Saturday, July 14, 2012

Ten Tips: Shopping


I do not know any teenage girl who hates shopping. I know there are, but I don't know any. And that makes me feel much, much better when I go out and spend a whole day (or two. or three) shopping. But. I don't just shop. I come prepared >.< I think it's safe to say that I'm a smart shopper. So, here are some helpful tips for all you girls who love to shop ;)

1. Make Lists It's not a secret that I love making lists. To-do lists, what-not-to-do lists, where-to-go lists, what-to-eat lists, all kinds of lists! Some of those are unnecessary, but believe me, this one is. It is so much easier to shop when you make a simple list on your phone and it can also save you tons of money! 

2. Coupon This will also help you save tons of money! You know those annoying little ad pages or cut-out coupons you see while flipping through the pages of your favorite magazine? Well, don't just flip by, ignoring them! Use them! Also, I good website that I use a lot is RetailMeNot. It has a lot of coupons that you can print out and take with you as well as online codes that you can use while shopping online.

3. Dress for the Occasion Especially if you try on the clothes that you are buying in store (I do!) you will benefit so much of wearing simple, non-layered clothing rather than sky-high heels, a skirt, a tank-top, a sweater and tons of jewelry. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes, because you're probably going to be walking around a lot. Also, don't layer your clothes! What I'd wear on a typical shopping day is just a sun-dress and my favorite flats. Comfy, yet cute :)

4. Free Hands You know that you'll have a hard time trying to rummage through all of those stacks of cute t-shirts at Forever 21 when you're carrying your huge-stuffed-to-the-top tote. Just carry an over-the-shoulder bag or a small bag with just your essentials: MoneyKeysLipgloss (a.k.a. MKL). 

5. Long Hair, Don't Care! Well, you should. You don't want your hair to be all in your face when you're walking and changing and just being out-and-about. So, as always, your safest bet is a pony or a bun! It's the perfect way to keep the hair out of your way and still look cute! Brandy Melville has these amazing headbands that can take your average top-knot to another level -- I'm loving them! And the best part? They're only three bucks!

6. Make Outfits While shopping, try not to shop for just "this shirt that will look cute with those floral leggings that I think I have somewhere in my closet". It is much easier to shop with put together outfits!  What I mean is, if you like a certain clothing item, buy a whole outfit along with it, too! It will be much easier to put outfits together at home when you buy all of them together!

7. Set the Mood Before going to the mall, start your day off right! Crank some tunes, get that mocha from Starbucks that you love and think happy thoughts! If you go shopping while in a bad mood, tired or upset you'll just end up making your day worse by getting frustrated about those amazing that ended up being too small or remembering that time you and your boyfriend broke up every time you wear that Dior perfume.

8. Forever Alone I know this won't work for every one, but this is the way I prefer to shop. Alone. I find that when I shop with tons of friends I just end up buying so much stuff that I don't need, but that my BFF thought was so cute or made my eye color pop. Even though walking around the mall eating froyo with your BFFs is fun, don't all go into the same store at the same time. Just separate, and then meet up and share all of your awesome buys with each other! And if you just can't decide if you need those $100 Steve Madden pumps, well, there's always texting ;)

9. Cash Out If you pay with cash you end up spending a significantly less amount of money than when you pay with debit cards! Just make a budget, say, $300, go to the bank, take some money off your card and spend it in cash. That way you don't just keep withdrawing money from your card!

10. Think Before You Buy That $800 LV Speedy 35 you've been eyeing for a year and know every little detail about or those $950 Christian Louboutins that would look so gorgeous with your prom dress? Think. Do you really need those shoes now or can you go to Marshalls and get an awesome deal on some Sam Edelman pumps that look almost exactly like the Louboutins? Spur of the moment splurges are always the worst. Spend your money wisely!

Hope you found these helpful! Happy shopping ;)

xoxo,
Liz

picture from one of my favorite movies (;D) from here <3

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