Shopping on a Budget in Miami

Five bucks can get you a submarine sandwich or a value meal at most fast food chains, but here a fiver is good for a pair of shoes. This Little Havana footwear shop sticks to the $5 price point for its wide collection of shoes in all colors and styles. Don't bother looking for brand names, though some of the wannabe knockoffs are impressive.

A girl doesn't have to shell out a mint to smell pretty. Famous fragrances are marked down at this perfume shop, where lotions and body washes make nice touches for her boudoir. And for that gift she surely doesn't have: cosmetic jewelry, which will make her look as good as she smells.

Consignment stores don't have to be the cobweb-collecting resting place of unwanted goods. These owners raid estate sales and consignment stores to stock up on retro designer apparel at thrift shop prices.

Designer brands go for as much as 60 percent off at this Cutler Bay outlet. Suits, dress shirts and slacks are the top draws, though casual sportswear items are also on the racks. This superstore chain also moves clearance wares for women and children, but it's one of the few catchall discounters that devote a substantial amount of in-store space to duds for guys.

Even during winter, Miami's humidity begs for apparel that is airy and comfortable. Cuban pleated shirts known as guayaberas are a popular accessory, and not just for Latinos. Traditional linen or cotton varieties can be expensive, but the perfectly suitable poly cotton lines start at just $24.

With as many as 2,000 vendors pitching their wares on a good day, the opportunities to score deals on consumer electronics, CDs, DVDs and last year's fashions are plentiful. It's OK to haggle. Merchants can be flexible since they know that the competition is just a few kiosks away.

There are more than a few "Disney Store" locations in area malls, but this is Mickey Mouse's official clearance center in Miami. Disney Store toy and clothing overstocks and items that just aren't selling briskly at the media giant's theme parks find their way into this Dolphin Mall space. M-I-C? See, you just saved you some serious dough.

With several Allapattah warehouses devoted to marked down dresses and fashion accessories for women in the Valsan chain, this standalone concept specializes in clothing for infants, toddlers and young children. Despite the warehouse exterior, the public is certainly invited.

Kids take to clothing as holiday gifts the same way that trick-or-treaters accept candy corn: It'll do, but it's not what they want. Children crave toys and this discounter stocks them. Shoppers won't find the hottest playthings here. Brand name seekers are better off taking their chances at outlet stores. This shop offers a good assortment of imported toys at dirt-cheap prices.