Charlotte Russe is an American clothing retail chain store that operates in the United States. Fashions in the stores are targeted at women in their teens and twenties. They sell clothing in a variety of sizes, including plus sized, and also have lines of clothing for girls, boys, and babies.

If Charlotte Russe is unable to find a buyer by February 17, 2019, it plans to completely liquidate. If that happens, it would be a good time to pick up some last-minute purchases. Stores that liquidate often try to quickly get rid of current stock by selling it at a much lower price than usual.

Here is a list of the Charlotte Russe stores that are closing:

Alabama

Florence: 301 Cox Creek Parkway

California

• Arvin: 5701 Outlets at Tejon Parkway
• Culver City: 6000 Sepulveda Blvd.
• Daly City: 288 Serramonte Center
• Fairfield: 1350 Travis Blvd.
• Irvine: 71 Fortune Drive
• La Mesa: 5500 Grossmont Center
• San Bernardino: 500 Inland Center Drive
• San Jose: 925 Blossom Hill Road
• Santa Ana: 2800 North Main Place
• Valencia: 24201 West Valencia Blvd.
• Westminster: 2150 E Westminster Mall

Colorado

• Grand Junction: 2424 US Highway 6
• Pueblo: 3429 Dillon Drive

Connecticut

• Meriden: 470 Lewis Avenue
• Milford: 1201 Boston Post Road
• Ledyard: 455 Trolley Line Boulevard

Florida

• Jacksonville: 4870 Big Island Drive
• Port Richey: 9409 US Highway 19
• Sarasota: 140 University Town Center Drive
• West Palm Beach: 1721 Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard

Georgia

• Commerce: 800 Steven B. Tanger Blvd.
• Douglasville: 1440 Douglas Blvd.
• Pooler: 200 Tanger Outlet Boulevard

Hawaii

• Aiea: 98-1005 Moanalua Road
• Kahlului: 275 W. Kaahumanu Ave.
• Kaneohe: 46-056 Kamehameha Highway

Illinois

• Algonquin: 1952 S. Randall Road
• Joliet: 3340 Mall Loop Drive
• Lincolnwood: 3333 West Touhy Avenue
• Lombard: 203 Yorktown
• Peoria: 220 W. War Memorial Drive
• Skokie: 4999 Old Orchard Center

Indiana

• Hobart: 2063 Southlake Mall
• West Des Moines: 1551 Valley West Drive

Kentucky

Ashland: 500 Winchester Ave.

Louisiana

• New Orleans: 500 Port of New Orleans Place
• Slidell: 760 Town Center Parkway

Maryland

• Annapolis: 2550 Annapolis Mall
• Bel Air: 696 Bel Air Road
• Frederick: 5500 Buckeystown Pike
• Gaithersburg: 701 Russell Avenue
• Hagerstown: 17301 Valley Mall Road
• Ocean City: 12741 Ocean Gateway

Massachusetts

• Cambridge: 100 Cambridgeside Pl
• Kingston: 101 Independence Mall Way

Michigan

• Dearborn: 18900 Michigan Avenue
• Howell: 1475 North Burkhart Road
• Okemos: 1982 W. Grand Rive Avenue
• Saginaw: 4667 Fashion Square Mall

Minnesota

• Bloomington: 141 East Broadway
• Burnsville: 1178 Burnsville Center

Missouri

• Kansas City: 7260 NW 86th Place
• Lee’s Summit: 880 NW Blue Parkway
• St. Louis: 85 South County Centerway

New Jersey

• Atlantic City: 122 Christopher Columbus Blvd.
• East Brunswick: 755 State Road 18
• Moorestown: 400 Route 38

New York

• Glendale: 8000 Copper Ave.
• Massapequa: 2135 Sunrise Mall
• Nanuet: 66 Rockland Plaza Route 59
• New Hartford: Route 5 & 5A
• New York: 130 W. 34th Street
• Niagara Falls: 1982 Military Road
• Saratoga Springs: 3065 Route 50
• Victor: 672 EastView Mall
• Yorktown Heights: 650 Lee Boulevard

North Carolina

Gastonia: 246 New Hope Road

Ohio

• Cincinnati: 7100 Foundry Row
• Mentor: 7850 Mentor Avenue
• Toledo: 5001 Monroe Street

Oregon

Eugene: 293 Valley River Center

Pennsylvania

• Altoona: Route 220 & Goods Lane
• Pittsburgh: 100 Robinson Centre Drive
• Willow Grove: 2500 Moreland Road
• York: 2899 Whiteford Road

South Carolina

• Florence: 2701 David McLeod Boulevard
• Myrtle Beach: 2000 Coastal Grand Circle
• North Charleston: 2150 Northwoods Blvd.

