Shop 'Till You Drop!
I’m all about shopping! But shopping to get the best deals is the most important thing. Over the past couple weeks, I’ve been writing my Best Bargain Guide, which includes store reviews and tips.
Yet, there are a few general shopping tips that I want to share with everyone that have helped me. These are things that can be applied to any store. Please read and try them out for yourself! Leave comments to below with your experiences and your own tips!
The Shopping Queen’s Not-So-Secret Secrets:
1) If you don’t love it, don’t buy it.
This was me a few years ago. I would buy things that I sort of liked and I figured I would wear. But in reality, if I didn’t love it, I would never wear it. This would make my mom very upset because she would spend money on things that I wore once. (Wearing things once is okay if you are some like Paris Hilton, since you have an unlimited supply of money. But for the rest of us, not so practical.) My number one rule now is that I have to love it to buy it. This keeps your closet clean and your bank account a little fuller!
2) Don’t buy things that you like, but that looks bad on you.
If you find something that you absolutely love, but only looks good on the hanger, then don’t buy it! Shopping and fashion is about expressing yourself, but also about looking good. Why would you waste money on something that makes you look fat? Or make your arms look bigger?
3) Separate designer love from clothing love.
I consistently fall victim to this. When I am shopping, I will take things to the dressing rooms solely because of the designer. I put it on and it looks decent; it doesn’t look bad, but it’s not great. It’s mediocre. However, I still really want to buy it. Why? Because the name that’s on the label is holding me back. It’s not the article of clothing; it’s the name. Try your hardest to put the item down, turn your back, and run as fast as you can away! It’s not worth it!!
4) Don’t get trapped into buying the same style of clothing.
It’s alway really exciting to find a style of clothing that looks good on you! But make sure your whole wardrobe doesn’t turn into variations of that one style. I noticed that I was doing that. I have wide hips and babydoll tops help hide my hips. One day, I was cleaning out my closet and I realized that all my shirts were that style. (I even had the exact same shirts, but in different colors.) Don’t do that to yourself or you will forever be stuck in that style!
5) Always try it on.
Who cares what it looks like on the hanger? You just keep it in your private closet. If you don’t try things on because you are intimated by they look on the hanger, you are never going to know what they look like or expand your style. Take a chance and try it on! The worst thing that can happen is that it doesn’t look good!
6) Always shop with a friend.
Sometimes you need another opinion. Keep a friend close by. The store clerks will always tell you it looks good because they want the sale. In their minds, sales equals money, which equals more hours for them!
7) You love it, but it needs hemming/adjustment.
So you’ve found a dress you love! It has a low back and you can’t wear a strapless bra with it. You decide, “I’ll buy it and then sew cups into the front.” False. Don’t lie to yourself. You aren’t going to spend more time fixing the dress. Just don’t buy it if you need to alter it!
Alexander's Eyes 
#1 can definitely be a hard one to follow! I know there are times where I find myself almost buying something because it’s “such a good deal,” even if if the thing itself is not something I would’ve really given a second thought to if I didn’t know how much it cost.
I am also fairly guilty of #4, though I actually don’t mind it that much for me, lol.