe would be a hip addition, but we don’t think this look is a keeper and don’t want to spend loads of dough (besides we still can’t figure out exactly how to wash them). We saw this early on at Saks, but a simple top was $300+, not exactly in our prescription for how to live stylishly on a budget. H&M has been all over the look at a fraction of the cost.
6. We cruise the pricy stores early in the season and then we sit back and watch and wait. Sales combined with special promotions (you know something is marked down and then the store sends you that certificate 10% off all purchases, even markdowns) will drive us into frenzy. This is when we pounce and fill in the expensive basics our wardrobe needs for updating.
7. Become acquainted with the consignment store in your neighborhood. This is a way to make money and clear out your wardrobe and buy back in with low priced fun additions.
8. We’re semi-addicted to on-line limited time only sale sites as a way to snag big bargains on items we’ve seen and lusted after. Only buy known quantities and double, triple and quadruple check return policies before hitting the buy button.
Commitment: What do we need in our wardrobe?
Rosalyn: A denim jacket. A leather biker jacket. A navy blazer. An all-season trench. Perfect fit blue and black jeans. Khaki trousers. Two white shirts: one button down, one feminine. A white cashmere cardigan. A little black dress. A sexy party dress. Black heels. Metallic ballet flats. A great pair of black boots. Brown cowboy boots. A black hobo bag. A black clutch. A brown leather knapsack. Brown driving shoes. A set of x-rated lingerie. A hot chemise.
Commitment: Where can we get the best bargains on clothes that look good?
Rosalyn: (See above for sales at the Fashion Temples and on line shopping sites)
We love J. Crew, H&M, Zara, Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, Banana Republic, The Limited, and it looks like Ann Taylor is coming back. For basic everyday pieces. Of course, Walmart and Target offer everyday value and can add basic pieces at bargain prices.
Commitment: Maintaining our hair, whether it is cutting, coloring, products, can be pricey. What tips do you have for those out there who got used to spending a lot on hair, but now are forced to cut down a bit?
Rosalyn: The first and most obvious—go less, duh. Even our poodle is making do with a shaggier cut! Think hard about your color routine. Do you need to do a single process every three or four weeks to control the roots? Maybe you should look into highlighting and balyage: processes that will require less frequent trips to the salon.
Maybe you need to consider if your hair stylist is just out of your budget now that things are tighter. Ask friends who have ‘dos you like who their hairdresser is, call and see what they charge and give a go, hey, hair is a renewable resource –even a nightmare cut will grow back. Lots of salons have training nights, if you’re adventurous you can get a bargain styling—if you’re not flexible, skip it. Can you get by with just a bang trim—your stylist should do this for free between appointments.
Ask your hair salon if they offer special pricing on certain days or for frequent users. Consider trying a national chain, their pricing is low, low, low and their stylists go through training.
Commitment: Many of us are going out less and are stuck at home at lot more often. What are some fun, entertaining things we can do while stuck at home?
Rosalyn: In our book we have a chapter devoted to fun stay at home activities: everything from re-creating reality television shows for an evening entertainment with family and friends (Top-Iron-Chopped-Hell-Chef Contest), to new ways to play old board games. When was the last time you played Charades? Try these out: The 400 Blows, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Dick Butkus. Everyone will be howling.
Start a book club—a fun book club, how about a co-ed book club where you read books written by women and men and see if the authors are effective in writing from the voice of the opposite sex. Try Nicole Krauss’s The History of Love, The Hours by Michael Cunningham or (if you really want to confuse things) Jeffrey Eugenides’ Middlesex.
Commitment: Moms with kids are looking for ways to entertain the family, without breaking the bank. Any advice and ideas for them?
Rosalyn: We look for local arts and sports attractions. Find the minor league version of the major league sport you watch. Go to college games. Bring your daughters to watch young female athletes, some getting ready for national championships, even the Olympics. It’s inspiring. Find community theater and local orchestras, often the prices are so low they feel free (and, sometimes they’re that, too). Local libraries have programming and are free. Museums usually have one free day or night a week. How about going to the convention center and watching a dog or cat show?
Commitment: For those who feel their home is looking a bit drab and dull, what are some ways we can redecorate and spruce things up in a thrifty way?
