Want to change up your wardrobe but are worried about spending too much? Chasing trends can be expensive, mainly because you’ll need to swap out your wardrobe for a new one every year. Instead of doing that, you can make a few small, impactful changes that won’t empty your wallet.
You can look stylish on any budget, but you’ll need these tips to keep yourself from spending a fortune. Here are the best ways to have a great fashion style on a budget. Let’s get started!
1. Check Out Consignment and Thrift Stores
Shopping at consignment and thrift stores can help you save money on fashion. Both sell their goods at a fraction of their original price. While many of these items are used, you can still find great low-cost pieces and accessories. There are many more benefits of secondhand clothing to consider, too, including finding unique pieces at a great price.
Consignment stores are more selective than thrift stores, so you’ll find higher-quality clothing there. Although, they will cost more. Still, the final price will be less than if you were to buy the piece new from its original store.
Plus, when you buy secondhand clothing, you’re helping the environment. The pieces you buy won’t end up in a landfill, which can take years to break down completely.
If you have any clothes or accessories you want to get rid of to make room for your new pieces, consider donating them to a thrift store or sending them to a consignment store. You’ll allow your clothing to find another home instead of sending it to a landfill.
2. Look for Sales and Clearance
Next, you’ll want to watch for clearance and sale items. You can often find a lot of high-quality clothing for highly cheap at outlet stores. You can even search for clearance clothing online and find thousands of results.
Sales are great because they let you get new clothes, often from expensive brands, at a fraction of the original price. You’ll want to start clearance hunting when the seasons change since most stores will switch out their products. Anything they couldn’t sell will have a reduced price because they need to get rid of it to make room for new stock.
3. Use Coupons
You’ll want to check for coupons too, these can be commonly found on promo or coupon sites. An example would be if you are an avid skin care lover and are looking to purchase some more skin care products, you may want to look for The Ordinary promo codes for discounts on skin care products to allow you to shop without worrying about potentially overspending. As well as this, depending on the store, you can usually add them to sale and clearance items, letting you get your whole purchase for a steal.
You can find coupons in newspapers and online. Some online coupons are printable, while others are codes you can use at checkout. It’s a good idea to check store apps for coupons as well.
4. Choose Simple Pieces
Simple clothing is always going to be more fashionable than statement pieces. While having some statement pieces is OK, you want enough basic items to pair with them. Otherwise, it can be hard to make an outfit, and you’ll feel like you “have nothing to wear” despite having an entire wardrobe.
Simple clothes, or forever pieces, will last much longer since they won’t go out of style. You won’t need to spend more to stay fashionable any time soon.
Some great classic simple pieces include:
- White sneakers
- Jeans
- Blank t-shirts
- Solid color sweaters
- White dress shirts
- Most pieces with neutral colors
5. Wear More Accessories
You can easily dress up any basic outfit with more accessories. For example, wearing a big hat, necklace, and watch can make a boring outfit more fashionable.
Adding a hat is one of the best accessories because you have many design and style choices. Add an everyday beanie to an outfit to make it more relaxed and casual. Or, you could wear a fedora to add class and elegance.
You can think of your accessories as statement pieces that draw people’s attention. These items stand out and can set the tone of your outfit.
Accessories can even extend the life of your other clothes. They make plain pieces you’ve had feel new and fresh for a while, so you’re less likely to replace them. Accessories are also usually cheaper than buying new clothes (unless you go for luxury brands), allowing you to get more than you love on a budget.
Lastly, you don’t need to choose the most expensive accessories to look fashionable. A classic baseball cap or gold necklace instantly makes you look much more stylish!
6. Be Weary of Fast Fashion
You’ll want to wait to buy the newest, trendiest fashion pieces. Often, these items are fast fashion, meaning they’ll go out of style soon, leaving you with something you don’t want anymore. Fast fashion is cheap but not sustainable for anyone.
You can tell that a brand is producing fast fashion if:
- They launch new styles every week or almost every day.
- They copy popular online trends as fast as possible.
- The materials could be better quality and better made.
- You could only wear the pieces once or twice before they break.
You can also research brands online to determine if they’re fast fashion. Overall, it’s best to avoid these products even though they’re cheap. You’ll need to replace them much sooner, causing you to spend more money over time.
7. Try To Avoid Credit Cards
Finally, you’ll want to avoid using a credit card to buy your fashion pieces. Even if you get items on sale, you’ll still spend more with a credit card because of the interest that gets tacked on.
Instead, you’ll want to try to save up for your shopping trips and set a budget to stick to beforehand. If you’re not shopping online, you can always set aside a certain amount of cash, so you won’t go over your planned spending amount no matter what.
Not using credit cards will encourage you to find the best possible sales and coupons, so you spend less overall.
Be Fashionable on Any Budget
To summarize, you can be fashionable on any budget. You’ll want to check out secondhand clothing, use coupons, and find the best sales. Plus, wearing more accessories, like hats, can keep your old wardrobe feeling new and fresh.
