Your Guide To Shopping Smarter
Being on a budget doesn’t necessarily mean you have to cut new clothing out of your life for good. Follow these simple tips to save—while you shop.
Do shop slightly out of season
Most retailers get new deliveries of clothing at least every two weeks (if not more often), and are under constant pressure to turn over their merchandise. This means that season-specific items—summer shorts and sandals, winter hats and gloves—hit the shelves a month or so early and are likely to be deeply discounted halfway through the season, despite still being the latest trends. Resist the urge to stock up on the new pieces you want for the coming season—snag them when they’re marked down, but still wearable for months instead.
Do buy better basics
When it comes to wardrobe staples (a white buttoned shirt, black trousers, a go-to tee), the options are endless, seemingly similar, and available at every price point, from Forever 21 to Fendi. But when it comes to these pieces—the ones you’ll wear over and over again, year after year—it makes more sense to invest in quality items. The cheap black pencil skirt and the more expensive one might not look so different on the rack, but paying a little more now will prevent you from having to constantly replace the lower-priced version, saving you money in the long run.
Don’t get sucked in by sales
Do you have Black Friday marked on your calendar? What about Cyber Monday? Super Saturday? Are you on the mailing list for all of your favourite stores because they offer insider deals and discounts? You may think you’re being a savvy consumer by always scoring new things at lower-than-retail value, but you’re really just playing into well-known consumer psychology retailers use to get their customers to buy more—and more often. Do yourself a favour and unsubscribe from all of those email lists. The next time you’re tempted by a sale item, first ask yourself, “Is this something I would pay full value for? Or am I just tempted to buy it because it’s on sale?”
Courtesy of: http://www.realsimple.com/