Anyone who attempts to stay ahead of the fashion curve, to observe the many trends that are set every season while not having money to burn, is almost certainly heading for a downfall of sorts.
The ever-changing, always evolving, and constantly shifting crazes and fads make the chances of you always dressing on point slim and damn right close to impossible if you don’t have a sizable bank balance.
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Are you one of those individuals who dare not look at their credit card statements at the end of the month? Do your shopping costs far outweigh and overshoot your budget? Maybe you don’t even adopt a budget and just hope for the best each month. None of these strategies are sustainable, and you may well be heading for a stiff reality check.
There are ways to manage your fashion spending better, here are just a handful of hints that could help to point you in the right direction.
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Make Shopping a Mission, Plan Effectively
Your best defense against overspending is being more organized in your shopping exploits. Make a list, perhaps even open a spreadsheet, work out what you actually need, and then set about planning to make these purchases in a way that won’t leave you receiving angry calls from your bank manager.
Make your clothing and accessory shopping something of a mission. One great way, which appears to help many, is to break up the shopping process itself. In other words, don’t go for instant gratification.
One example of this, when shopping online, is to visit your favorite online stores and just have a field day selecting all the items you desire, placing them in your cart, and doing so with reckless abandon.
Then, simply log out and move away from your computer or put down your mobile device before you make any purchase.
Return to your cart a few days later, perhaps on or around payday, and take a more dispassionate approach. You’ll be amazed at how a second glance at prospective purchases can lead you to be far more restrained.
Make Accessories Front and Center
Too many people use accessories as something of an afterthought, and they really should be used more wisely. For those looking to keep the costs of their fashion choices down, a suggestion would be to make accessories a crucial part of their overall approach.
A selection of a half dozen accessories can be more valuable than a whole wardrobe of clothing choices that you no longer pay any attention to. This is because accessories can be versatile and used to pair with a host of options, either adding more value to the ensemble you have put together or even breathing life into items you have fallen out of love with.
For instance, a tastefully customized necklace can add real statement value to an outfit you put together. Personalized jewelry is very much a trending accessory for 2023, and if you have such an item in your armory, you’ll get a great deal of usage and value from it.
Make the Most of Sales Both Online and Offline
Try to fit your plans around specific sales days as part of a more ordered approach to your fashion spending. These may be those offered by specific brands and stores or could be general online sales days, such as Black Friday.
This way, you are not only managing your overall spending, but you are also segmenting and compartmentalizing the process to fewer individual days, making your overall management of funds and shopping strategies easier.
For instance, you can set a higher budget for fewer days rather than smaller sums spread across a wider array of occasions. Not only will you treat each occasion more methodically, but you’ll also get more bang for your buck, and you’ll be better placed to see how it’s impacting your overall expenditure.
Do An Inventory
Many of us hoard clothes and can’t seem to ever remove them from our wardrobes, and this may be what’s impeding your ability to keep your fashion spending in check. An excellent way to start the process of approaching your clothing shopping in a financially responsible manner is to run an inventory.
Spend the day going through your wardrobes and closets and take a closer look at what you have. You’d be surprised at how you’ve completely forgotten about some pieces that could still be of great use to you.
By running this type of exercise, you can refocus your efforts and trim what you have in your fashion armory. Firstly you’ll find that you’ll fall back into love with some great outfits that you’d forgotten all about; secondly, you can help do your bit for the environment by giving away your unwanted clothes to charity or thrift stores. Finally, at the end of the process, you’ll have a better idea of what you actually need as opposed to what you want.
Avoid Buying Items Just Because They are Discounted or Inexpensive
When it comes to clothing, you often get what you pay for. Avoid buying items just because they are inexpensive as it’s more than likely you won’t get much wear out of them, and often when we buy things just because they don’t cost very much, we forget all about them.
This is a by-product of fast fashion. Many stores, malls, and online outlets are counting on you filling your shopping bags and carts with pointless pieces that would never have attracted your attention if they were not so low priced.
It may seem like something of a contradiction, but in many ways spending big on an item or two will serve you better in the long run than mindlessly using the same amount to buy a truckload of pieces. Remember, it’s quality and not quantity.