As requested by one of my friends {and since one of my passions is fashion}, I would now like to share my top 3 shopping tips. I find that they are very simple {you would think common sense}, but good rules to live by. I will say that there are times when I am shopping that all common sense goes right out the window. But, I try very hard to be strong and follow these guidelines.
1. Do not buy anything {unless its a really good deal} on impulse. If you really want it, it will most likely still be there a couple days later unless its on some ultra clearance and will be scooped up by someone else in the next few hours. For example, I recently went into the new downtown Nordstrom Rack {I once vowed to never step foot in any Nordstrom rack ever again about 2 years ago after a particularly messy shopping experience. But, my co-worker had to run in and she somehow convinced me to accompany her}. That's when I spotted it - from across the room. What a beauty!
This gorgeous kate spade bag:
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| Via Pinterest, source unknown |
I exclaimed "It would be perfect for ITALY!" My co-worker said it looked "just like me". Everyone says that about things I like. Either I have really good friends who know me really well or I am just plain boring and predictable. Anyway, I backed away from it and tried really hard not to think about it for several days. That being said, it was all I could think about and I became obsessed with it. The more I tried not to think about it, the more I thought about it. It was on sale -- which definitely fueled my fire. But, in the end, I am proud to say that I didn't buy it. We stopped by Nordstrom Rack in Portland and I was still able to resist {it was the last one, no sales tax}.. you get the idea. I had to just be strong and wait for the urge to pass. Now, I am totally OK with passing on it. Remember my facebook status last week: "Announcement to the world: "I am not allowed to buy ANYTHING else for
Italy. No clothes, electronics, sandals, or purses." The end."
2. Don't buy something just because it's on sale. I like to shop without looking at price tags. That is crazy, you say? Well, think of it like this: I want to decide if I like something before I know how much it costs. I don't want to let the price sway me either way. Of course, I will look at the price tag before I decide to buy it or not -- I have definitely been at Nordstrom and found a super cute dress that happened to be $600+. Of course I didn't buy it. So, just be smart. Sometimes I will set a price before I look at the price tag and say, if its under $50, I will buy it. Or if its over $100, I won't buy it. Works for me.
3. Invest in classic pieces and save the trends for Forever 21/Target/outlets. Sometimes I find it hard to spend hundreds of dollars at j.crew on a nice dress or skirt, but I tell myself that it will last for a long time and it is very high quality. I would rather spend more money on one classic piece than several cheaper pieces. But, I do allow myself to buy what I call "trendy items" from cheaper places like Target or Forever 21. I am still wearing sandals I got from target 4 years later. They are so comfy and I probably wear them at least once a week. So, there are definite exceptions to this rule. If something is cheap {dollar wise}, it doesn't always mean cheap {quality wise}. But, that is often the case. For example, I find that several shirts I bought from Target get pilly really fast {and I cannot handle pilly shirts}, whereas I don't see that happening as much with higher quality {and more expensive} shirts.
Those are my tips! Do you have any shopping tips that you use regularly?
P.S. One week until
ITALY!!!!!
