Christmas 2010: just welcomed my second child into the world one month after relocating to a new…read morecity. Dilemma: wanting to find the perfect gift for my supportive and loving husband on less than a shoestring budget. Solution: Bonaman! Feeling tired, frustrated and stupidly emotional at not being able to find an affordable, awesome gift for my babe I almost walked straight passed Bonaman. Feeling confident in my knowledge of quality, stylish threads it didn't enter my mind that this men's store would have anything affordable within my $50 budget. Then I glanced at one of the sales signs and was ecstatic to see printed tees, dress tops, denim shorts and other style items all for under $25 each. If your man is keen on the styles seen in Jeans West or Just Jeans he'll be just as impressed, and so will you be, by Bonaman. For $50 I snagged two tanks, one tee, two dress shirts and four different styles of shorts. Granted, prices were cheaper than normal at the time given it was Christmas, and because I purchased so much that good old fashioned service I love so much came into play and a further discount was offered. But I've also since bought him a faux fur lined winter jacket for $15, and apart from the labels on the inside of the clothes you honestly can't tell these clothes are cheap alternatives to brands like Politics or Man to Man. My husband was rapt at his updated wardrobe and I am impressed by how good I was able to make him look!

Sounding more like somewhere you might find Aussie sock souvenirs (there's an idea - kanga pouch…read moresocks!), this is fast becoming one of my fave places to find cool, quirky fashion accessories. So far I've scored an awesome white fedora with black band (aka Charlie Sheen), and a tribal fashion turban. The range of headwear, scarves and hats are eccentric, original and fashionable and if you're into different types of accessories Aussie Sox could be your place. Obviously they also stock a large range of socks and leg warmers at pretty good value for the whole family.

Valentine is the perfect place to find elegant fashions for the more mature lady…read more My mum freaked recently when she was invited to a garden wedding. As most of her formal wear is in basic black, she felt the need to find something more appropriately suited to the setting. So a few weekends ago we ventured out to Broady shopping centre together. Not expecting much mainly because we didn't know if we'd even find a store suitable for my mums age (50ish), we were happy enough to just start wondering around enjoying the special mother daughter time. And then we came across Valentine. A cross between Sussan and Katie's, Valentine stocks a range of work/office apparel, casual wear and more formal outfits for ladies of a certain age. I was really impressed by the age appropriate styles that still managed to pick up on fashion forward trends, which is sometimes difficult for that age group. My mum eventually found a gorgeous floral, knee length dress with thick, slightly frilly straps to give it a real feminine feel. And as my mum is the sort of woman who would never buy a dress to wear only once or only on certain occassions, this was perfect; dressy and formal enough for a garden wedding or dinner out, but casual enough to wear as a nice outing dress for lunch or coffee with the girls. A lovely find and I'm sure my mum and I will take advantage of the opportunity to spend some girly time together again at Valentine.

I love Chicci! This shop allows me to feel part of the style savvy Melbourne crowd without breaking…read moremy bank. And they've just made my day today with a trench purchase from the Winter discount rack. I've gone all freaking winter without a classic black trench coat, my old one was frustratingly fluffy and sadly unwearable no matter how many times it was washed or dry cleaned. And getting suckered into buying other treats for myself if I went looking for a trench coat but couldn't find one didn't help my situation. So, halfway through winter and after a long tweed and soft cashmere splurge, I put a restriction on purchasing an essential black jacket until the 2012 winter season. And then today, walking in to grab some things quickly from Coles, I doubled back when I thought I saw a 2011 season, long, black cotton jacket with military buttons for $35. I wasn't seeing things so I've snaffled it up and it now has pride of place in my wardrobe. How lucky was I that the last one in stock was a size 6! I've also bought other bargains from here before, like a pair of dark denim jeans with bright stitching for $20. They've got a large collection of very tiny cocktail dresses for the short and skinny of us. Some of them are Pretty Woman style but if you're going along to one of the Spring Racing Carnival events you might be able to pick up a cheap treat here, which if dressed up with some dazzling accessories could be a winner in the fashion stakes!

G Bags, G Bags, I love G Bags!! I bagged (get it?!) the absolute bargain of the century here and…read morewould like to sing the praises of this glorious store from bag heaven. Being the Imelda Marcos of bags my obsession with these beautiful but often expensive accessories has had to be curbed slightly since the arrival of my second child. Not being able to avoid the rush of the look and feel of them, one recent day I couldn't help but stop and admire the assortment of Guess, D & G and Chanel beauties on a front display at G Bags. It was a camel coloured, tote style Dolce and Gabbana shoulder piece that took my breath away and stole my heart. Picking it up and holding it against me I suddenly realised why my children felt the urge to throw a tantrum when they didn't get what they wanted. Daring to take a peek at the price with one eye closed I thought I was dreaming when I saw $59.90 on the tag. Looking again with both eyes it was definitely right, but surely a printed mistake? Not daring to get my hopes up, I approached the sales assistant who happily informed me that yes, it most certainly was $59.90. Oh the joy, the exquisite feeling of spoiling myself with the most beautiful bag known to man without the torturous sense of guilt of spending so much money on something so trivial. So if you're short of coin don't dig through your purse, go get a new one for a pretty penny at G BAGS!!