Designer Clothing and Accessories on a Budget

“I dislike designer clothing and accessories.” Said no woman, ever. Let’s be honest, we all like the good stuff. The big problem is being able to afford the good stuff. After all, who isn’t on a budget these days?

Especially as a mom of two little kids, there are always unexpected expenses popping up. Preschool isn’t cheap and my kids have this habit of growing out of their clothes and shoes about every 6 months (gosh). I try to spend my money wisely and am always looking for new ways to save, hence the reason why I started my blog in the first place.

I was recently contacted by the lovely ladies over at Uptown Cheapskate to come in and check out their store. I’ve driven by Uptown Cheapskate a million times, but I had never stopped to check it out. Mostly because I’m a mom and do a lot of online shopping, but also because exploring new places with my kids in tow can be difficult. I was lucky enough to sneak away alone for an hour or two this past weekend (that alone is a small gift) and visit the Uptown Cheapskate store in Scottsdale. There are also locations in Peoria and Chandler if you are local to Phoenix, or you can search by your zip code nationally here. So here’s the scoop.

Uptown Cheapskate is a resale store that buys and sells designer clothing and accessories. The company keeps a close eye on current trends (think fringe, off-the-shoulder tops and dresses, embroidery, etc…) and stocks their shelves accordingly. The store is organized by size and category so it makes it easy to shop. Prices were up to 70% off mall prices and I found most of the tops ranged from $5-10 and the dresses from $10-30. The racks were full of big-name brands like Free People, Lululemon, Marc Jacobs and various Nordstrom brands. I was also shocked how many AH-MAZING designer accessories they had. I’m talking an entire shelf of Kendra Scott jewelry, Ray Ban sunglasses, Kate Spade bags, Tory Burch wallets, etc… Let’s put it this way, they stock the good stuff. Hint to anyone looking for a Mother’s Day gift for this weekend – this is the place to save.

I was on a mission to find an outfit or two that was on-trend and worked with my everyday life. I originally started out thinking I wanted to snag a new dress, so I browsed the racks and came across a few cute ones. Nothing like a few fitting room selfies so you can see more of the goodness.

I loved this printed Express dress with tassels, but it was a hint too big on me. Next.

I loved the pattern on this Marc Jacobs dress, but the stiff material didn’t do much for my figure. Moving on.

I loved the little ruffle on the bottom of this Free People dress. This one was a serious contender until I tried on a few more things.

I was in love with this black cold shoulder maxi dress and it had pockets! I carried this dress around with me until I hit the cash register, but ended up going an entirely different direction. It all had to do with one amazing pair of fringe shorts.

I found these CP Jeans fringe shorts, which were clearly just waiting for me since they were my size. You guys know I kind of have a thing with fringe and pretty much live in jean shorts all summer long. As soon as I saw these beauties, I knew they were meant to be mine. They were brand new with tags and cost only $19.99. I actually found the exact pair still available online here (affiliate link). They are high-waisted but stretchy so they are crazy comfortable. I should apologize now because you will be seeing these shorts on repeat all summer long on the blog.

I browsed the store a little more and found this blue print Hollister tank for $6.99, as well as this gorgeous colorful paisley Cotton On kimono for $9.99. If you ask me, both were meant to be worn with these fringe shorts.

Since I truly believe jewelry polishes off every outfit, I also snagged this Kendra Scott Elton bracelet, which was available for only $39.99 (goes for $65 on the Kendra Scott website). Such a great Mother’s Day gift idea for anyone who is still looking!

All in all, I was really impressed with my shopping experience at Uptown Cheapskate (bonus: there is also a coupon on their website if you wanna check it out). I’ll totally stop back there next time with my kiddos, especially since the store in Scottsdale is attached to Kid to Kid, a baby and child resale store. I also know where I’ll be going to sell stuff next time I clean out my closets!

Have you ever shopped at Uptown Cheapskate before or a similar resale store in your area?