Every budget fashionista is familiar with a fundamental fact associated with finding fierce clothes for as little money as possible: Consignment and secondhand stores can yield some great finds at great prices—you never really know what you’re going to find! One woman’s castoff is another woman’s couture, and if you’re really lucky you can find some items that have never even been worn at a price that is unbelievable.

This does not mean, however, that you should waltz into a consignment store, whip out your credit card, and grab all the stuff you can get your hands on. Just like with any other shopping trip, you need to budget beforehand and do what you can in order to get the best deal possible. So how can you enjoy consignment store shopping without making your budget suffer? Read these five tips for extreme budget shopping at consignment stores, for starters:

1. Set a budget and stick to it…really. You should already know what you can afford to spend before you wander into the store. How do you figure this out? Think about how much money you have that isn’t already obligated for bills, savings, or emergency money. Don’t spend money you can’t afford to part with. If you don’t need a specific item, and your closet is already packed, don’t give yourself a bunch of money to spend.

2. Haggle with the owner or manager. Plenty of consignment and secondhand stores are small enough to where the person working the cash register is also the person in charge of making decisions. The next time you approach the counter with a handful of clothes, consider a negotiation. If you have $200 worth of clothing in your hands, ask if you can pay $175. Don’t feel apprehensive. You might be surprised to find that your request is granted and you can walk out with enough money to buy some shoes off a clearance rack.

3. Wait for sales. Even consignment and secondhand stores have sales, especially when they need to move some products to refresh their inventory. When a store like this is having a sale then it’s time to head over there and have a look around. What’s better than gently used clothing? Gently used clothing on sale, of course.

4. Call ahead of time. If you are looking for a specific piece of clothing – suppose you need a black cocktail dress for a dinner, for example – you can call the store ahead of time and ask if they have anything like it in your size. Why should you bother to do this? The answer is simple: If they don’t have anything like what you are looking for then you shouldn’t risk going into the store and finding a bunch of stuff that you don’t really need but decide that you want to buy.

5. Don’t take your credit card with you. You’re much more likely to splurge and spend beyond your means if you’re paying with a credit card instead of bringing cash into the store with you. There is just something about paying with cash that makes most people reign in their spending. As a bonus, you may be able to ask for a cash discount.

Also, consider walking into the consignment or secondhand store with your arms full of clothes from your own closet that you don’t wear anymore—you might get enough store credit to pick up some great new pieces.