I’m happy to be sharing my thoughts about fashion on a budget. When you think about fashion, often you think high fashion and exclusive designers. That may be true in some cases, but it’s not reality for a lot of people. Quite the opposite in fact.
One of the many aspects of fashion that I love is that you don’t need to have a lot of money to be fashionable. Fashion doesn’t always mean you have to go out and buy the latest designer outfit if you can’t afford it. Throughout my life, I have had different levels of disposable income (my budgeted amount for spending) but still managed to stay true to my fashion sense.
I was financially supporting myself around the age of 18-19, so my options were buying expensive clothing or having a place to live. Let’s just say; I chose shelter. Although there were a few times, I opted out of food to be able to buy a new top or shoes.
Being a gal living on a retail salary and loving fashion, meant that I had to get savvy with my fashion budget. I bought everything from designer to thrift store chic to repurposing my clothes on my fashion budget. There are so many ways to buy clothes, shoes, and accessories if you are smart about it.
The first thing you want to figure out is what is your fashion budget. You can do this by figuring out your monthly income minus your expenses (such as bills, groceries, gas, etc.) per month. The amount remaining is your disposable income. This amount is what you get to spend on whatever you want such as fun with friends, eating out, and your look. You should decide how much of that you want to budget on fashion.
Sales, sales, sales! I can’t stress enough to be on the lookout for sales. There are a couple good times of year to be looking out for sales. Generally at times when stores are making room for more merchandise. This time of year (August) is perfect for sales on summer clothes since stores are filling up with back to school and fall merchandise.
Another good time of year if right before Thanksgiving when shops are trying to outdo each other with sales for Christmas shopping. Holiday weekends are also a perfect time to check for sales at your favorite store (in-store or online). I would also recommend checking online for random weekend sales as there are always deals and promos.
I use a couple of tools when looking for online deals. Shoptagr is an online tool (and Chrome extension) that allows you to tag items from a retailer. You can group your favorite pieces in categories and they will notify you when the item has dropped in price.
Another shopping tool that I use is Honey. This tool is another extension that will search for promotion codes in your online shopping cart. If you are nervous about shopping online, check out my article about online shopping. Hopefully, this article will help to relieve some hesitation.
Overall, fashion is doable on a budget. You just need to do a little research and have a lot of patience. Nothing ruins a budget more than an impulse purchase. Do you have any helpful tips for shopping on a budget?
Outfit Details
Nordstrom top, H&M pants, Steve Madden shoes, DSW clutch
This article is not sponsored by any of the brands mentioned above. They are my thoughts and preferences.
Photo by @cristaltapp
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