Recession chic

Are you fabulously frugal? You might be a "recessionista."

Recessionista is the buzz word of the week, since the New York Times ran a piece on the term, which means refers to "style mavens" who are watching their money. The original recessionista blogs about "fashion, dining out and entertainment in the Bush economy" here.

Some of her ideas are common sense: Clip coupons. Check GasBuddy.com. Use eBay. Duh.

The Recessionista also points out clothing designers' lower-priced lines available in some chain stores. If Kohl's Simply Vera line is a frugal fashion epiphany to you, you probably aren't that bad off in the first place. (I think Simply Vera is fabulous, but $40 blouses and $24 basic tanks? Are you kidding?)

That's not frugal style for real people. Here's some of what I've picked up while scraping the bottom of the bargain bins:

- Clearance, clearance, clearance. If it's not at least 50 percent off, I'm not interested. Clearance sections are usually a disaster, but I  see digging through the racks as part of the adventure.

- If something looks a little strange on the hanger but is dirt cheap, try it on! It may have ended up on clearance because no one else was willing to give it a chance.

- Don't overlook the discount stores. Ross, Gabriel Bros and TJMaxx are some of the best places in the Altoona area to scavenge for clothing, gifts and housewares -- and a lot of the items are one-of-a-kind.

- If magazines are a must-have for you, subscribe. Newsstand prices are at least $4 a month; you can subscribe to most fashion magazines for $12 a year. If you're going to buy it anyway, it's a huge savings.

- And, OK, the Recessionista was on to something with coupon clipping. It's not just for your mom. I usually find at least a few I can use in the Sunday Mirror, and it's a worth a few minutes to browse the Mailbox Savings flier that comes weekly, especially for restaurant coupons. A word to the wise when it comes to coupons: Never buy something only because there's a coupon. Clip coupons for things you already use; otherwise, it could end up costing you money.