(November 1, 2005) — Rummaging through the racks of Assistant League of Glendale Thrift Alley, senior Lauren Ward smiles as her eyes fall on a pair of jeans labeled “half price.” Similar to Ward, several high school students are searching for a less expensive alternative to high-end stores such as Abercrombie and Fitch, Nordstrom and Rag Factory. According to a recent New York Times article, prices on clothes in the United States have increased by about 20 percent in the past year. Thus, teenagers are becoming stingier and quite a few are shopping at thrift stores such as Goodwill and Salvation Army, or stores like Wal-Mart and K-Mart, or vintage shops for discounted clothes. Three Saturdays out of the year, Ward works at Thrift Alley. “The items are cheap and reasonable. I can buy old books and not worry about writing all over them,” Ward said. Also Ward said that she can go to a thrift store and get interesting and unusual pieces, rather than following the newest and hippest trends. Junior Dana Boulos says that she does not need to spend massive amounts of money to be fashionable. “It is all about how you put an outfit together. Your personal creativity should be shown through what you wear,” Boulos said. Forever 21, an accessory and clothing store for women, provides just the thing. Their clothes and jewelry always follow recent trends and resemble the same pieces at Bebe for bargain prices. With $40 one can get a full outfit, with a handbag and accessories, whereas $40 at Nordstrom would only be good enough for a shirt. According to Teenage Research Unlimited during the last year there was a calculated four percent decrease for teenage spending. Many teenagers find it unimportant to splurge on clothes, but would rather spend the money on other priorities. Junior Nathaniel Newberry said he is not willing to pay $60 for a shirt. Instead, Newberry uses his money on software and additional contraptions for his laptop. “I can output creativity on the software I buy for my laptop. I get nothing important when I purchase clothes,” Newberry said. In addition to low-cost stores, teenagers are using the Web as a resource for clothes. Sites such as Ebay and Overstock offer to clients the same clothes in the mall for the fraction of the price. According to the New York Times article, Overstock marketers were surprised to see an increase in customers under the age of 24. “The mall is not the only place to buy clothes,” Boulos said. It is just now that teenagers save their money for things other than clothes. The money saving attitude shows that teenagers are slowly becoming economically conscious individuals.