Tennessee

• Chattanooga: 2100 Hamilton Place Blvd.
• Johnson City: 2011 N. Roan Street

Texas

• Cedar Hill: 305 West FM
• Fort Worth: 15853 N. Freeway
• New Braunfels: 257 Creekside Crossing
• Victoria: 7800 N. Navarro St.
• Waco: 6001 West Waco Drive

Virginia

• Dulles: 21100 Dulles Town Circle
• McLean: 7860 Tysons Corner Center
• Springfield: 6767 Springfield Mall

Washington

Auburn: 1101 Outlet Collection Way

West Virginia

Morgantown: 9500 Mall Road

Wisconsin

• Brookfield: 95 N. Moorland Road
• Glendale: 5800 N. Bayshore Drive
• Madison: 375 East Towne Mall

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The concept of the of the 50/30/20 plan involves a simple breakdown. 50 percent of your income goes towards basic expenses. This can include important things like mortgage or rent, utilities, and groceries. 

30 percent of the plan goes towards discretionary spending. That phrase refers to money spent by consumers on non-essential purchases such as vacations or luxury items. Discretionary income is the amount of money remaining after a person pays for personal necessities and taxes.

Discretionary spending includes the fun things in your life. This includes travel, vacations and hobbies. It also includes dining out at restaurants, bringing home take-out, or having food delivered.

The 20 percent part of the plan goes towards savings and paying off debt. There are two ways to use this part of your budget. One is to spend the 20 percent on a credit card debt, a student loan debt, or whatever other debts you have. It can be used to pay a medical bill that your health insurance refused to cover.

The other way is to put that 20 percent into your savings account. If you think you will be too tempted to spend that money on discretionary spending, there is a way to prevent it. Create an automatic transfer of 20 percent of your paycheck directly into your savings account.

Ideas like the 50/30/20 plan are especially useful for younger people who have plenty of time to save up money for their retirement.

People of any age can benefit from having an emergency fund. Most financial experts suggests that your emergency fund should be equal to at least six months of expenses. 

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One way to save money is to reuse items that you already have at home. Doing so means you won’t have to spend money on new ones. It also is a good way to keep useful items out of landfills. There are plenty of items that you may already have at home that can be used multiple times.

Glass Jars
The empty glass jar of pasta sauce, applesauce, or pickles can be washed out and reused. Glass jars make good containers for dried goods that you buy in bulk. Fill a glass jar with pasta, beans, flour, or coffee. You can easily see how much you have left.

Bring an empty glass jar, with a lid, with you when you grocery shop. Ask the store to weigh the empty jar. Then, fill the jar with beans, rice, or anything else you buy in bulk. The cashier can subtract the weight of the empty jar from the weight of the full one and charge you the correct price.

Old Towels
Don’t throw away those old towels that are worn out and much less absorbent than they use to be. Cut them up and turn them into dust cloths. You can wash and reuse those dust cloths over and over again. Doing so can save you money because you won’t need to use paper towels when dusting.

Bread Bags
Most people throw away the bag that their sliced bread came in when the bread is gone. People who have dogs can reuse empty bread bags. The laws where you live may require you to clean up after your dog. You can save money by using empty bread bags for that purpose (instead of spending money on bags).

Food Scraps
Little scraps of fruit and vegetables can be used in compost. You can also add crushed egg shells, used coffee filters, used tea bags, and used paper towels and napkins. They can all go into your compost bin. Turn those scraps into mulch for your garden.

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You can stretch your food budget a little bit farther if you take steps to prevent food waste in your kitchen. You are probably throwing away food, or parts of food, that are entirely edible. Keep an open mind, and you will look at food differently than you have before.

Broccoli Stems
Many people enjoy eating broccoli florets. Did you know that broccoli stems are edible, too? Some restaurants have started using broccoli stems in their recipes. Peel off the tough exterior of the broccoli stem and use the rest.

You can use cut broccoli stems in a broccoli and cheese soup. Parents can cook the broccoli stems, and mash them, to make baby food. Cut the broccoli stems into small pieces and use them in a chicken and broccoli stir fry. In short, any recipe that calls for broccoli florets can make use of stems instead.