Rosalyn:
1. Clear out the clutter, it will look better instantly.
2. Re-paint. We’re white/off-white fanatics, but we’re not bullies.
3. Don’t even think about buying new furniture. Think about refinishing old wooden pieces. If your upholstery is sad, price out the cost of recovering it or go to YouTube and find a DIY video.
4. Add fresh new accessories: pillows, vases, odd and interesting objects.
5. Update your lamps. We’re lighting fanatics and fresh light fixtures aren’t too pricey will give your room a new lease on life in a heartbeat.
Commitment: You write about shopping at Costco. Can you share with us your secrets for shopping at a big supermarket like Costco? How can a person get the best bang for their buck there?
Rosalyn: You need to go to Costco with a list. Otherwise you’re in trouble. We LOVE Costco, but we know what we love before we go. Now, it’s not to say that we can’t go in, like we did just the other day, with no intention of buying veal, but there it was—magnificent. We brought two packs home and have it in our freezer for our next dinner party. Semi against our rules but we’re flexible because it was better looking than meat we buy for twice the price elsewhere and it is a dish we often cook. We buy cheese (cheap, cheap, cheap), which are the best quality in the world (Parmesan Reggiano, Cabot Private Stock Cheddar.) salad greens in blister packs at half the price of the supermarkets, sides of fresh salmon. Paper towels, toilet paper, laundry detergent… Well you get the idea and we have an even longer list in our book!
Commitment: Pleasure is something we all crave. You write about understanding the difference between pleasure and comfort. What are five things we can do to bring more pleasure into our life?
Rosalyn:
1. Find activities you like for the sheer pleasure of doing them, not because everyone else is doing them.
2. Stick to your plan to go to the museum at least once a month. Art is uplifting; great art will evoke joy, happiness, anger, and pain. Outside of the cost of entry – that’s all free. Or take a painting, sculpture, drawing class at your local community center: make your own art.
3. Get re-acquainted with your local library. Hang out there. Take home books for free. Read.
4. Volunteer (yeah, sounds a little corny) but bring your friends, bring your family you’ll feel enriched.
5. Learn to play again. Exercise shouldn’t be a scheduled, passionless activity. Get out and play good old-fashioned games. Kickball. Rollerblade. Ice skate on a pond. Revive croquet. Bicycle.
Commitment: Economic depression can bring about emotional depression, and a dull feeling that things like style and fun are out of our reach. Can you share with us your best advice on keeping style and fun as a part of life when money is scarce? And if someone wanted to entertain a lot during this time, what they can do to entertain in style on a budget?
Rosalyn: It doesn’t take gobs of money to be stylish or to have fun. We can enjoy a great home made dinner every bit as much as a nine course dinner at Per Se (Who has the patience to sit through all those courses?) C’mon, just think about how much fun that game of Charades can be—way more promising than a dull evening out at a stuffy performance.
Think fun potluck dinners with themes. Exploring neighborhoods for up and coming restaurants is fun. Following emerging artists and new fresh performers is fun. Scouring flea markets and consignment stores for some new object obsession is fun.
Entertaining at home is simple. Some of the most delicious ingredients cost next to nothing--whether you’re making a simple pasta sauce or using tomato and cabbage soup or grilling bluefish you can make a heavenly meal for next to nothing. Set the table with flea market finds (another form of entertainment) and simple single stems of red anemones and tea lights. Ta-da! You’re ready to rock and roll.
To Purchase Bitches On A Budget click here.
About the Author: Rosalyn Hoffman is a former buyer for Bonwit teller, Filene's, and Lord & Taylor in New York City. She was also a marketing executive for Avon and Lillian Vernon. She speaks Chinese and has traveled extensively in China. In addition to being a serious cook and wine collector, she has lived and studied cooking in France and has traveled the world cataloging changing markets. Aside from food and cooking, her other passion is design and architecture. She has worked with award-winning architects in the building and design of several modern homes that have garnered awards and international recognition.
Roz is a Buzz Board Insider and a contributor to The Daily Beast, and her work has appeared on More Magazine online and Divine Caroline. Bitches on a Budget has been featured on the JWT Anxiety Index, a measure of significant cultural movements, and its television rights have been optioned by Sharp Entertainment.
