Quality available at thrift stores and community colleges

Don’t let your love of fashionable footwear break the bank! Here’s how to get gently used Michael Kors, Casadei and Burberry for outrageously low prices.

Next time you need a pair of shoes for a night out on the town, you’d be wise to visit your local thrift store.

At a recent check to a metro Atlanta area thrift store, we found some amazing deals!

We found lace-up burgundy red leather pumps that will set you back $200 to $300 at most stores.

But at the thrift store ? Just $30!

Casadei pumps sell for $595 to $795 at the shoemaker’s official website. The thrift store price for these gently used Italian leather shoes? $12!

Student loan debt

Some people go to great lengths to eliminate their student loan debt.

Such is the case of Ken Ilgunas. Ken was a double major in English and history who got into debt once as an undergrad and learned his lesson when it came time for graduate studies.

Ken graduated from the University of Buffalo as an undergrad with $32,000 in debt, and he was making $8 an hour with his bachelor’s degree. So what did he do? He didn’t ask his parents for money…He moved to Alaska!

He spent two years working under tough conditions and paid back every penny of that $32,000 in 24 months.

Later, when he enrolled in Duke for grad school, he voluntarily lived in his van so he had no housing costs and wouldn’t have to take out more loans.

Of course, he wrote a book called “Walden on Wheels: On the Open Road from Debt to Freedom.” It’s an amazing story of someone twice imposing hardship on himself to pay down or avoid debt.

I have a simpler idea. It’s two words: Community college.

Start your education for two years at a community college. Then transfer those credits to a four-year school where you plan to graduate. That’s a surefire way to reduce the overall cost of an education.

Meanwhile, if you’re a parent and you’re still saving for a young child’s college education, The Wall Street Journal shows how even just a little contribution to a 529 account can add up over time.


Visit ClarkHoward.com for more info, or get his best-selling books signed with free shipping at GetClarkSmart.com.

About the Author