Stale Bread
Bread is a favorite food for many people. Those who love bread often throw away bread that has become stale. This is a waste of good bread! Stale bread can be used in a number of tasty ways.

Cut stale bread into cubes and turn it into croutons for a salad. Grind it into bread crumbs and use those crumbs to coat chicken before you fry it. Dip the stale bread into an egg and make french toast for breakfast.

During the holidays, stale bread can easily be made into stuffing. Bread pudding is a nice dessert that can be served any time of the year.

Browning Bananas
Bananas that have over-ripened, and are a little mushy, are safe to eat. Cut one up and put it in a breakfast smoothie. Browning bananas are the key ingredient in banana bread and banana muffins. You can also use over-ripened bananas to make banana pudding, or add bananas to a bread pudding recipe.

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People who are very low-income often struggle to buy enough food to feed themselves and their families. People who are unemployed face the same difficulties. Food banks and food pantries can help people get the food they need. This allows the person to use their limited money on other bills and necessities.

Feeding America is a nationwide network of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs that provides food and services to people each year. In addition, some cities and counties may also have their own food banks and food pantries.

A food bank is a non-profit organization that collects and distributes food to hunger-relief charities. Food banks act as food storage and distribution depots for smaller front line agencies, and usually do not themselves give out food directly to people struggling with hunger.

A food pantry functions as the arms that reach out directly to a community. It receives food from a food bank (which functions like a warehouse) and makes that food accessible to people who need it. Visit the Feeding America website to find the food pantry nearest to where you live.

During the 2018-2019 partial government shutdown, Feeding America is helping unpaid federal workers to obtain food. Some of these workers had been furloughed, and will not be paid until the shutdown ends. Others workers are still working – but not receiving paychecks.

To help, Feeding America has been deploying pop-up food pantries in areas where there are many government workers who need help getting food. Some Feeding America food banks are opening on days when they are usually closed in order to help meet people’s needs.

Local food pantries can also help individuals and families who lose their SNAP benefits, or their WIC benefits due to the partial government shutdown. Contact Feeding America, or your local food pantry, for more details.

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One way to get in shape is to get a gym membership. Many people do this in January as part of their New Year’s resolution. Sometimes, a gym membership can be more expensive than your budget can handle. Here is how to save money on a gym membership.

Ask for a Trial Membership
Not sure if a particular gym is the right one for you? Ask if you can get a trial membership. The cost of a trial membership is typically less than the price of a regular membership. Some gyms will offer people a free trial membership.

A trial membership gives you the opportunity to try out the gym and see what it has to offer. You can use the equipment, the pool, and possibly take some classes. You get the opportunity to see if you fit in with the other gym members, and if the environment is comfortable, before you spend a lot of money.

Ask for a Discount
Does the gym offer a discounted membership fee for people who happen to work at the company you are employed at? It might be worth finding out. Check with the gym, and ask your HR department about it.

You might qualify for other types of discounts. Gyms may offer student discounts, military discounts, teacher discounts, or senior discounts. If you qualify for any of those categories, and can bring an ID that proves it – you can save money on a gym membership.

Wait Until Later
Businesses often have a quota to hit before the end of the month or end of a quarter. Gyms need to make a certain amount of money on memberships. You might get a better deal at the end of the month than you would at the beginning.

Another option is to wait a few months when people give up on their New Year’s resolution to exercise. Gyms may offer nice discounts later in the year to attract new customers.

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Is your electricity bill higher than you expected it to be? This can happen if you are wasting electricity. There are many hidden ways that wasting electricity could cost you money. Here is some advice that can help you to stop wasting electricity.

Don’t hold the fridge door open
You are hungry, but aren’t sure what you want to eat. Many people solve this problem by opening the refrigerator door and looking at the food inside it until they figure out what they want to eat.

The University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences estimates that 7% of a refrigerator’s total energy use is the result of opening its doors. You can save on electricity if you figure out what you want to eat first and then open the refrigerator door to get the ingredients.

Don’t leave appliances plugged in when not in use
The U.S. Department of Energy has advice on how to make your appliances more energy efficient. One way is to look for the ENERGY STAR label. ENERGY Star certified computers and office electronics power management features and efficient internal and external power supplies to ensure energy savings.

Use Advanced power strips to prevent electronics from drawing energy when they aren’t being used. Many consumer electronics continue to draw power even when switched off, which could add an extra 10% to your monthly utility bill.

