Staying Cheap

Since I've started buying my own clothes and searching up product reviews I've learned a couple things. The biggest one is to never underestimate 'cheap'. Most people will agree with me on this one. After all, thrifting has come back into style. But many people didn't think about it like I did. If I wanted to buy something and my mum said 'No', I felt guilty for even asking and making her feel bad for not being able to buy me a lot of things. So I came up with ways to work around it.

When I was younger, my parents didn't have a lot of money. Though its not as bad as many people out there, its enough for them to count how much is left in the bank and we only went shopping once every 4-5 months or so. So I grew up loving target. Target was great for me. I could get new clothes that I loved without feeling guilty about how much I was affecting my parents. People would compliment me on my clothes and ask me where I got them. They were always surprised to hear my answer. I've only ever bought one thing from urban outfitters. It was a floral wallet that I ended up throwing in the back of my closet because the clasp annoyed me. I've never walked inside Victoria's Secret. The only thing I own of theirs is a lotion that my friend bought for my birthday. I've never bought anything at MAC. It didn't feel right to spend so much money on my face when I could spend it out with family and friends. But knowing that I've probably just alienated all of the people that read this, it doesn't need to be that extreme. There are simpler ways to stay cheap.

eBay. Everyone knows about it and its no real new thing. Now add it with Wanelo. Wanelo (WAnt NEed LOve) is a site where you can find clothes from everywhere on the Internet, see their price, and save them under different files that you can come back to (ex: my closet, house, accessories). There is a section where you can search for certain products, and there is even a tab that takes you straight to what is trending that day. What I do is I find certain products that I like on Wanelo and I save them in different categories. Then I go through all things I saved and look through them with a very critical eye. I delete all the ones that don't fit and then I only bring up a few of the ones I kept and put them into other tabs. Next, I go onto eBay and type in key words. If something pops up and it is close enough to what I like  I put it into my shopping cart. Never click buy now because the different costs of things will add up without you really noticing. Just be picky about what you keep and look at everything with a critical eye. I find that rotating between 'best match' and 'lowest overall' help me to find the cheapest items for what I actually want. I tend to stay away from bids, but that's just a preference of mine. If you happen to find something close and cheap but not in your size (most of the cheap stores are in Asia and will basically only sell sizes 6-10), scroll down to the bottom of the page; there will be similar items that might be more to your taste, cheaper, and in your size.

Mental coaching. I know. People say that when you get an item you're supposed to think 'Do I really need this?' and then decide based on that. That never works for me. What I do is I think about more clothes. I think in my head what it would look amazing with. Which accessories would make it pop? Would it look better with a different pair of shoes? Then, I think to myself 'Do I own any of the things that I would pair it with?' If the answer is 'No' put it back. That little piece of clothing will just get shoved to the back of your closet because you don't own any of the clothes that you want to pair it with. The clothes that I don't wear aren't ugly; I just don't have the extra stuff to make it fantastic.

Out and about with friends. Though this may sound rude, avoid going out with friends with more money. They have a bigger budget and will probably push you into buying more things. Any type of friend can do this though, because who can ignore a top when your bestie says it looks absolutely amazing on you?Instead suggest something that doesn't involve money. Go to the beach, make a home video, go for a jog, make homemade face masks, ride your bikes. And if you do end up shopping, always start at the cheap stores. It is amazing how the exact same item can be in two different stores, so buy the cheaper one!

Falling in love with expensive stuff. You're in a nice shop. You're just browsing around and boom! you've fallen in love with a top. But its so expensive! Though it may sound weird, wait. Come back a week later and see how many they've sold. If its a lot and you really do want it, buy it. If they've barely sold any, wait until they put it on the clearance rack.

Clearance racks. Since style is always changing, there is always something on the sales rack. Go to it first! Pick out a ton of items that are cheaper and then go around the rest of the store. You'll feel like you've got enough and you'll spend less because it costs less!

Men's items and no-brands. Don't be afraid to use men's items. Many of them work the same (if not better) compared to the woman's stuff. Just go for unscented so your perfume can shine through. In fact, don't even bother with perfume, its just as easy to buy body mists that can be sprayed more heavily ( spray them on right after you shower and before you towel dry then pat dry so it goes into your skin) and more often without your scent overpowering anyone withing a 50 mile radius of you. Also go towards no-brands. An example of a no-brand is Target's Up-and-up. Target manufactures it themselves so it costs cheaper (no middle man) and there are many of the same things you could get with a regular brand. For instance, I use pomegranate-mango body wash. I used the SoftSoap one until I realized that Up-and-up did one for 50 cents less. That may now be a big deal, but when you stick with cheap, your savings add up.

Sticking with what you've got. I only have one container full of makeup. I have one foundation, one eyeliner, two mascaras, one primer, one highlighter, one concealer, one color corrector, four lipsticks, two lip tints, one lip gloss, a few chapsticks, and two palettes. My haircare (outside the shower) is one hairspray, one curl mousse, one curl scrunch, and one root booster spray. The most expensive piece of makeup I own is the lip gloss that I bought for $10. My curling iron is a pink one I got at a garage sale for $5. People compliment me on my makeup. I don't own a bronzer. I don't own a blush. My moisturizer is one I got at the dollar store. My body mist is from the dollar store. I don't own a perfume. People have refused to let go of me during a hug because I smell good. I own two pairs of pants, two skirts, two pairs of shorts, and two dresses. I can hold all of my clothes in my arms without even struggling. One of my two zip-up jackets is one I got for my tenth birthday that somehow still fits me and is still in style. People compliment me on my outfits. Don't be fooled. More isn't more. Sometimes more is just self indulgence.

These are most of the ways I save money. I'm not a minimalist by choice. Heck I wouldn't even say I'm a minimalist at all. This is what I do.  Hopefully this will help yo save a little so you can spend more time out with friends. If you aren't going to do anything that I do, this might make you feel better about what yo have. For now, I'm rather content where I am. But if I did get more money to spend where I'd like, I would probably stock up on clothes and makeup first. If there are any other ways to save money, comment and let me know!

Have a lovely day!