Quick Tips for Shopping on a Budget

At the moment, as I shared in the previous post, my hubby and I are on an organized monthly budget.  Currently, I have $50 a month to spend on clothes.  Now, I realize this is not much.  If you look at magazines, most products you see advertised are gorgeous, but very expensive.  Bags are $500 a piece, tops are over $300, gown prices are usually not even revealed.  Anyway, there are definitely ways to follow the trends (and still stay in line with your own personal style - you never want to go ALL trend, just try to incorporate them with your own classic, timeless pieces!) without spending the big magazine bucks!!!

I will share tricks I use over time on how to stretch your budget, but for to start out with, in my next post I will just show you what I got for $50 in July, August, and September. :)  First, here are some tips!

Quick Tips for Shopping on a Monthly Budget of $50 (or any amount!)


1. Be Organized!  Make a Wish List for each season, and prioritize it by the items you want the most (and you think you would use the most) down to the item you want the least (and will use the least).


2. As you work on your list, decide your top two or three things that inspire you.  I tend to organize my buying and ideas about fashion by season.  Fall is my favorite season, so I was already thinking and dreaming about new pieces to add into my wardrobe in the mid-summer months.  At the end of July, I was already buying things I planned to use for Fall.  :)  I will write another post about Fashion Inspirations soon!


3. As previously mentioned, really think about what you would like to get and how it will fit in with the pieces you already own.  Its easy to see something in a store, online, or in a mag and instantly want to go snatch it up, but sometimes things that pop out at you aren't really practical for your lifestyle or your personality.  That doesn't mean don't be inspired by things you see, but just think it through to make sure its really the best way to spend your money!


4. Keep your Wish List on a piece of paper in your purse, your phone, your iPad, your computer, or your blog, and edit it every week or so.  Make sure your priority items are still in line with what you really want and can use, and if you have changed your mind about something, remove it!


5. Wait for sales!  If you have your List made up, you can look coupons, discounts, and deals before you by it to make sure your money goes as far as you can!  For example (I will elaborate in future posts) go to www.retailmenot.com and check to see if there are coupons available for the store you are planning to purchase your items.  If there is not, you can always wait a week or so to see if one pops up (it could save you $10-15!)  Even if it only saves you $5, that is something you can use for accessories, or even save for next month!  Holidays are also a great time to purchase items, stores usually have large discounts available.  If you are ordering online, definitely wait until they have free shipping available.  Every dollar adds up!


6. Go try things on before you purchase them!  Impulse or rushed buying is the WORST thing you can do - you will end up wasting money and time if you have to go return things.  If you see something online that you love, block out some time to go try it on and see if you really love it, or if it fits the way you want.


7. BE CREATIVE!  Creativity goes a long way!  From thinking of new ways to cover the cost of clothes, to making things yourself, to adding touches that might make something cost $100 more in a store, you can do so much if you just branch out!