SAVVY shopper KATE CLARKE finds the best prices for those key buys, and gives some sneaky style shortcuts so you can stay ahead of the fashion game without spending a fortune. Here are some of her best high street buys that won't break the bank this week.

TIMES, we are told, are getting a little better. But that doesn't mean we are quite out of the crunch yet, does it?

As the crestfallen economy still pinches hard, less is still more in terms of the volume of clothes we buy and the fashion we choose to wear.

The economic doldrums have already sorted the smart shoppers from the daft.

The impetuous shoppers who have bought one-hit wonders or the trend piece of the season will be cursing themselves now purse strings have tightened.

But the smart shoppers who have carefully bought classic clothes over the years will find they have a cupboard full of old friends. "Go through your closet and rediscover things," says Swansea stylist Emma Chambers. "I find loads of great stuff and realise I don't need to buy anything ever again.

"Re-examine your wardrobe and be positive about it. Spend a Saturday going through the basics you bought years ago, such as a tailored jacket, pencil skirt and manly trousers."

But if it is still a quick fix you are after and like to dip in and out of different looks, the High Street is the answer.

Fabulous clothes that don't cost much are out there, if you know where to look.

See some of the bargains Kate found