7 Tips to Dress Well on a Small Budget

Hey friends!

It's been a while. How are you? That's good. I'm doing good, thanks!

I'm not a well-respected fashionista or anything, but I do like to dress well when I'm in the mood. (We have our moments, right?). And, sadly, I have many friends who don't dress well at all. Some weren't blessed as I was with a blunt and classy older sister to mentor them. Some just don't care. Some don't have the time. Some don't have the money.

I'm here to help those who, like me, want to dress well but are on a small budget. How do you do it?

1. Figure Out Your Go-to Source.
   I'm gonna pull a Donald Trump and say: CHINA! Honestly, I sometimes go as cheap as stuff from China like on AliExpress and eBay. I have a friend who only gets clothes from Thrift Stores and still rocks it. If you're comfortable with used clothing, there's always a local Buy & Sell page. I have friends who go to Walmart and Costco for clothes. My go-to cheap places are H&M and Old Navy. For Canadians there's also Ardene, Garage and Urban Planet; they're crap but pretty cheap. Those have been the cheapest sources in my experience -- China, thrift stores, buy and sell pages, grocery stores, and those cheap stores I mentioned.
2. First and foremost, figure out what is flattering for YOUR shape.
   What may look good on the girl on the cover of Vogue might not look flattering for you. And that's fine! Don't beat yourself up over it. Some people have approached me saying "Well it's easy for YOU to dress well, you have a perfect body and everything looks good on you!" False. I just figured out what suits me and from there I refuse to purchase or wear anything that doesn't flatter me.
3. Only buy it if you LOVE it, if it SUITS you, and if you WILL wear it.
   If you don't feel beautiful in it or can't name an event where you would wear it, don't buy it. Even if your friends insist that it's on sale and you just HAVE to take advantage of it, or your mom insists that it's trendy because her hair dresser's daughter has it. It's YOUR body and money and if YOU don't love it and if it doesn't flatter YOU and YOU won't wear it, don't waste your money. Even if it's a $3 Armani top. Think about it: If you buy 12 $3 tops you never wear and end up giving away as opposed to one $30 top that you do wear, you save money by just buying the $30 top.
4. Start at the cheapest stores first.
   Whenever I have something in mind, I start at cheaper stores like Old Navy or Ross. If that store doesn't have the item, I work my way up via price range. That way you KNOW you're getting that item in the lowest price. In a way, it also saves you time.
5. Make a Shopping List of what you NEED and Stick To That.
   You can even categorize it. You can categorize in terms of how soon you need it, what you need it for, etc. Go on Pinterest or look at fashion websites to figure out the season's trends and see what you like. Even TV shows can give you ideas. I always go on Pinterest or even Google and find out the trends for the upcoming season and I make a specific list from there -- like a pair of burgundy pants, or a striped shirt, or a black cardigan, etc. This might sound obvious, but how many times have I gone to the mall at Boxing Day with no purpose and bought something cuz it was cute but never wore it because I didn't really need it and it wasn't trendy?
6. Sometimes, you gotta invest.
   Some items (like shoes) are worth paying a bit more. For example: I got a pair of boots for $40. 4 months later, I had to throw them out. Then I got them in real leather and all these things that make them good quality for just under $200. 5 years later, here I am writing this post while my boots are still in good condition. Think about it: the cheap ones cost $120 a year while the good ones cost $40 a year. Figure out what items are worth investing. For me, it's the items I will wear the most often for as long as I can, like the boots. A shirt on the other hand, I might only wear for six months because then the weather will change and by the time the weather will come back to that temperature, it won't be trendy. So I usually get it for the cheapest price.
7. SALES!
   If there's a store you really love, it might be worth it to sign up for notifications on sales. My sister does that with Zara and saves a lot of money that way. Another thing is going to the sales rack. I love Tommy Hilfiger, but because it's over my budget, I go to the clearance rack and find a lot of things I love.

Anyways, I hope this helps. It's been a while since I've posted so I just published without proofreading. So don't mind any typos. I'm going to bed now. BYE!