Do you wonder why your bank balance is always so low?
Do you need a little advice on how to shop more sensibly?
Then you have come to the right place!
I think we could all do with some little tips and tricks on how to keep our wardrobe uncluttered and our bank accounts full. I know it's hard being a fashion lover, it's an addiction. We want so many beautiful clothing items but we just don't have the time or places to wear them. There have been many a times when I wanted to buy a stunning evening gown but thought to myself 'Emma, although that dress is gorgeous when are you going to go to an event were you will wear it?' the answer was always never unfortunately. For all you women (and men) out there with a shopping addiction, here are my top tips for 'How to Shop Sensibly'...
Step 1: Clear out your wardrobe
The first step to shopping more wisely is to clear out your current wardrobe. Get every single item out of your wardrobe and drawers, including pjs and underwear, so that all you have left is hangers. Next you need to sort through all the clothes, shoes, bags, underwear, etc. and make piles of things you want to keep and things that you don't want anymore. Make sure the things you are keeping are things you have worn before or definitely want to wear in the near future. Don't keep anything that is old and tatty, it's time to upgrade. When clearing out your wardbobe think about what item are easy to style and what items you struggle with. If it takes to much time or stress to make an outfit out of an item get rid of it.
Once you are sure you have cleared out your wardbbe thoughourly then put all the items you are keeping back into your wardrobe and drawers. Try orgainising your items in colour order, seasonal items, types of items, etc. to make it easy to see what you have. This will also make it easier to choose an outfit in the mornings. Once everything you are keeping is safely away, go back to the pile of items you are getting rid of. The next step is to split these items into things that are brand new or in excellent condtion and worth selling, items that are wearable but more worn (ready for the charity shop) and another pile of items that just need chucking away as they have stains or holes. A good tip for shopping sensibly is to always sell an item before you buy one. This way you are making space for your new item and have some extra money to put towards it. Try selling your items on places such as Ebay, Depop and Vinted.
Step 2: Personal Style
The next step to shopping more sensibly is knowing your personal style. This may sound simple but many people don't really know there personal style down to a T. Many people just shop the trends meaning the items they buy go out of style very quickly. This means constantly buying more clothing and wasting a lot of money! You may be wondering how exactly do I figure out my personal style? It's hard to give you a set answer as it's simply up to you...
Start by taking a look at the items left in your wardbobe and see what sort of style they resemble. Think about what colours, patterns and styles you like. Try writing down a list of words that come to mine when looking at your current wardrobe. After you have written down a few words go on pinterest and make a board full of items that you love and fit with your style. Try using the words you wrote down as a starting point for your moodboard. Simply search the words and see what comes up. If you want to see my personal style then head over to my Pinterest account to get some inspiration. Also think about anyone whose style you admire and follow their social media accounts as this can help give you inspiration.
Another great way to figure out your personal style is to take outfit shots of the items you already have in your wardrobe. This will also help you keep on track of what is currently in your wardrobe. These pictures don't have to be professional or Instagram worthy just good enough to see the outfit. Take pictures of all the outfits you currently love to wear and keep them in a folder on your phone. Then when your out shopping you can visually see what items your have and figure out if something will go with items in your wardrobe. Once you have a clear image of your personal style it's time to move onto step 3...
Start by taking a look at the items left in your wardbobe and see what sort of style they resemble. Think about what colours, patterns and styles you like. Try writing down a list of words that come to mine when looking at your current wardrobe. After you have written down a few words go on pinterest and make a board full of items that you love and fit with your style. Try using the words you wrote down as a starting point for your moodboard. Simply search the words and see what comes up. If you want to see my personal style then head over to my Pinterest account to get some inspiration. Also think about anyone whose style you admire and follow their social media accounts as this can help give you inspiration.
Another great way to figure out your personal style is to take outfit shots of the items you already have in your wardrobe. This will also help you keep on track of what is currently in your wardrobe. These pictures don't have to be professional or Instagram worthy just good enough to see the outfit. Take pictures of all the outfits you currently love to wear and keep them in a folder on your phone. Then when your out shopping you can visually see what items your have and figure out if something will go with items in your wardrobe. Once you have a clear image of your personal style it's time to move onto step 3...
Step 3: Make a list
I don't know whether it's just me but I love making lists for pretty much everything! Now is your chance to look through your wardbobe again and think about what items are missing. First start off with the basics and think about what your really NEED! Do you need new underwear, pjs, socks, etc? Think about basic tops and trousers you love to wear. For instant a basic item I love to wear is turtle neck tops. I have one in every colour that fits my style. Also think about items that you loved and chucked away because they were too old and worn. Write them down as you can replace them only if you are going to carry on wearing them. If that item is a trend piece don't replace it as chances are it will go out of style very soon. Once you have a list of things you NEED it's time to think about anything else you would quite like to buy. These may be more premium items or simply more trendy items. Think about whether those items will fit your personal style and how long you think that trend will last. If you think you will fall out of love with it in a couple of months then it's not worth the money. Another great tip is to write down an item you like but give it a couple of months before you buy it. If you still love and want the item after two months buy it, if not you have saved yourself money. Once you have a clear idea of what you are going to buy there is just one more step to take before you can start shooping...
Step 4: Check your bank balance
You don't ever want to be that person whose card gets declined. So working out how much money you have to spend is the key to (shopping) success. Every time payday comes around make a list (see the trusty list is coming in handy once again!) of all the bills you have to pay that month and how much they cost. Then work out how much money you would have left if all the bills were paid right then. Once you have that sum it's up to you to figure out a budget you want to spend on clothing. Remember all the other things you like to spend money on that you haven't included in your bills. You don't want to spend it all on clothes. This simple step will help you be more aware of your money and help you budget your shopping trips. Once you get to your bidget stick to it! No more shopping until next payday. Now you know how much you can spend it's time to shop till you drop...
