3 Shopping Tips to Help Stick to your Budget

Hi everyone! I have a really fun post to share with you today, it's from my friend Toni over at The Love Hanger. Toni and I were introduced to each other through blogging, but it turns out she and I have so much in common! Toni lives in Fresno, CA, so she's a Central Valley girl like me! Toni is also an avid thrifter, and she finds stuff I would have never even thought to pick up! Toni is also a woman on a budget like myself. She is a stay at home mom, and really has to watch her pennies, like the rest of us!!

Due to our commonalities, I asked Toni to do a guest post for My Thrifty Chic, and she came up with some really good shopping tips to help stay on budget. I have to admit, I am really bad about budgeting, I don't over spend, but I never stick to a plan :/ So, Toni's post is just as much for me, as for you! Thank you Toni, for these great tips!!

3 Shopping Tips for Staying on Budget

With the end of summer clearance sales, and the magnificent beauty that is Fall fashion, shopping on a budget can be downright frustrating.  Do you stock up on summer buys for next year?  Or do you splurge on the enticing sweaters and boots?  Decisions, decisions.

If you're like me, shopping on a budget can be challenging.  But it's a challenge that you can gladly accept, if you follow some key guidelines:

1. Clean out your closet

• I seem to clean out my closet about every 3 months because it helps me hold accountable what clothes I wear a lot and what clothes never leave their hangers.
  
• Consider grouping clothes into piles: "Donate", "Sell", "Keep".  
• Going through your clothing allows you to make a list of what you need more of and what you already have. 
  
  
  
  2. Make a List & Stick to it
  
  

  

• After you've purged your closet, it's time to write down those mental notes of what you want to buy.
• If you're into the latest trends, scope out some of the big fall trends from the runway and find some look a likes.
• If you're into buying vintage and/or thrifting, most racks are organized by type of clothing and so it will be easier to peruse the racks.
  

3. Resist Temptation and Spend Wisely

• If you know that you are enticed easily by a certain part of a store (i.e. jewelry, shoes, cosmetics), then force yourself to steer clear of those areas.
• I've found that the best way to stick to a budget is to pay with cash!  Swiping your credit card is too simple and it's easy to forget about how much you're spending.  If your budget is $200, then pull $200 in cash from your bank account and only use that.

As much as we'd love to be Rebecca Bloomwood in Confessions of a Shopaholic, most of us need to budget our purchases and that includes shopping.  I hope you found these tips helpful.  :)

Are there any other ways you've found to help you stick to a budget? (All images courtesy of Google Image Search)

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