This article is not a promotional article for Old Navy. I swear. I just really feel like I’m doing a public service by providing this info. 

For pretty much my entire life, I didn’t wear Old Navy clothes. They were ill-fitting, weird-looking and on the cheap side, and as a privileged (read: snobby) child/teenager, I preferred clothes from Limited Too (R.I.P.), American Eagle, Hollister and the like (I know, I hate myself, too). So when, several years ago, a college friend answered “Old Navy” to my inquiry about where her new jeans came from, I was surprised. She had the same body type as me, preferred similar clothes to me, and the jeans were really cute and flattering. So, I ventured into Old Navy for the first time in a decade or more, and I’ve never looked back.

Old Navy experienced a big turnaround after 2012, when they brought on Stefan Larrson to head the company. The brand, which is a sister division to the Gap and Banana Republic, hadn’t been able to keep up with the other cheaper, more “hip” options available, like Forever 21 and H&M, and was struggling. Larrson had successfully revived H&M, and was able to do the same with Old Navy. In 2014, the brand took in almost $6 billion, according to the New York Times, and Larrson was tapped to take over Ralph Lauren (you heard that right, Ralph Lauren) from, you know, Ralph Lauren, upon his retirement. So I think it’s pretty safe to say that the brand has improved tenfold.

I’d estimate that now, at least half of my “constantly worn” closet (as opposed to the “rarely worn” closet that contains all the things you think you’ll wear one day but never actually do) is made up of Old Navy clothes, and I’m on the fast track to fill up the whole closet with them. Much of this is due to my recent discovery of how to hack into OldNavy.com sales (I’ve found them better than in-store sales) and find some killer deals. Seriously, over the past four months, I’ve purchased 11 shirts, two pairs of jeans, one dress and one pair of dress pants for a total $132.38. I AM A PRO. Here’s what I’ve learned so you can get the best bang for your buck, too.

1. Sign up for the emails.

I know, I know. They’ll send you a lot. But deal with it. This is how you’ll find out about their sales and their percent-off coupons. Plus, they send you a coupon on your birthday and for signing up. This is the first step. If you can’t deal with this step, the rest are definitely too much for you and you should just quit while you’re ahead and NOT SAVE ANY MONEY FOR FUN THINGS LIKE PIZZA AND TOYS FOR YOUR PET.

2. Shop the clearance.

If you think that the clearance at OldNavy.com is just the dregs of what hasn’t been purchased in two seasons and that the only sizes left are the really strange ones, like XXS Tall or something like that, you’d be wrong. Old Navy clearance is perhaps the best thing that ever happened to me, including my discovery of the Pizza Hut $10 Dinner Box and the fact that my mom forgot to take me off her vision insurance plan. Seriously, finding shirts is your best bet here. They have cute shirts for anywhere from $4 to $10. You can get so many shirts for such little money. My personal favorites are their various tees: boyfriend tees, slouchy v-neck tees, dolman tees, etc. I’ve found that pretty much any of their variety of shirts can transition super well from day to night: Wear it to work with some cute flats and statement jewelry, with yoga pants at movie night with your girls, or with black pants, heels and big earrings for a night out. I’ve also had good luck on their pants and dresses here, too, but you’re more likely to find a great variety of shirts.

Personal favorites: Oversized jersey tee, now $5.97 | Boyfriend tee, now $4.97

3. Shop during Super Cash-earning time, spend during Super Cash-spending time.

Seriously, Super Cash is your best friend. Forgot your childhood next-door neighbor, your college roommate, your weekly drinks date. They are now irrelevant. Super Cash is who will go with you on your first cruise and who’ll hold your hair the next time you puke. OK, I’m kidding, but only sort of. Just look at those deals! It’s like getting free money for buying clothes. Plus, you can rig your shopping cart to total up to ~just above~ whatever the minimum threshold is for the Super Cash to kick in. For example, recently, I had $10 Super Cash and had to spend $25 to use it, so you best believe my shopping cart was $26.88.

4. Hold out for free shipping.

OldNavy.com has free shipping all the time for orders more than $50, but will often run shipping discounts close to the end of a limited-time promotion. If you’re shopping during Super Cash-spending time (as I instructed you to do in No. 3) and have $20 Super Cash to spend, you’ll be spending ~$30 if you rig your shopping cart (like I also explained in No. 3). However, if you don’t want to spend that $50, but they’re running a big promotion (which you’ll find out via emails, if you followed No. 1) or it’s Super Cash time, sometimes they’ll lower the shipping to free shipping if you spend $25 or free shipping overall at the very last second. And guess what: They’ll send you an email about it! That’s how you’ll know! Emails are important. But seriously, hold out for free shipping. They will usually run a promotion at the last second, which will save you the $7 you’ll regularly pay for shipping. Never pay for shipping at OldNavy.com. Don’t do it.

5. Watch their jean sales. 

I know some people are convinced you have to pay an exorbitant amount for women’s jeans, but I just don’t believe that’s true. I mean, yeah, if you want your jeans to last a hundred years and never fade and come with pockets stuffed with candy (OK, maybe not that last part), then buy the $200 jeans. Go ahead. And give me a hint on how you got that Midas touch while you’re at it. But I’ve become particularly partial to Old Navy jeans, and I’ve found that if you wash them inside out and don’t dry them, the color won’t fade, they won’t shrink or become misshapen, and they’ll last a lot longer than you’d think. OldNavy.com regularly runs sales on their jeans, which can range from $30 to $40 normally. The sales usually price them at anywhere from $15 to $25, which can be a hefty discount, depending on which style you buy. Pair jean sales with Super Cash or other types of discounts and you’ve got yourself a screamin’ deal.

Personal favorites: The Rockstar Super Skinny Jeans, now $19

6. Use other various online discounts.

There are so many discount codes online. They’ll email them to you (need I repeat myself again here?) and you can also visit sites like RetailMeNot and see what other users have been able to use. Sometimes the codes have restrictions, like you can’t use them on clearance items or during certain types of sales, or that they can’t be combined with Super Cash, but it’s worth it to check. Sometimes you’ll find a really good, versatile 30-percent off coupon that doesn’t have any restrictions at all. I’ve been lucky before. Additionally, take advantage of cash-back sites like Ebates. I swear it isn’t a scam. If you have an account and navigate to the Old Navy site from the Ebates site, you’ll automatically get a minimum of 2 percent cash-back on your order. It doesn’t seem like a lot, but hey, something is better than nothing. Ebates compiles your cash-back earned and sends it to you in check form quarterly. Sometimes they run promotions where they’ll offer more cash-back for certain stores, and sometimes they have their own coupon selections available just through Ebates, so just sign up for an account already.

So, now that you’re in on the secret to success, I expect you to report back with your major hauls from Old Navy online sales. These deals are too good to waste. Tweet us your sale story @litdarling or comment here!