As well as being very time consuming, blogging can also be
quite expensive. As much as I love doing my blog, it can be quite tough when it
comes to doing it on a budget.
I try to share at least one outfit a day, and only get two
images from one look – which means I need at least four new outfits a week to
share…which can be difficult.
I’ve had friends ask me how to I afford it and how much money
I spend a month on clothes because I’m never wearing the same thing twice, in
reality I don’t spend as much as it seems because I have to be quite canny with
how I plan and buy clothes.
So I thought I’d do a blog post on how I manage my money
with clothes, because sometimes social media makes it look as if everyone has
endless amounts of cash when in reality I don’t I’ve just learnt to manage it
to look like I do!
Second Hand Clothing
Depop and eBay is frankly an absolute god send when it comes
to saving me money. You can see me regularly trekking down to the post office
with several parcels of my old clothes that I’m selling on my accounts.
I tend to use buy it now on eBay so I can just leave my
items on there and wait until the interest starts.
 |
| Skirt - Depop and bag - eBay...second hand is best! |
It can feel quite admin heavy, but it’s so helpful to keep me afloat on a short-term basis, and any money I get from selling old stuff I tend to reinvest in a new piece.
Plus it’s handy to keep my wardrobe in a good condition,
because at the rate I buy clothes I can quickly find myself fighting to put
something in my drawers or wardrobe because they’re overspilling…which means it’s
time for a new eBay clear out!
Budget Friendly Shopping
I love the quality and high fashion pieces of shops like
Topshop and Zara, but I try and save these shops to a piece that is more of an
investment or treat rather than trend led pieces.
 |
| Trend led outfit that is all PLT and I love the outfit and it probably cost maximum £35 in total! |
The pieces that Zara and that ilk of shop hold are beautiful
and I wish I could shop exclusively there sometimes, but they don’t make your
money go as far as I need it to go on a budget.
So if there’s a trend that I don’t think I’ll wear past this
month, I’ll look for a similar piece in a more budget friendly store such as
Missguided or Pretty Little Thing.
If there’s a trend led piece in Topshop that isn’t on Missguided, give it a few weeks
and I can pretty much guarantee they’ll have made a VERY similar piece for half
the price…all hail fast fashion.
Excel It Out
This is a tip that can really be used in any walk of life,
not necessarily in terms of buying clothes. Budgeting can’t be done without a
hard budget every month. And I’m talking spreadsheets galore and all that sort
of boring and tedious (but necessary) adult living.
I have a spreadsheet on my computer and note section on my
phone that lists what I have as regular outgoings each month from bills to
savings and see what I have left.
 |
| Another Depop fave (bodysuit) that cost £5 and has had SO MUCH wear! |
I then estimate a budget for all social events I have on for
that month from meals out to birthdays to see what I have left over for
clothes.
This does tend to mean I have to be strict, but it’s the
only way I get to do what I love and do it as well as I want to!
Shop Savvy
That means don’t impulse buy, sit on something for a few
days and make sure you really do want it…and be brutal when you receive something
and it’s not exactly what you wanted. If you don’t love it, send it back and
find something you do love.
 |
| If you want to splurge, do so on an investment piece...like this Zara suit. |
When it comes to buying online, there’s always constant
offers. My top tip is there’s usually more discounts and offers on towards the
end of the month, when everyone else is short on cash and the shops are trying
to persuade everyone to use their last bit of money until the next payday.
So it might be hard, but try not to splurge everything on
payday and hold on to some spare cash for those mid-month deals to help that
money go just that little bit further.
There’s No Shame In Discount Codes
Discount codes are always a life saver. If you’re looking to
buy online, do a quick google search to see if there are any codes available
for when you’re buying.
Or another sneaky way to find discount codes is to search
the tagged pictures on the Instagram of the brand you’re looking to buy from.
 |
Quite often, brands give bloggers that they’ve sent clothes
to personalised discount codes to help promote the brand to their followers. You
can easily find these in the tagged images and try them out – it happens more
often that you think and helps you having to trawl endlessly through Instagram for
a code.
It can still be a bit of a squeeze, but it is possible to
make your money go further when you’re on a budget like myself. And never
forget the wonders of styling and restyling items in ways that makes them look
brand new again.
Because looking great doesn’t have to break the bank!
