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I realized that I talk on here about being a style blog on a budget, my monthly clothing budgets, and the little technical ways to save, but I’ve been leaving something out. I haven’t really gone into much detail about how to be stylish on a budget. How you can take what you have and make it work for you. So that’s what we’re going to talk about today.
J.Crew Scallop Shorts
J.Crew Factory Tee
Dune Mules
Coach Bag (Similar)
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J.Crew Scallop Shorts
J.Crew Factory Tee
Dune Mules
Coach Bag (Similar)
How To Be Stylish On A Budget
There’s a few things you need to know, but odds are, if you’re here, you already intuitively already know most of them. You’ll see as you keep reading.
Knowing When To Save Or Splurge
This is your incredibly important first lesson. You need to know an items worth before you buy it. For me, the rule of thumb is I’m willing to pay more for classic (timeless) pieces that are also higher quality. These also have to be high quality clothes I’m going to reach for over and over again (for years to come). Things that fall into this category for me? Good quality boots (especially leather boots), winter jackets, and Everlane’s cashmere sweaters.
When should you save your money on clothing? Trendy pieces. Clothing that will only last for that season. Anything you know may not make it to next year, but that’ll be okay. The clothes that you buy to wear for that season and then toss them. They can be fun additions to your outfit, but don’t break the bank on these pieces. They aren’t worth it, so save your money on clothing.
But! There’s also a second category to the save group. These are the basics that you should have in your wardrobe, but you shouldn’t break the bank on them. They include your white shirts, simple long sleeve shirts, tank tops, etc. By all means, DO NOT buy a $50 plain white tee. Save money and get a perfectly acceptable but good quality $15 one from Everlane.
Now, there are always items that can fall into either category and that’s okay! For instance, the little black dress. If you find one that’s great for right now and it’s cheap, get it and wear it! But if you find an expensive one that’ll be great for years to come, that’s okay too. It’s all about the individual item and you knowing what’s best for you.
Know The Best Affordable Online Stores
So where are you going to go to find these stores? Well, it depends how “affordable” you actually want to go.
If you’re talking about affordable online shopping that won’t break the bank, but you’ll love what you get, I typically suggest J.Crew Factory and Old Navy. Both are inexpensive and frequently offer sales and deep discounts. Also, at both you can sometimes find quality clothes that can last longer than a season, which is a nice change from what you would expect.
If you want to go super cheap, then you fall into the category of online stores like SheIn, Chicwish, and random retailers from Amazon. I’ll be honest. These can sometimes be a real crapshoot. I’ve ordered from SheIn three or four times and I’ve had decent results each time. For me, the trick has been to actually pay close attention to their size chart and the REAL reviews left regarding sizing. Now, I haven’t ordered from Chicwish, but I have ordered from random retailers from Amazon. I’ll tell you that most of them all carry the exact same thing, so you’re really just ordering based on price tag. Based on my experience, order from the retailers with Prime Shipping and Free returns. It’ll cause you the least amount of issues in the long run if you need to return anything.
You do have to be careful with a lot of those random sites though because so many of them are scams. The only ones I’m semi okay with are SheIn and maybe Chichwish (which I’ve never actually ordered from). If you’re going to shop those sites, do it with caution. Sometimes deals are too good to be true because they aren’t.
I should note though, there are plenty of good quality retailers on Amazon who just have low prices. You can distinguish between the reliable and the sketchy pretty quickly.
Finally, since we’re talking about online shops, have you consider shopping pre-owned online? The only retailer I’ve tried this with is ThredUp and I’ve loved my experience shopping with them. It can be a little overwhelmed at first, but I’ve found some great items there at good prices. Would you guys like it if I do a post about how I shop at ThredUP?
Shop Clearance
You all know I love a good sale! Waiting for major holiday sale weekends can be the best time to pick up the pricey piece you’ve been looking at for a much more affordable price. Here’s a great way to keep track of the best sales (you can bookmark this page to always be able to easily reference these posts)!
Nordstrom Anniversary,
Prime Day
Labor Day Weekend Sales
Black Friday
Small Business Saturday
Cyber Monday
Memorial Day Weekend Sales
Shopbop Event of the Season Sale
Don’t forget that when you’re checking out these sales that some stores have a “sale section” and then well have a second “clearance section.” Don’t forget to hit up the clearance rack! That’s where all of the super deep discounts are and you can get stuff from the previous season for pennies. Then just put that into storage and you’ll have brand new pieces for next season. It’ll be like a fun surprise.
How to Find Quality & Affordable Brands
Well, the easiest way is to follow amazing bloggers like myself. Just kidding. Well, not really
When it comes to finding quality and affordable brands, the first (and most important) thing I do is go by the recommendations of others. After all, if someone I know and trust likes them, that’s a pretty good endorsement, right? Make sure to follow these people on social media too. I know from experience that when a blogger will buy clothing, she’ll post about whether she likes it or not. That’s great way to check in about different brands.
The second thing is a little bit of trial and error. You have to kiss a few frogs before you can find your prince right? Well you have to have a few rings turn your finger green before you find a good brand. Sorry, but it’s just the truth.
Finally, try a few of the inexpensive subscription services. There are a few that go super cheap, but you can try out different jewelry brands and see what you like.
Want to know how and where to find a few of them? Well, I mentioned some of them above, but there’s no harm in listing them again! Let’s go!
Affordable Shoe Brands
- A New Day (another Target brand)
- Old Navy
- Payless (don’t knock it, you can find great things there)
- ThredUp
- The under $25 Section of Amazon (I’m not even kidding, it’s so good!)
- Universal Threads (it’s a new brand at Target)
Affordable Clothing Brands and Stores
Affordable Accessories
- BP at Nordstrom
- J.Crew Factory
- Lulus
- Madewell (don’t pay full price, wait until it’s on sale)
- ThredUp
A Final Note on How to Be Stylish on a Budget
There’s one really important thing you need to remember when you’re shopping. You shouldn’t buy something or shop because it’s on sale. Something being marked down isn’t a reason to buy it. There are plenty of reasons to buy something but shopping just to shop isn’t a reason! You can be stylish on a budget, but just make sure to keep your habits in check too.
Photos by Kimberly Graydon
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