​Clothes shopping can be a hassle for men especially when not knowing the right way to mix and match suits with ties, blazers with shoes, or knowing what to wear to your friend's wedding. 
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As an avid consumer of clothes, I don’t like to pay the whole price unless I have to because the clothing is necessary. Shopping for clothes does not have to be a hassle and let me give you three places to get deals on clothes

Online Stores
Online stores like Groupon, overstock.com, and Amazon are convenient to get your shopping needs done. Overstock, you can get your suits, shirts, pants, shoes, and accessories all in one site with sales going on all the time.  Groupon can be a hit or miss at times. I bought a pair of suites from Groupon and fitted me well and still are holding strong after three years of wearing them. However, I do warn of getting on the email listserve because you will get tempted to shop all the time. Amazon provides great choices in accessories and suit selection. Before shopping online for a suite make sure you know your measurements and be ready to take your suits to a tailor to get it fitted correctly. 

Discount Stores
There is nothing wrong with shopping at places like T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, Burlington Coat Factory, or Ross. The bulk of my clothes come from such stores, and I am not ashamed of shopping at such stores. I once bought an Express blazer for $50 at T.J. Maxx and a NorthFace sweater for a whole heck lot cheaper than the original price. To get the best stuff from these stores find out when the new shipment of clothes comes in and be one of the first. Name brand clothing doesn't last that long at discount stores. And don’t forget to check out the clearance racks you might find something of value. 

Clearance Racks
Every time I walk into a major department store I go to the sales/discount/clearance rack to find deals. I have been fortunate enough to find amazing brands at cheap low prices by looking at the clearance racks. I will warn to try on the clothes and look for any damages to the clothes because there's a reason why some of the clothes are on the clearance racks. 

When it comes to suits, get your measurements from a tailor before shopping online. Have fun and look for the best deals. 

How do you do your clothes shopping for the best prices? 

​Creating a budget is easy but maintain a budget can be a challenge. A person no longer has to create a budget using an excel spreadsheet because there is an increasing amount of budgeting apps available such as Mint and You Need a Budget. However, creating a budget with no goal, realistic mindset, or picking what works for you is as useless as signing up for a gym membership and not knowing what to do. When creating a budget no matter if it's on an app or excel spreadsheet follow these rules.
 
Set goals
Without setting goals, you cannot achieve anything. You have to set goals or else you’ll lose motivation for maintaining a budget. Goals can range from paying off $10,000 in credit card debt, saving for a down payment on a house, or saving for a vacation trip. Without setting goals in your budget you run the risk of spending what you don't have and not managing correctly, which can be the cause of severe credit card debt. 
 
Be realistic
Saving for a brand new Mercedes Benz in one year when you’re only making $35,000 is not realistic. A realistic budget consists of living within one's means and saving for something that is within purchasing power. When I budgeted my money to pay off my credit card debt I was realistic and knowing that it would not be paid off within one year. I gave my self at the very least three years if not less. I accomplished my goal of paying off $10,000 of debt in 41 months because I was realistic.
 
Pick what works best for you
Everyone has their secret recipe for what works best. You have to decide what works best for you. For me having a budget app and writing things down on paper helps me budget my money. There are hundreds of ways to budget your money and each one may have own benefits. Listen to what others budget methods but use what works best for your needs and wants. it's

Starting a budget is easy but maintaining one can be a challenge. Do not lose sight of your money and be aware of your expenses. Spending $3.45 every day on a cup of coffee can add up without even realizing and affect your budget.
 
So how do you budget your money?

​In last weeks Facebook Live show during the finance with attitude segment, I discussed lessons from the original Godfather of personal finance – Benjamin Franklin. Benjamin Franklin was more than just a statesman and inventor he provided fantastic personal finance advice: live within your means, don’t keep up with the Joneses, and save every penny. Over two hundred years later the majority of Americans have not learned from Franklin’s words of wisdom.
 
Rather go to bed without dinner than to rise in debt  
Benjamin Franklin was obviously not telling people to go hungry every night that would be foolish. The meaning of Benjamin’s quote is to live within your means, but American’s still do not live with their means. U.S. consumer households carry on average $16,425 in credit card debt, and that’s not adding student loan debt. Don’t go shopping for items you know you cannot afford, stop buying expensive coffee, and please stop with the avocado sandwiches for lunch. There is nothing wrong with making your coffee, eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch, and not shopping for items you want.
 
It is easier to suppress the first desire, than to satisfy all that follow
There should be no reason to keep up with others appearances. Years ago a group of colleagues decided to go out for drinks after a busy work week. One of the colleagues bought shots for all of us in the group. Another colleague from the group was upset because he told me he was the one who bought shots for everyone. My colleague was upset and had to show everyone he was the man and decided to buy shots for everyone regardless of the fact that he was in financial limbo. I told my colleague there is no way you can compete against the guy because he is way much wealthier than you are at the moment. The moral of the story is don’t compete with others when it comes to money. If someone buys drinks for the entire group, let them it's not your money wasted on drinks. 
 
A penny saved is a penny earned
Saving a penny or two is not easy especially when television commercials are telling us to spend, spend, and spend some more. However, saving a penny or two can go a long way. Whenever I buy products or services in cash, I deposit the change into a savings piggy bank and at the end of six months it can add up to at least $20.  Every penny counts no matter how small or little. I advise you to wait for your penny change whenever you go shopping.  If the cashier waits for you to hand over every penny you owe in the transaction why can’t you get your penny that you are owed?
 
There is no need to get into financial debt if you don’t have so make sure you live within your means, don’t compete against the Joneses, and save every penny.  

Learn the top ways you can build an emergency fund with a simple change in your shopping habits. Also, get insights on how to learn entrepreneurship while working full time. 

Make sure you watch the Mr. J Real Talk Facebook Live show every Sunday at 9pm(CST).