Slippers for Father's Day? A Sure Sign I'm Getting Old.

Us dads don't have to break the bank or incur the wrath of our other half to dress well. Here's some tips on getting high quality clobber at discounted prices. 1. USE THE SALES Most retailers hold 2 propper big sales events per year, one in January or maybe late December and one in late summer. I concentrate my spending to these periods getting good quality, stylish clothing for around half the normal retail price. But make sure you buy the items that have been properly reduced. Avoid 'special purchases' and any retailers that have a store somew here remote that sells products at an inflated 'RRP' for 28 days to get around rules and regulations. 2. VISIT THE VILLAGE Bicester Village is a great place to shop for bargains, and not just in clothing. There's a wide range of stores to suit all tastes and budgets. NEVER go at the weekend, it's just too busy, and avoid Mondays as the stores are depleted after the weekend rush. Midweek is best as stock has been replenished and you get first choice of the best items before the weekend crowds arrive. 3. OTHER DISCOUNT CENTRES Whilst I firmly believe that Bicester is the original and the best, there are others if it's too far for you travel. From McArthur Glen in Cheshire, York and Swindon to Royal Quays in North Shields and Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth there's plenty to choose from. The AA provides a comprehensive list here - http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/inspirations/discount-shopping-outlets.html 4. ONLINE PROVIDERS There's some great places to buy from brands you know and trust online. My favourite is Secretsales.com, which offers high quality clothing from a range of brands at a heavily discounted price. Their brand sales run for set periods of time before closing, so subscribe to their newsletter to find out what's on when.

To be clear. I am not suggesting 'mooning' or displaying your Y Fronts. But I am saying that at home dads can be known to become a little lazy when it comes to their dress, prefering comfort and washability to anything else. Some people believe you are what you wear. It's certainly true that how you dress sends uninetentional messages to others. Dress signals economic prosperity, confidence, self respect, wellbeing and our interests and activities. But don't just take my word for it, Clinical psychologist Dr. Jennifer Baumgartner litterally wrote the book on the subject in You Are What You Wear: What Your Clothes Reveal About You. If you don't care what others think of you or the image you project then you should think about the impact it can have on your other half and your relationship. I remember reading an article about a couple in their forties. The husband had become an at home dad whilst his wife continued to work. I remember the wife describing how she lost respect for her husband due to seeing him everyday dressed in baggy sweatpants and tee shirts splattered with 2 day old lasagne. Whilst we might consider this a good practical choice, she apparently longed for the good old days when her husband would be neatly dressed for work and smelling of expensive after shave. And she told how she stopped 'fancying' him. Becoming an at home dad can have all kinds of impacts on men used to the social and economic environment of work. We can feel isolated and 'different' at the school gates and lonely through lack of adult conversation and we can lose our identity without the label of a job title. Many at home dads can suffer from depression as a result. I have myself. But if it's true that we are what we wear, and who am I to argue with a clinical psychologist, then what we choose to wear doing the school run, pushing the stroller in the park, taking the kids to their clubs and playgroups and even when we're doing the housework can have an impact on our psychology and well being. So make it a positive impact. Drop the sweatpants and wear something that makes you feel good and look good, whatever you're doing today,