New clothes! And shoes! And purses! And accessories! Who doesn’t love ‘em! In tough times, women always want a little flash and sparkle without a hefty price tag. Here’s some sneaky ways to keep your wardrobe up-to-date for pennies.

Have a swap-o-rama party. Put the word out to all your full-figured stylish friends that you’re hostessing a closet-cleanout get-together. Be sure to invite similarly sized women and tell them to bring over all their clothes and shoes and jewelry they no longer wear, fit into, like, shouldn’t have bought etc. Organize by size and let everyone have at it! This is a great way to keep closets edited and not have to spend a dime for something new. Anything left over? Donate accordingly and enjoy your spoils.

Next, buy all your workhourse basics at big box stores. Tanks, black pants, and jean jackets can all be found at Target, Sears, and Kmart for quite literally below wholesale. Because these classic pieces are merely the framework for your overall outfit, they don’t have to have bells and whistles; in fact, the simpler the better. If you see black pants on sale and like them, buy two pairs. If you find a tank that fits you perfectly, buy one if every color. The sale rack is definitely your friend at store like these!

Finally, check out websites exclusively dedicated to plus-size fashion, such as beautypluspower.com, prettypear.com, and fashionfitsme.com for secret sales and special promotions from all the best online plus-size boutiques and designers. You will be amazed at the coupons and markdowns these sites will unearth for you, so shop happy! Also, sign up for fatshionista.livejournal.com to see what other plus-size ladies are wearing, and every Friday you can purchase awesome items right from these foxy ladies’ closets!