HOW TO SHOP SMART

Welcome to the era of buy now, wear now fashion! There are hundreds of thousands of shops out there, so it’s quite easy to get lost in the fashion jungle & spend a lot of money without being satisfied with your purse. Being a certified shopaholic (on a budget), I have a few tricks up my sleeves and today I would like to share them with you. Here are the top 5 things to consider before hitting the mall:

1- Focus on what you need: It’s the golden rule for shopping. Keeping your mind on those black trousers you need for work will help you reduce impulse buys. I should know, I always get distracted & sidetracked when I shop for a particular item but I finally found a few tricks that work for me! If I am looking for black pants, I will only concentrate on the wall that has black, as stores usually color code their walls. If something else catches my eye, I don’t try it on – at the risk of it fitting perfectly & looking stunning – in which case it’s a lot harder to put it back. Finally, sometimes I chose to simply shop online – I filter out all the noise by selecting just black pants. I also like to see the prices from low to high so that I can find those black pants as quickly as I can for the best price.

2- Leave your credit card at home: It’s so easy to buy on credit b/c you don’t see the cash go and it’s easy to lose track. So unless you are extremely well organized and you write down every purchase you make, the best thing is to leave your credit card at home and do some window shopping instead. If you find items you need or love, take pictures of them for future consideration. I always snap pics with my iphone and when I get back home, I look at them, compare them to my “necessities list” and then make a decision to either go back to the store to try it on or delete the picture.

3- Make lists at the beginning of each season: Let’s face it ladies, cleaning our closet at the first Fall breeze is second nature to us. With that, come new closet additions! But first, don’t forget to shop your closet! While cleaning it out, familiarize yourselves with that you already own &what type of outfits you can create – remember to mix & match. I bet a lot of the season’s trend are already in your closet, maybe buried deep inside? I always re-discover my closet all over again when I do a proper clean up. After that, make a list of necessities and narrow down to fit your budget. Which trends do you love & don’t yet own? Which ones will look best on you? Also, invest in timeless pieces that will last for a long time and that do not have an expiry date. Case in point: trench coat or tailored blazer. I will make a full list of necessities in another post :)

4- Browse online & use discount codes: You can always find a better deal out there, you just need to do the work. Being an avid online shopper, I can definitely give you girls a few tips! When searching for an item, use key words. For example, if you want a floral necklace, you can look up: floral bib necklace or colorful floral necklace. Google is a great tool for this, but there are other websites such as Polyvore, Shopstyle or The Hunt that can help you find exactly what you are looking for & at a better price. Also, always check for discount codes at every e-tailer you visit. A lot of them have temporary promotions such as 30% off your purchase or free shipping. Take advantage ladies! Sometimes it really pays to subscribe to the website, as they will send you discount codes via e-mail. However, be careful, newsletters come with pretty pictures of new clothes and they might be very tempting! I usually open the email only if I plan to purchase something in that store, otherwise I delete it right away to stray away from the temptation.

5-Buy yourself gift cards: Best way of keeping track of a budget. Once they are used up, you know you have attained your budget for the month. But there is also another hidden advantage of buying gift cards and I will fill you in on the secret! Lots of stores offer rewards points. When you purchase the gift card, you earn the reward points once, and then when you purchased the merchandise, you earn those points a second time (shhh it’s a secret!!!)

That about wraps it up ladies. In a separate post I will talk about my favourite stores & e-tailers! Please feel free to ask me any questions! Happy smart shopping!

Blazer – Zara (also in love with this 3-Pocket Boyfriend Blazer // Jeans – Zara // Tee – Zara // Pumps – Payless Shoes // Clutch – Michael Kors // Watch – DKNY // Rings – Sheinside

Pictures by: SebSanches Photography

Kisses,

WCX