Shopping Tips to Look Put Together & Save Money

Now, this post is to help myself but also my fellow shopaholics who love clothes but also love having money. As the money came flowing in my life it flowed right out because I just kept treating myself to shopping sprees. Now I have an overly packed closet and six large garbage bags full of clothes I never wore or wore once or twice. So to solve this issue I went on a shopping freeze. Tragic I know. A shopping freeze is when you go an extended amount of time without purchasing any new clothing. I try to challenge myself to wear the clothes that still have tags before purchasing anything else.This within itself is actually a really good way to save money.

Anyways, once I’m over the shopping freeze, I can continue to incorporate these tips that I’m about to share. I hope you ladies enjoy.

So, let’s get into it….

1. Buy Pieces That Will Create An Outfit

If you’re grocery shopping and buy a lot of food but not the food needed for the recipe, you’re either going back to the store or not eating.

What I’m saying is buy clothing that creates an outfit or buy clothes in colors that go with your aestetic so everything can just about go together. Or simply buy pieces that can go along with pieces you already have. Don’t just buy that yellow top with those pink bottoms and those green sandals because that within itself sounds like a disaster. Always try to create or complete an outfit.

2. Don’t Buy In Bulk

Ladies, don’t go crazy. If you had a problem like me I understand if you think all thirty items are necessities, however, they’re not. Only purchase the items you think are absolutely stunning. The pieces you’re transfixed with and know it’ll look flattering on your body type right now are the things you should get. Don’t get anything you have to lose weight in order to wear because it will most likely just sit in your closet or you’ll try to wear it and it doesn’t fit right.

To help narrow down your cart use this tip: if you remember what that piece of clothing looked like when you got off the shopping site or don’t look in your cart, then it’s worth it. If not, let it go. Also if it’s sold out in your size, that was God, sweetie.

3. Give It Time

Once you have everything in your cart, get off the site for a few minutes then come back to reevaluate. If you’re in a physical store just go through everything you put in your cart one last time before checking out. When you do this you’ll realize some things aren’t as appealing as they seemed when you first chose them because you were just impulsively picking up items that caught your eye. This is your purging phase of shopping which is vital!

This will be the time you see the clothing pieces that you get extremely excited over and the “ehh” clothing pieces you can toss.

4. Be Practical

Girl, put it down. Leave it alone. Unlike it. Take it out the cart because where are you about to wear that? Think about your routine or any special events you’ll be attending. Those clothing items you think are “just cute” will probably never be worn because you weren’t thinking about where you’ll wear them nor how you’ll style them. This mentality will have you wasting so much money.

We have to be practical. If you know exactly where you’ll wear it then buy it. However, the other items can stay where you found them. Just tell yourself you’ll come back for it (meanwhile you’ll probably forget about it). Also try to cultivate your style so the pieces you buy are timeless and you can wear them many different times in many different ways.

5. Use Coupons And Discounts

Find those coupons. If you’re a student you can use your school email and student ID to get discounts on just about everything. The “RetailMeNot” app and website always has some of the best coupons for just about all shopping websites. Also, there are so many brands who partner with influencers to be able to give you a discount. Simply search “hauls” of the online store on Youtube, TikTok, or Instagram etc to find those discounts! Usually a promo code is linked in an influencer’s bio.

Another way you can get a discount is if you sign up for email or text messages. If you shop at a store often, keep your number or email in the system because you’ll get points that can be applied as well as be the first to be notified of discounts. You can always cancel this method if you want. Also beware of the coupons that only apply if you spend “X” amount of money because at the end of the day that’s a trap to make you spend more. Stick to your budget!

6. Have A List

That time you tried putting an outfit together but didn’t have the exact clothing items you wanted are the items you should put on your shopping list. The outfits that are a part of your aesthetic will most likely have the same types of clothing pieces, so definitely focus on getting those staple pieces first as well.

7. Don’t Buy Similar Items

It’s not really necessary to buy similar pieces but I know sometimes similar items can give a different look. This tip applies to pieces that give the exact same look with minor differences.

For example, nude thigh high boots and nude booties give a completely different look but buying nude over the knee boots when you have thigh highs wouldn’t be practical. Try to get pieces in different colors that go with your aesthetic because your actual style will require some range. For example, you can get five pairs of heels however in a different color and different variations and will be able to accessorize so many outfits from that verses getting five black heels. I hope that makes sense.

8. Sell Unwanted Clothing

Profit off your old dysfunction or donate to the less fortunate. Sell your clothing on Depop, Mercari, Poshmark, or EBay. Sell to Plato’s closet if you have one in your city. This is a last resort and only if you’re too lazy to sell things on your own because you’ll earn way more money selling things yourself.

Have a garage sale, tell a friend to tell a friend, make an Instagram account with just your old clothing items. Sell everything and profit off the things you can and donate the items that are left over. You can donate by stopping by your local thrift stores or dumbing the bag of clothes in those huge bins that are all around. However, if you take the time to itemize each item I believe you can get a tax break, depending on how much money the items are worth and you will need a receipt from the thrift store signing off on the amount.

So that’s it. These are all the tips I’ve incorporated into my life to help me balance my shopping addiction and saving money.

As always, I love you and God loves you more.

Ovy