I decided to do this story because I’m cheap. I splurge randomly and often impetuously, but I prefer bargains. The funny thing is that I’m not particularly frugal. If my favorite yogurt is twice the price of a similar brand, I’ll buy my favorite every time. I don’t buy generic or lower quality just because it’s cheap.

I will spend $25 on a hamburger (not every day), but it is not out of the question for the right burger. However, I would never buy a $100 T-shirt. There are a lot of cheap quality tees and I’m good enough at finding them.

At left, Zoe Saldana rocks some items from Kohl’s very affordable Rock and Republic line.

So anyway, this story sounds cliché but it doesn’t take a fortune to be fabulous. I write: “In fact, money can sometimes be a hindrance. Yeah, I said it. Spending more doesn’t mean you get more … You have to appreciate style, not just consume it.”

Click once or twice to enlarge the pages above or to see the whole story on a single page check out Cheap Tricks for Beauty and Fashion on my work blog Deb’s Style File.