When was the last time you went shopping, found a designer jacket and noted that the price tag was under $5?

Maybe you should join the world of Scottie Williams, 41, an artist from Ormewood Park.

Bob Longino/blongino@ajc.com (ENLARGE)

Ormewood Park artist Scottie Williams saves money on clothes at thrift stores such as Value Village on Moreland Avenue.

She saves money shopping at metro Atlanta thrift stores, especially the Value Village on Moreland Avenue, Goodwill and sometimes at the Junior League of Atlanta's Nearly New Shop in Howell Mill Shopping Center.

"I go so often I don't always pay attention to how much I save," Williams says. "But it's a huge sum of money."

That designer jacket? It was an Yves Saint Laurent smoking jacket. Price tag: $3.

She recently bought outfits at thrift stores for summer — Old Navy shorts, a miniskirt and tank tops — for $20.

"They would have easily cost $100 at a regular store," she says.

So where does the $80 savings go? For gasoline?

"Exactly."

31 ways to save

• Want to save on food? Ask your neighbors 
• Frequent diner saves with coupons by e-mail 
• Shopper works grocery sales 
• Teenage flash for less 
• Fun, cheap getaway as close as a state park or two 
• Borrowing from library cuts costs for avid readers 
• Gamble pays off in lower expenses 
• Exerciser not waiting for DVD to come out 
• Coupons bite into cost of dining out 
• Find it for a fraction of the original price 
• Purge baby items at consignment shops 
• Brazil beckons for savings-smart traveler 
• Old sol  and 'common sense'  cut electric bill 
• Cost-cutting is par for the course 
• Rack up with sales, off-season garments 
• Shopper charts the best prices 
• Public swimming pool refreshing, affordable 
• More-efficient ride picks up cash flow 
• Clean Air deal sweetens switch to a car pool plan 
• Personal trainer trims costs and fees 
• Mom shops early for school needs 
• 'Kids eat free' nights stretch family's budget 
• RVers cut back, consolidate trips 
• Teacher Web sites offer ideas, freebies 
• Mom 'not too proud' to snag a bargain 
• Cheese plates, movies fit budget 
• Take a walk to library; watch a movie for free 
• Volunteer shows way to free theater seats 
• Catch Braves in action for mere peanuts 
• Portrait of thriftiness in designer-wear garb 
• Businessman finds cheap gas via phone 
• Shopper takes bite out of grocery bill 
• Have your own way to save? Please share it with us
• Your Money: Strategies for stretching your dollars
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