Bargain bin

Living stylishly on a budget

With the holidays gone and spring merchandise on the way, the 75-percent-off clearance sale is just about everywhere (check www.saksfifthavenue.com, www.target.com, and www.williams-sonoma.com, to name a few). From Monday until next Saturday, x-hale boutique (25 Lincoln St., Newton, 617-581-6530), is taking up to 75 percent off on all its merchandise as part of its annual winter clearance event. Save on Lululemon, Susana Monaco, True Religion, and many others.

Though the feeble economy would have us heading to Downtown Crossing for our next pair of shoes (how many discount shoe stores can you fit into a few blocks?), it's a treat every now and then to see a few pairs we wouldn't normally be able to afford. At the Italian footwear boutique/gallery Le Strada (27 Harvard St., Brookline, 617-277-0081), we found fetching, unique shoes by Sciapo and Altramarea (for her) and Vittorio Virgili and Aldo Bruè (for him), each pair $99. Don't miss the "last pair" racks in back, with steeply marked down Casadei and Jimmy Choo.

In case your style sensibilities tend toward a bygone era, Oona's (1210 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 617-491-2654) starts its annual vintage sale on Monday, with most pieces 25 percent off. Rummage through the faux furs, old rockabilly shirts, and wide-collared dresses that your grandmother could have worn to Sunday Mass. For an added touch, pick up a long string of pearls or perhaps some elbow-length gloves.

If the recession has you skimping on your entertainment budget, you might want to hit American Repertory Theatre's One Day Sale tomorrow. From 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., $25 tickets will be offered for early performances of each of the current season's remaining shows (Anton Chekhov's "The Seagull," Samuel Beckett's "Endgame," Christine Evans's "Trojan Barbie," and David Mamet's "Romance"). Head to the ART box office at 64 Brattle St., Cambridge or buy tickets at 617-547-8300 or online at www.amrep.org.

We're not much into frolicking in the snow and would rather spend the cold, dark month of January indoors. But we'll make an exception for the biannual sale at the French home design outfit Madura (144 Newbury St., Boston, 617-267-0222), which starts on Saturday. With select curtains, throws, pillows, bedspreads, and accessories 30 to 70 percent off, we're hoping to find just the right touches to make the digs that much harder to stray from.