For a lot of us, money is tight. There’s no shame in saying it! But even so, we still want to look good and keep up with the latest trends. Affordable fashion can be a struggle, especially if you’re working on debt management. Follow these tips for shopping the trends for less.
Avoid credit card debt by shopping the trends for less.
Tips to Shopping the Trends for Less
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- TJMaxx/ HomeGoods. TJ Maxx is everyone’s favorite store for a reason. They have the best stuff! Stores like TJ Maxx are committed to offering customers low prices on high-quality clothes and accessories. Patronizing stores like this can help you find much more affordable clothes than what you may find at the mall.
- Track Sale Emails! Most retailers send great sale emails to their customers. If you’re shopping the trends for less, my best advice is to wait for a sale email. If you sign up for a retailer’s email list, you will begin to see patterns in when they send out sales! And, many times, you can save anywhere from 20-50% off! This will help you stay on budget. The practice of waiting a few days for a sale email can help you decide how much you want an item or whether you’re saving yourself from an impulse buy. For me, if I’m still thinking about something I want after a few days, that is a good indication that the item is worth the wait and not a waste of my hard earned money! Just be careful not to get caught in the habit of buying something every time you get a sale email; it could lead to overspending and spending for spending’s sake!
- Local Marketplaces. Many local Facebook groups have a “market” to buy a variety of items on a discount. Take a peek at your community pages and search for deals. There are also specific Facebook groups for buying and selling clothes; just make sure they’re legitimate and safe. Then shop away! In the same vein, don’t overlook your local thrift store!
- Promo Codes. I make a rule with myself when shopping, especially online. If I can’t get an item either on sale or apply a promo code, I don’t get it! While this rule can be tough at first, it has saved me lots of money! And it feels like a big victory when I am able to get quality clothing for less just by doing a little digging! It shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes of your time.
- Fashion Apps. Clothing exchange apps are some of the most useful tools for shopping the trends for less. These apps make it simple to buy and sell quality (and often designer) items for less. It’s as simple as uploading an image of the items you want to sell, adding them to your profile, and sharing to get your pieces sold fast. Fashion apps allow users to purchase new or gently used items for a fraction of the original price. And selling your own unwanted items will help put a little extra change towards debt relief. Users typically have the option of transferring profits to the bank or keeping them in the account to make shopping easier. Apps like Poshmark, Tradesy, and ThredUP are great places to start.
If you’re struggling to pay off debt, ACCC may be able to help. Schedule a free credit counseling session with us today.
