Image from Flickr.

I have never been one to openly admit that I love a pop star, especially a female pop star who wears scandalous clothing and basically acts like a diva a lot of the time. However, Lady Gaga is different for some reason. She seems genuine and strong in her crazy, skin-baring costumes. It doesn’t come off like she’s dressing up for others — she makes me believe she is doing it for herself.

Plus, she is donating emergency money to Haiti. In order to help myself come to terms with the fact that I might be a conformist or a sheep because I love someone who everyone loves, I have decided to compile a list of the top five reasons why I love Lady Gaga, and I ain’t afraid to say it.

5. Work ethic

This woman is a very hard worker. She has done so many performances on so many different shows, I’d almost wager that she never turns down a gig — at least not if she can help it. And she puts the same enormous amount of effort into each show. She also teams up with a whole lot of other musical artists.

4. Influence

I have noticed a lot of other musical artists who seem to want to imitate Lady Gaga, and I think it’s a good thing. She is a strong, creative woman who doesn’t follow stereotypes, doesn’t care what anyone thinks of her, and she is doing what she loves. If Lady Gaga helps other young female artists be able to let their freak flags fly, I say more power to them.

3. Personality

Every time I see an interview with Lady Gaga I like her more. She has a straightforward way of communicating that I like. You can always tell if she is annoyed with or in love with the interviewer because she doesn’t hold anything back. I appreciate that type of honesty.

2. Fashion

Would I ever dress like Lady Gaga? Not in a million years. Wait, I take that back. I would love to wear a dress made of stuffed animals someday. Still, most of the stuff she wears is crazy, out-of-this-world weird — and fabulous.

1. Music

Despite her big personality and crazy clothes, I would have never paid attention to Lady Gaga if it weren’t for the fact that I love her music. It makes me want to dance every time. Whenever it gets stuck in my head it puts me in a good mood. And she only has made two albums! Keep up the good work, Gaga.

Rogue Tall Boot by Via Spiga

TheSavvy.com is an easy-to-use, highly accessible web site that sells sample clothing from high-end women’s designers for up to 90 percent below retail.

If you want to keep your wardrobe up and your costs down, it’s a great place to start.

Timing is everything

Usually, the sales at TheSavvy.com only last a few days, sometimes only a few hours. So it’s good to check the site every morning. For instance, today TheSavvy.com is selling merchandise from Via Spiga, but the sale ends in one day and 16 hours.

Even at deep discounts, some of this stuff is still pretty pricey. But if you’ve got some money to spend on clothes and shoes, TheSavvy.com is probably a good place to spend it, if you are set on buying from high-quality, high-fashion, high-end designers. If you’re so set on buying pricey clothes that you’d take out a payday loan or whip out your credit cards to do it, it’s best to take advantage of the discounts at TheSavvy.com.

Sample prices from sample sales

For instance, you can get a sleek pair of Rogue Tall Boots by Via Spiga for $130. That sounds like a lot of money to me, but the boots retail for $325. That’s a 60 percent discount.

If you’re looking for some strappy, summery, colorful sandals, the Henna Flower Sandal, which retails for $180, is selling at TheSavvy.com for $72.

Convenience with a catch

You can order products directly from the web site and have them shipped to your home. The downside to TheSavvy.com is that all sales are final. This is true with most sample sales.

However, the site does help you make sure you get the right product with its extensive size guide.

Similar sites

TheSavvy.com isn’t the only web site to offer high-end fashions at discount prices. A few other site you should check if you want designer clothes at a fraction of the price:

• Hautelook.com (Children, men, women)
• Ideeli.com (Women)
• Gilt.com (Men, Women)
• Ruelala.com (Men, women, housewares)

Previous sales at TheSavvy.com

The Savvy.com has previously sold products from MaxMara, Sissi rossi, Alessandra Dell’Acqua, Bensoni, Marcia Moran, Catherine Malandrino, Rachel Leigh, Alex and Ani, Rachel Roy and others.

You don’t have to sign up to be a member to shop at TheSavvy.com, but you can sign up for their e-mail list. If you sign up TheSavvy.com will send you alerts each time it starts a new sale. Because of the short-term nature of the sales at The Savvy.com, it’s probably not a bad idea to sign up for the e-mail list.

Payday Loan month is here. Every year we have the same problem in January. January is notorious as the sales month, where you could save so much money on the things you need, yet, after you’ve spent all of your money on the holidays, it’s also the hardest month of the year financially.

This is where a payday loan can really help

Have you seen the shoes in the windows? And the clothes hanging on the racks? Have you seen the colors and the styles? All the stuff you couldn’t afford before winter is now on sale at half price and you’re determined to save money.  You know you’re going to end up buying these items anyway, only at a much higher price later.

The sandals

The problem with sales shopping, as we women know, is that you start with one little item, say a pair of sandals. They are light; they are pretty; they are something you will wear only a few times when you go down to the beach.  But they are on sale, January clearance even, so you buy them. It’s no big deal.  And, buying on sale and getting a bargain is like getting a vitamin shot; it makes you feel good. The cashier puts them in a bag. You pay and turn to walk out then you see that pair of shoes that you have been looking for the whole year. Is this where they’ve been hiding?

The shoes

You try them; they fit like they were painted onto your feet so you buy them too. They were not exactly on sale, but you’d been looking for them all year. You walk out of the store and you know already that it’s going to mean taking out a payday loan to pay for what you just bought. The shoes are Burgundy, a deep shade of red almost unknown in the fashion industry. They need a dress to make them look good. You know you need these shoes and clothes for work.  If you can find the dress on a January clearance sale, it will all be worth it.

The dress

Now the hunt starts. You go from store to store, the cheap ones, the expensive ones, the ones with the sales and the ones that never hold sales. Burgundy, repeats the cashier, burgundy? You find a red dress. It’s not exactly burgundy, more the color of a Bordeaux wine. You’ll have to put the shoes on to make sure these colors are in sync and don’t clash. It works. The dress is more expensive than you would have hoped, but on clearance, none-the-less and the cashier assures you, it is the only one in town.

The coat

The cashier guides you to the exit of the dress department. Perhaps, she suggests, you should stop at the coats on the way to the elevator. They are on clearance and it’s still pretty cold outside, she smiles. You nod, lost now in the shopping excitement. The third coat is just right. Both the size and more importantly, the color, are perfect. Don’t wrap that, you say. I’ll wear it. It’s still pretty cold outside.

The glasses

At home you put all the new clothes on and stand in front of the mirror. Not a bad day’s work, you think. There are still a few adjustments necessary. Change in nail polish for sure and oh my, new eye glasses. Super high density progressive bifocals and brother do they cost! You wonder  if they are on clearance somewhere.

The bill

Well, it’s definitely worth a payday loan! You wonder if you can order a double?