Tips for Looking Fantastic While on a Budget

I love shopping. Retail therapy is an actual thing and I am one person (of many) who can prove that. There's no better feeling than ordering something you like and getting a package at your door some days later (well, nothing better than a kiss and hug from a loved one, but you get my point). 

While some people love to go shopping, others don’t like it as much, mostly because they either don't know how to shop for themselves or their budget is too tight. I totally get it! But there are ways to shop that don't burn your pocket.

So, if you want to look great while not breaking the bank, then this is the guide for you. Here you can find out everything you need to know about being more fashionable, while also being able to simplify your shopping experience.


🌸 What Type of Fashion do you Want?

If you had $100 every month to spend on clothing, would you want one nice piece, or would you want a lot of cheap tops? Either way works, but most people would want the nicer top that’s a little more expensive. If you see something that you love but choose not to buy it because it's just far too expensive, then you may end up buying a ton of other items that you just don’t like as much. 

In the ideal scenario, you should resist the impulse to make a lot of cheap buys and instead buy what you want, even if it means that you come out with less. (Trust me to tell you to resist... not! Haha!) If you do this then you will feel way more confident in yourself and you may even find that you are able to look better as a result.


🌸 Review Everything you Have

People tend to accumulate clothes and hold onto them, even though they never actually end up using them (guilty as charged!). If you want to help yourself, then you need to take some time and face your closet

Think about it - do you have tons of clothes that are blue but none in red? Maybe you have 100 t-shirts but none of your clothes are date-worthy. If you've gotten to this point, there’s a high chance that you know how you want your wardrobe to look, so now would be the time to start going through everything and find out what fits your space and what doesn’t. 

It’s helpful for you to take an afternoon off so you can try all of your clothes on. Whatever you don’t like, or whatever doesn’t fit, they can easily go in a pile. When you do this, you'll soon find that it's very easy to get rid of clothing that you were otherwise holding onto. 

I've done this heaps of times over the past years and I must say that with every little session, my clothes get filtered down by 40%. More space in my wardrobe and drawers! Plus, it feels like you just gave yourself more creative ways to mix and match outfits.


🌸 Sell, Toss or Trade

If you have a few things that you don’t wear or that you just don’t like, then now would be the time to start selling them. If you clear the house and are able to make a few bucks, then you can put this money towards your new clothes! You'll also be able to see exactly what you're missing and can purchase that instead.


🌸 Shop for the Classics

It’s super important that you write down all of the fashion items that you hope will make up your ideal wardrobe. A closet full of good clothes that fit will make you look and feel so much better when compared to a closet that is full of ill-fitting items that will just never see the light of day. 

If you need some help with what to buy, then try and stick to some of the classic items and then embellish it with a couple of trends. For example, if you're a woman, you may want to opt for a stunning black dress. This is a classic piece, but you need to try and embellish it with some trends if you want to stand out. The trend would be for you to add an infinity scarf or even some statement earrings. 

If you’re a man then a great pair of pants that fit really well, along with a no-wrinkle shirt could be the classic choice. You can then combine this with a vest or even a bowtie as the embellishment. Glasses also work very well, so if you want to buy some, check out Eyeglasses.com

The classic look that you end up going for will ultimately depend on your style. The classics may be items that you wear all the time. You may also have items which are able to last a thousand washes, or items that pull your entire wardrobe together.


🌸 Creating your Ideal Wardrobe

The best way for you to be way more fashionable with less money would be for you to buy less things. You need to try and scale down and buy what you love (and that is hard to do). Believe it or not, 20 tops that go with 10 pants, 2 skirts and 5 shorts will give you a grand total of... 340 outfits. This may never end up happening but when you look at the bigger picture, you will soon see that the amount of choices you have available rockets.


🌸 Looking Fashionable on a Budget

The worst part of living is trying to figure out how much money you have to spend. If you want to help yourself here, then it would be wise for you to set a spending goal every month so you can find out what you can comfortably live with. 

It doesn’t matter if it's $100 a month or $500 because you need to withdraw this from the bank and set it to one side for your clothing budget. If you just don’t feel as though you have enough money for your clothes and your accessories, then why not think about cancelling the cable channels that you have, or even think about eating out less so you can have something quick at home? 

Little things like this can really help you to save more than you realize.


🌸 Shop Online

It’s always a good idea for you to try and shop online rather than in-store if you can. The main reason for this is because when you shop online, you can easily take advantage of some fantastic deals. If you know your size then this will work out most of the time. Online shopping for things like accessories, scarves or even brands you know fit can easily help you to have the best experience, and you would be surprised at how much you could open up your horizons by doing this.


🌸 Go out and Shop

Get your list and then start shopping around. If you know that you need basic items, such as a white skirt or even a black tank top then hit shops that are mid-priced. If you want something a bit more speciality then why not shop at the big sale stores? Or even check out the clearance racks. 

When you do go shopping, try and make sure that you go on sale days. When you do, you can easily find deals that are exactly what you want. Thrift stores are also ideal. The great thing about shopping at thrift stores, is that you can find some real bargains and steals, without having to worry about the price as much.


🌸 Take a Buddy

If you are the type of person who likes to overspend (um, hello!) then you may want to take a buddy with you so that they can then hold you accountable for anything that happens. Don’t take a friend who will encourage you to spend more because if you do, you may find that you end up going way over budget which can put additional pressure and stress on you.


🌸 Use Vouchers

Another thing that you can do is try and use vouchers if you can (I rarely use these, and if I do, I make sure it's for a nice high-end brand that will break my pocket without them!). 

When you do use vouchers, you will soon see that it's easier than ever to save a good amount of money while also being able to get the clothing you want. It’s very easy for you to take advantage of vouchers, and you can easily find them online or even in magazines. Some websites will also give you vouchers if you sign up and make your first purchase. 

If you want to get the best result out of your voucher experience, then there are sites out there that will collect vouchers for you and let you know when new ones are released. By signing up with them, you will soon find that you can shop at even more stores.



With so many options available, it’s safe to say that you will easily get a good result out of your wardrobe if you take your time and if you focus on buying things that are going to suit you. 

If you feel a little unconfident when buying new clothes, then you have nothing to worry about. You're not alone, and there are things that you can do to try and make yourself feel better. This could include taking your partner with you when shopping for clothes, or even shopping late at night so you don’t have to worry about too many people being in the store with you. 

It may also be worth trying to plan your accessories beforehand. For example, if you know you want a new black top, plan out your earrings and necklace, so your outfits look better when you try them on.

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