Are you sale savvy or sale foolish?

You either love or loathe sales shopping and I am a member of the former category. I love a good bargain and I am easily lured in by the SALE sign. And this year I didn’t have to wait until after Christmas to bag incredible bargains. The general advice is to buy classics that fit into your wardrobe and not to be sucked in by trends, but I am afraid I don’t follow any rules like that. If I like it and it fits I buy it!

My haul began back in November with a trip to Dundrum Shopping Centre, where I purchased a dress in House of Fraser. I wore this peacock print shift dress from the Biba label several times over the Christmas period and the added bonus for me was that it was part of their Black Friday sale so it was a bargain with its 20% reduction. I don’t recommend you wear it if you are cooking, as you are likely to dip the lovely bell sleeves in the gravy as I did.  On the plus side, it was perfect for hiding the extra few pounds that many (me included) inevitably gain during the holiday season! While that particular dress seems to be sold out, there are others of a similar style, now at 50% discount.

My next sales purchase was also made before Christmas at Kildare Village in Gerard Darel, where I bought this really warm houndstooth print coat reduced by 50%.  I paid €159 for a coat that would normally retail around €500.  This was GG’s present to me which I bought for myself! Needless to say, I was delighted with his choice and I have had plenty of opportunity to wear it during the recent cold spell. Below, I have teamed it with a lovely sweater dress from the Irish label Magee (a mix of wool and cashmere and not a bit itchy), pink leather gloves bought years ago in Marks and Spencer and boots from the stylist daughter’s collaboration with Buffalo Shoelab (www.weareshoelab.com). The boots were a birthday present from two of my good friends, who knew I found the rose gold pair that I bought extremely comfortable, so they treated me to a pair of the ‘Suzi Qs’ in black suede.

I indulged in a little post-Christmas shopping in one of my favourite shops in Malahide which goes by the name of Ology. I have written about the eclectic mix of fashion and soft furnishings, lighting and furniture before. If you are in the area, it is worth a visit as they stock several unusual labels you won’t find anywhere else in Ireland.  I had been given a voucher as a birthday present and was eager to spend it when there were such good bargains, I had tried on this ’70s vibe top with big sleeves earlier in December, but had resisted. Imagine my delight when I discovered it was discounted by about 40%. Just in case some of you believe that I should not be wearing a trend I wore over forty years ago, my excuse is I had no money to buy gear like this in the ’70s, so I am indulging now! Ok? This would also loook great with skinny jeans.

My final purchase was made in Brown Thomas in the Whistles Department where I fell in love with this cosy striped knit, perfect for wearing over these black Zara jeggings or even blue skinny jeans. I am a fan of the jumper that is a little longer at the back and as this was half price, it was too good a bargain to leave behind.

I am delighted with my purchases and have worn both the coat and dress on several occasions already. I feel that at this stage of my life, I am a seasoned sales shopper and make fewer rash decisions.

However, sometimes when I get home following a day’s shopping, I find that what looked good in the shop looks totally different when I get it home. And I mean different in a bad way.  So what do I do, I head straight back and get my money back. And do you know what, that feels good too!