How to show cheaper

Hi sweethears,

A while ago I went to one of my fave shopping places in the world: Maasmechelen Outlet village. I always try to shop (designer)brands, but I don't have a massive budget for it. That's why I'm a huge sale-chaser.

In this blog, I'll share with you my secrets on how to shop for decent fashion items, with a small budget.

My first tip is to go to designer outlets. Okay, most of the clothes are from last season there but I don't care. I love the quality of decent designer clothings, over the quality of H&M clothes. I just found out that the fabrics are not at all the same. After a couple of washes, the clothes loose their spark and they won't look as good as before.

Another tip is about how to look fashionable, without a huge budget. You try to combine cheap items with luxurious items. For example: get a skirt at Primark and combine it with a Ralph Lauren top. People won't notice that your skirt was cheap, because you've upgraded it with a fashionable top. Winner!

Also: go for the right accessories. The right kind of matching jewelry will instantly make your look more expensive looking. It's great to go for a mix in between a statement jewelry and going for minimalistic jewelry. I'd say that with a simple top, you can go for a statement jewelry to upgrade the look. If you wear an outfit with mixed prints, I'd go for some minimalistic pieces. I love the combo of a black turtleneck tshirt, very plain, combined with a statement necklace in gold! Black and gold is just a perfect match.

Timing: when to get your stuff for the cheapest prices? I read on the internet that there are months that some items are the most affordable. Like in july, swimwear will be a lot cheaper than in june. Why? Because normally you'll get your swimwear for the summer...before summer starts (or you'll be too late). If the summer is hot and the stores still have a lot of swimwear on sale, they'll probably will lower their prices in order to get every item sold.

It's the same with fall/winter fashion. In november, stores will have sold most of their items but they'll probably end up with a lot of leftover-stuff.... They will sell their products for lower prices, in order to still sell what they have left.

Tip 4: Search for the sales-rack in stores.

Before I check out all the new trend in stores, I first go to the sales-items. it's obvious that I'll get a lot of cheaper stuff when I search for last-items.

I mostly have a shopping budget in mind, before I spend it. So going for the cheapest items first, will make it easier to for me to calculate what I have left to shop.... so that I'm still able to buy that one more expensive piece that I really need/want?

My fifth tip is to choose quality over quantity.

If you buy items that are "dry clean only" you know that these items are really fragile. We don't want to end up with a blouse that's half the size of the original size... Make sure to always check the quality of the items by looking at the washing instructions.

I don't buy t-shirts anymore that are from low quality elastic cotton. These shirts will end up completely stretched... You need to search for shirts that have less elastane in them, so that they remain their original shame.

Double check the sales tags. Sometimes, stores will trick you with the new prices, claiming that you're doing a great deal... but the item can end up being even more expensive than before... Make sure to double check the new and original prices so that you are sure to get a great deal.

And next: tip number 7: Search for deals online and then go to the regular store to find your mesure of the piece you want to buy. Sometimes, the deals online end up being a lot cheaper than in stores (since they often think that we are stupid!!). I already won so much money with really looking out for the best deals. I got a dress online for 20 euros, which was 40 euros in the actual store...

And my last tip: shop with coupons or loyalty member credits. For example: I'm obsessed with shopping at Hollister. Since I'm a member of their client's list: I get credits each time I shop. After shopping for a few times, I already won a coupon of 10 euros. So subscribing to mailing lists or asking for loyalty cards really pays off.

Also: last month I went shopping with my mom. There was a deal of sweaters where you got 2 sweaters for 70 euros, when each sweater was normally 45 euros each. We both liked the sweaters so we got them both, so we could have the deal. We saved 20 euros, so 10 euros each! Yay!

So these were y personal shopping tips. Was this blogpost helpfull for you? Wich tip will you remember?

Thanks for reading this post and have a fabulous week!

X Steph