I don’t know about most of you reading this, but I love shopping and keeping up with trends. It just didn’t take until it was my money that I realized in hindsight how ridiculous that notion was. So, I wanted to share some things I’ve learned when it comes to staying stay in style without breaking the bank!

 

Consider Cost-Per-Wear

This forces you to focus on the actual usefulness of the item and not just the appearance. Sure the look of it is important, but if the material wears out within five washes, is that really an item you want to invest in? Also,consider how many times you’ll wear said item. Paying an obscene amount for a shirt only to wear it once and have it sit in your closet is a waste of your money. While trying on said item, try to picture as many outfits you can put together at home. This type of visualization can help balance between the usefulness of the item, and the cost.

 

Need vs. Want Pile

When shopping in stores I never limit myself to what I want to try on, and you shouldn’t either. I believe that while that shows a great level of restraint, it takes out a lot of the joy when it comes to shopping. So, try on as much as you’d like, and take those obligatory dressing room selfies, but as you wrap up create a need pile vs want pile. Start to ask yourself the following, and answer honestly:

 

  • What’s the one thing I can’t go without?
  • What can I come back to get?
  • How many wears can I get with this
  • Is the season for the attire ending?
  • How many outfits can I create with this?
  • Can I recreate this look from what I have at home?
  • What did I actually come in here to buy?
  • Was this on sale or discounted?
  • How much was it discounted?

 

I’m sure once you answer those questions, your stack of clothes will be considerably less than what you started with.

 

Thrifting 

I personally think Macklemore and Ryan Lewis were onto something when they made the song Thrift Store. There’s NO shame when it comes to thrifting, in fact you find some of the coolest outfits while thrifting. You know that cute floral crop top you saw in Forever 21? What if I told you that you could go to a thrift store and find something that you could not only turn into the same crop top, but a skirt or pants for 10 dollars? All it takes is a sewing kit, and a little imagination and soon you’ve got a new outfit! Now and saying this I realize I should specify that you should wash set thrift store clothes. Personally I hand wash mine first, but you can do whatever you’d like, just wash it.

 

In conclusion, there are a lot of ways that you can ball on a budget, but these were just the top three in my opinion that have helped me throughout the years when it comes to how much I’m spending and what I’m buying. I hope this helps you as well! Happy Shopping!