Before you turn green with envy because your fashion-intern friend is working in Paris, your art-school friend is studying in Milan and your filmmaker-friend is summering in Spain, consider the following: According to Fifi LaMode, The Budget Babe's International Shopping Advisor, shopping is just plain better in the good ol' U.S.A. Read on to find out why... —TBB


by Fifi LaMode
Fifi LaMode's 10 Reasons we prefer shopping in the US to EUROPE:

1. Exchange rate: EU 1 = $1.40. Stinky any way you look at it.

2. Their idea of a sale is 10% off. Smart Americans don't even consider a sale unless it's 50% off.

3. Their clothes are made in the same factories in China as ours are. For example, prices at H&M are the same here (in the case of Denmark, they're around 40% cheaper here!) even though it's a Scandinavian company.

4. VAT - People who complain about local sales taxes hear should bear in mind that in Europe there's an average of 17% Value Added Tax added on to the price of clothing (with the exception of kids' clothes which are considered a necessity whereas women's and men's clothes are a luxury! ...ok). You can claim part of it back at the airport but usually you have to spend over a certain amount (usually around $200) to get back around 9%—there's a whole industry in "processing" VAT claims and everybody gets a cut.

5. If it's no good, you can't return it! That impulse to get the Armani jacket that's just a tad too tight but looks great when you hold your breath will cost plenty when you see it in the cold light of your mirror back home and realize you paid a lot of money for something you're not going to wear.

Lane Bryant is known for their fashionable, affordable clothing and lingerie for women in sizes 14-28...but did you know they also carry wedding gowns for the blushing, plus-size bride?

Curvaceous Budget Babes about to say "I do" will find elegant dresses, romantic intimates and finishing-touches at Lane Bryant's bridal boutique—with money to spare for a fabulous honeymoon or down payment on a love-nest.

We'll toast to that any day!

We recently discovered that one of our favorite thrift stores has an online auction site: Shop Goodwill.

It's like a low-tech, low-budget version of Ebay that's clunkier and rougher around the edges—which is totally the experience you'd expect from Goodwill, so it works.

Their fashion offerings are worth checking out, especially for vintage, trendy and one-of-a-kind items. On any given day, you'll find about 2,000 listings in clothing, and more than 1,000 in jewelry & gemstones.

While most items have fewer photos than you'd find on Ebay, we noticed the prices were lower, which kinda balances it all out.

Revenue from auction sales go to support Goodwill's programs and services. Plus, buying second-hand is good for the planet—and that's always in style.

Move over Zappos! There's a new online source for shoes and handbags called Endless.com that offers free overnight shipping, a 365-day return policy, and a 110% price guarantee. For a limited time, Endless.com has a promotion where they'll pay you $5 for overnight shipping. Sounds like a sweet deal to us!



The site is easy to navigate, too...search by style, brand, color, heel height, width, price—the works.

Brands include many of our faves, like BC Footwear, Faryl Robin, Aerosoles, Tribeca, Frye, Kenzie...no Jeffrey Campbell yet, which is a bummer, but they're adding new selections all the time. Then again, having too many choices can become overwhelming (we find ourselves visiting Zappos.com less these days because of this). While we love a bargain, our time is valuable too!

One of The Budget Babe's favorite pastimes is hunting for what everyone calls "designer looks for less"—but more and more these days, we're finding exact copies of designer looks...and it certainly makes you wonder: How do these copycats get away with this? Aren't there laws against this kind of stuff?

Well, we did a little research and found our answers at Counterfeitchic.com. The blog's author, Susan Scafidi, is a law school professor and well-versed in the arena of fashion & fakes. Here are her easily digestible answers to some of our most burning questions regarding designer looks-alikes and the law...Read on!!

1. Doesn’t intellectual property law protect fashion?
2. Counterfeits, knock-offs, replicas, copies, high street versions – what’s the difference?
3. If counterfeit handbags, sunglasses, DVDs, etc. are illegal, why are they so easy to find online and on the street?