I visited Classy Sassy during their grand opening a few weeks back. Although they were still working on setting up the back of the shop, there was plenty to see in the front. What struck me was their great collection of scarves, purses, and plus-size dresses. Classy Sassy’s focus is on dressy and dressy-casual styles. Most of their clothes cater to a more mature customer, and while that’s not my personal style, it’s perfect for Aiken.

So if you’re looking for something to wear out to dinner downtown, or a great deal on a designer silk scarf, take a drive down Whiskey Road to Classy Sassy.

I was pleasantly surprised. The store has a good selection of current styles for all ages – newborn to nineties – and a wide range of sizes. I saw quality brands such as Ann Taylor and Talbots, at reasonable prices (more than Goodwill, less than TJ Maxx). There were also a lot of new (i.e. not consigned) accessories including necklaces, earrings, and little girls’ headbands.

So, what would I go there to buy? Special occasion tops for parties, everyday pants (they have a great selection of capris right now), and fun purses. I’ll definitely be going back in the future to see what’s new.

This development is really challenging me to stick to my guns and not spend money unnecessarily. I’ve asked myself, do I really need more than one pair of jeans? I have other pants. I’m not naked and I can look respectable when I need to.

My plan is to put iron-on patches on the inside of the ripped knees and keep on truckin’.

Yesterday, my husband sat down and worked out a new budget for us, figuring out how we can get by with our income halved. We discussed various ways we can save money, cutting back on our cable service and newspaper subscriptions, for example. Having just started writing in this blog again, I thought of one way I can help.

I am setting my clothing budget to $0 for the next year, or until I get a new job, whichever comes first. I have plenty of stuff stashed away in my closets; I don’t imagine it’ll be at all hard to manage. Plus, I’m used to keeping and using clothes much longer than most people do (thus the title of this blog – I probably have socks older than some of y’all).

Terms and conditions: Clothing given as gifts doesn’t count. So, if I get some pajamas for Christmas, for example, I’m not giving them back. Exchanges or payment-in-kind is also OK, like when a lady knit me a scarf to thank me for making a poster for her church event. I just can’t spend any money on clothes.

I’ll be checking in on my progress occasionally. And, with any luck, before the year is out I will be ending the $0 Budget Challenge soon because I need to buy some clothes for my new job.