One easy thing to do is unplug your appliances when they are not in use. It only takes a second to plug the microwave or coffee maker back in right before you need to use it.

Don’t use the dishwasher’s drying cycle
The Department of Energy says that a dishwasher’s drying cycle is an energy waster. A more energy efficient way to dry dishes would be to open the dishwasher door and allow the dishes to dry before putting them away.

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One way to stay healthy is to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. That’s not always easy to do, especially if you don’t have many groceries stores to choose from. Here are some easy ways to save money on vegetables.

Buy Seasonal Produce
You can get the very best price on vegetables if you buy them when they are in season. Why? It is because that is when a specific fruit or vegetable is the most abundant. The price will go back up when that type of produce goes out of season.

Not sure when certain types of produce are in season? The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has a Seasonal Produce Guide that clearly shows which produce is in season during the spring, summer, fall, and winter.

Eat Frozen Vegetables
According to Eating Well, frozen vegetables may be even more healthy than the fresh produce you find in grocery stores. Frozen vegetables are processed at peak ripeness, when they are the most nutrient packed.

Another great thing about frozen vegetables is that they last longer than fresh produce. You can buy frozen produce in bulk, which can bring the cost down.

Consider the Dollar Stores
Supermarket News reported that Dollar General is adding extra refrigerated space and a fresh produce section. This could potentially result in other, similar, stores to do the same. Visit the store’s website to find out what produce it offers.

Eat Your Vegetables
The best way to save money on vegetables is to make sure you eat them before they go bad. That money will be wasted if you had to throw the food away.

One way to ensure you eat your vegetables is to make a meal plan that includes them. Another good idea is to think small. How many vegetables can you realistically consume in a week? Buy only what you need.

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Gift cards make excellent gifts. You can buy one for a friend or family member who is difficult to buy for. Receiving a gift card means you get to pick out something nice for yourself. Will your gift cards expire before you can use them up?

In 2009, the United States Congress passed the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act. It provides some protection for consumers who use gift cards.

Here is a summary of the CARD Act on the National Conference of State Legislatures website:

“The law provides that gifts cards cannot expire within five years from the date they were activated and generally limits inactivity fee on gift cards except in certain circumstances, such as if there has been no transaction for at least 12 months.”

The following states prohibit expiration dates on gift cards: California, Connecticut, Minnesota, and Rhode Island.

Maine says: “A period of limitation may not be imposed on the owner’s right to redeem the gift obligation or stored-value card.” Montana says: “A gift certificate is valid until redemption and does not terminate.” New Hampshire prohibits an expiration date for gift certificates valued at less than $100.

Oregon limits the situations in which a gift card can have an expiration date to some very specific rules. Washington does not allow expiration dates on gift cards unless no money was paid for the gift card.

All the other states do allow gift cards to expire. You might want to scroll through the CARD Act website to learn the full details about what your state does, and does not, allow.

Some states allow gift cards to expire after a certain amount of years. Others allow expiration dates on gift cards if the card makes the expiration date very obvious. When in doubt – use up the gift card as soon as possible.

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The holidays are over and it is time to try and return gifts that are not suitable for you. The process of bringing in a return, and standing in a line, can be unpleasant. Here are some tips for returning gifts that will make things a little bit easier.

What are you allowed to return?
The first thing you need to do is figure out what a store will accept as a return. Some stores only accept items that are damaged or defective. This means you can return a gift that was defective or missing some parts.

Other stores are more open to what kinds of things they will accept as a return. Many stores will allow you to exchange a sweater that was the wrong size for one that fits you. Some stores don’t require people to give their reason for a return – they simply accept all items that they currently sell.

Do you need a receipt?
Some stores will not accept a return unless it comes with a receipt (either a gift receipt or a regular one). Hopefully, your friends and relatives have kindly included a gift receipt with your gift. If not, you may face some difficulty when trying to return that gift.

Where can you return the gift?
In general, if the gift was purchased in a brick-and-mortar store, it is possible that you can return it if you physically bring it to that store. If the gift was purchased online, you might have to send it back to the vendor through the mail. Find out if you have to pay for shipping.

Very few brick-and-mortar stores will accept returns that were purchased from the store’s website. The item might be something that the physical stores do not carry.

How is the money refunded?
The store accepts your return. Where does the refund go? The store might refund the money onto the credit card that the purchase was made with. Or, it could give you a gift card for that amount.

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