Everybody Loves a Winner

If clothes make the man then I'm a winner—a cheap winner, but a winner nonetheless.

My wardrobe is probably the ultimate testament of my cheapness. I have no problem wearing out a pair of jeans until they disintegrate, or continuing to wear clothes I bought in high school (that's ten years ago, friends), or going for years without buying a single new article of clothing (don't worry, I get new socks and underwear for Christmas).

When I buy clothes, I do it all in one shot. The history of my wardrobe goes something like this: About halfway through high school, my parents cut me off and I had to start buying clothes myself. I took my base of free clothes and, every couple of years, added to it by grudgingly spending about $500 at the mall. Even though I spent so much money, I would end up with only a pair of jeans, a sweater, a few shirts and maybe a pair of shoes (if they were on sale).

When my fiancée and I started dating, one of the first things she did was to “help” me with my wardrobe. She insisted we go shopping for clothes, not because of some power thing, but precisely because I was still wearing clothes that I'd bought in high school. Being so cheap I resisted, arguing that my pile of rags I called a wardrobe was “still good.” So what if there were buttons missing? Who cared if I had to cut extra holes in my belt? Buying new clothes would be way too expensive!

Then she took me to Winners, and I haven't bought clothes anywhere else since.

That day I walked away with two pairs of jeans, a belt, two t-shirts, a couple of hoodies, a sweater, a cardigan and a pair of shoes for—are you sitting down?—$430! And my haul included such internationally-celebrated designers as Tommy Hilfiger, Ben Sherman and David Bitton! If I had bought the same clothes at other stores, I would have easily spent six or seven hundred dollars, and maybe even more.

I had won, and so can you.

But be warned! Winners is not for the lazy: a bit more time is needed there than at Gap or Warren's or wherever you kids go these days. Foraging through the racks looking for the right size and checking for defects takes patience, but it does pay off in the end.

Buy your clothes at Winners and become a BARGAIN-HUNTER!