Shopping is my favorite hobby, but if you have limited funds like me this isn’t the best hobby to have. So, I want to give you a few things I have learned when it comes to shopping as a broke college kid.
- Always go in a store or online with a purpose. Know what you want and what you’re looking for so you don’t go overboard.
- Give yourself a certain amount you will allow yourself to spend.
- Never settle. If you don’t feel like a ten when you put it on, don’t get it. If you aren’t in love with it at the store you definitely won’t be when you get home.
- Do not impulse buy. If you are iffy on something wait. As a girl who loves fashion and keeping up with the latest trend, I encourage you to always look for the best deal and never immediately buy something. Do your research.
One of the best things I’ve learned in college is looking for a good deal when shopping. Whenever you find something you like online or in a store that is a little pricy do you go ahead and buy it anyway? Or, do you sadly put the item down and hope it will eventually go on sale? Before giving up, always do your research! Look online, check other stores, look for an off brand or you can wait it out until the end of the season when everything goes on sale. You’ll be surprised by the deals you can find.
Luckily, for us vintage is in and I think the 90’s look is here to stay for a few years. This is awesome because we all have family that lived in their prime during this time period so they’re bound to have saved some of their clothes. Before going and buying a way overpriced Calvin Klein sweatshirt or a pair of mom jeans at Urban check your family’s closets or Goodwill.
Mom jeans are huge right now and I bought mine for $5 at Goodwill. Along with Goodwill check TJ Maxx and Marshalls. I’m pretty sure about 80% of my closet is from TJ and Marshalls. They have name brands for a fraction of the price. They carry brands like Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfigure, Levis, Addidas, Nike, Polo, Puma and so many more.
I’m an avid fashion blog follower and hope to be a big fashion blogger one day. But, since I’m currently a college girl with very limited funds I try to see how close I can get to a fashion bloggers look by shopping on a budget.
One think I have been obsessed with this season is the oversized vintage “Tommy Jeans” sweatshirts. All of my favorite fashion bloggers have them so of course I had to have one, until I saw they were over $150 dollars. I decided I would have to do a little searching. The last few times I went to TJ Maxx I looked for one, and although they didn’t have the exact one I wanted, they did have a super cute red sweatshirt with the Tommy Hilfigure logo that is just as cute and only $20. So of course I had to get it! I achieved the look I wanted, but by being more original because I’m not a complete style copycat now.
This is just one example, but I have found many similar deals over the last few years. Although it’s not as convenient, I promise once you start shopping on a budget you won’t stop because you’ll look like a million bucks while saving the big bucks!
If you want to see how I dress on a budget follow my fashion account on Instagram @Tiffystrendsta!
By Tiffany Lee, staff writer