Shopping in store
There are two places you can shop: online or in store. There are pros and cons to both. We all love a good shopping trip with friends. It gives you a chance to catch up and have a fun girly day out. However, shopping instore can take a lot longer but gives you chance to explore the shops and see what items they have. You will be able to view the items in person an really think about whether they fit your personal style. Take the time to try on the items and think about whether they fit properly and whether they flatter your figure. Shopping in store also gives you the opportunity to really feel that fabrics and see whether they will last a long time. Even if something is super cute don't get it if is poor quality as chances are it will not last. I also find that when I shop in store I tend to spend less money as I feel like I'm really giving it away. Whereas online it's a simple click of a button.
The downside to shopping instore is you can get distracted really easily. Make sure you have your list to hand and try to focus on getting those pieces first. Then if other items catch your eye think about whether they will fit your style and go with items in your current wardrobe. Also think about whether it will fit in your budget. If the answer is no then put it back. Another downside to shopping in store is the time it takes. You have to find the time to travel there and then count the time for finding a parking space and looking around all the shops. You also need to make time to stop for food as let me tell you shopping when your hungry is a bad idea...
The downside to shopping instore is you can get distracted really easily. Make sure you have your list to hand and try to focus on getting those pieces first. Then if other items catch your eye think about whether they will fit your style and go with items in your current wardrobe. Also think about whether it will fit in your budget. If the answer is no then put it back. Another downside to shopping in store is the time it takes. You have to find the time to travel there and then count the time for finding a parking space and looking around all the shops. You also need to make time to stop for food as let me tell you shopping when your hungry is a bad idea...
Shopping online
The internet is a dangerous place for your bank balance. It's so easy to be sat in your cosy lounge wear at home clicking 'checkout' without even realising how much you are spending. However, there are also many pros to shopping online. It's much easy to shop for what you want online. Simply filter the page to your size, colour preferences and items you need. This will only bring up the items you want. This means you have much less to look through and are less likely to get distracted. Once you have chosen what you want to buy it's much easier to see how much you are spending on the items before you checkout. Look through your basket and see if the items you are buying are truly worth the money you are spending on them. If the total is too much for your budget or not how much you want to spend on the items then it easy to remove them before checking out. When shopping online it's also easy to compare prices of items on different websites. I also find it much easy and more enjoyable to look through the sale items online. I tend to just ignore them in store as it's always a jumble and hard to find your size. However, all you have to do online is filter it to your size and preferences.
Another great hack for shopping online is to spend time searching for discount codes. If you are student I would definitely recommend downloading 'Unidays' as it gives you discount codes for many retailers. If you are not a student there are many websites online that give you discount codes also. Taking a little extra time will also give you a chance to think about whether you really want the items in your basket. Sometimes it's also worth leaving the items in your basket overnight. Some retailers will then email you a discount code to make sure you are going to buy the items. This is always worth doing if you can't find a code online. It's also worth making an account for the websites you love as you can then put items into a wish list. This gives you a chance to see whether they will go down in price and gives you the chance to see whether you will still love them in a couple of months. Also if the items wont fit into your budget this month you can easily save them till next month.
Another great hack for shopping online is to spend time searching for discount codes. If you are student I would definitely recommend downloading 'Unidays' as it gives you discount codes for many retailers. If you are not a student there are many websites online that give you discount codes also. Taking a little extra time will also give you a chance to think about whether you really want the items in your basket. Sometimes it's also worth leaving the items in your basket overnight. Some retailers will then email you a discount code to make sure you are going to buy the items. This is always worth doing if you can't find a code online. It's also worth making an account for the websites you love as you can then put items into a wish list. This gives you a chance to see whether they will go down in price and gives you the chance to see whether you will still love them in a couple of months. Also if the items wont fit into your budget this month you can easily save them till next month.
Although there are many good things about shopping online there are a few downsides too. It can be hard to judge what size you need meaning you may have to send a lot of things back. This is both a pain and a hassle. It's also hard to judge whether the items will be good quality. Although it always states what fabric the item is made from, there are so many varieties of the same fabric you just don't know what you will get. Another downside is the images. Websites always choose beautiful, skinny, tall models and the item may look great on them but may not flatter your size and figure. Many photos are also photoshopped to make them look better. A lot of the time items arrive and look completely different to what is on the website. Also companies may get your order wrong or may have sold you something that is out of stock which can be very annoying. This actually happened to be the other day. I made a purchased purely for a jumper dress I found and when the package arrive everything was in it except the item I truly wanted. I was very disappointed! Another downside is the delivery costs and timings. When you order online you have to pay quite a lot of shipping costs and you don't get the items straight away like you would if buying them in store. You have to wait for them to arrive and hope they are what you want. I always say when your items have arrive make sure you feel the fabrics to make sure they are good quality. If they aren't don't bother trying them on otherwise you might love it and want to keep it. There is no point keeping something that may be itchy or fall apart in a couple of uses is there?
Well I think that is all I have for you today. I hope you enjoyed this post and got an idea of how to refresh your wardrobe on a budget. I also hope you got a good idea of the pros and cons of shopping online and in store. Now it's up to you to choose which one is better for you. Hopefully now you can fully prepare and never make a mistake again. I hope to see you back here soon...
Emma Victoria
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