Sensible Shopping Saves Cents

This piece is excerpted from "A Girl's Guide to Money" by Laura Brady and used with permission from Ulysses Press (www.ulyssespress.com).

Sensible Shopping

For the times you do shop, it is imperative that you do it pragmatically if you want to keep on top of your budget. Check out the following steps to the art of sensible shopping…

Spending Less for the Same

First off, don’t spend more than is necessary. Keep at the forefront of your mind that there is a wide range of price tags for either the same item or a similar one. For example, these days there are a wealth of designer outlets and discount stores that sell would-be expensive clothes, shoes, bags, and even sports gear for a fraction of the price they retail for in other stores. OK, so it might be last season’s stock but who is really going to know? And more to the point, who is really going to care?

Prices Vary Enormously

Although sometimes it is satisfying to spend lots of money on a quality product, if it is a one-season-only look you want, why bother breaking the bank? Fashion changes so quickly that by the time your cheap T-shirt starts falling apart, it will be old news, anyway.

Top Tip: Break down your purchases into categories of long and short term. Spend more on long-term items and less on short-term.

Getting it Right

The only thing more damning to your budget than buying too many clothes is buying too many clothes you will never wear. So before you leave the house on your shopping spree, think about what suits you, and what purchases are realistic. This means that rather than throw money away on a wacky pair of shoes that you love for a couple of hours, concentrate hard on some basic requirements. For example, cool pants but what in your close could team them with? Stunning shoes but can you walk in them? Great jacket but will freeze in October? In short, ask yourself the questions your Mom demanded answers for a few years back – because frustratingly Moms are usually right.

Organize

• Make a list of everything you own, broken down into categories such as shirts – white, patterned, solid; pants – work, casual, jeans.
• Take photos of all your shoes and stick them to the box, then pile up the boxes. If you can’t fit them in the closet, you don’t need more.
• Organize drawers so that you can see everything that is inside.
• Organize your closet so you can clearly see what you actually need before you to the mall and end up buying the first think you like.

Taking your Time

Spontaneous shopping is the most dangerous form of all. One way of avoiding too much spontaneity is to go to the mall with a set amount in cash, keeping your credit card safely tucked away at home. Having to return home and search for your precious card will give you enough time to make sure that the extra item is within the realms of affordability and that you still actually want it.

And if you want to go one step further, you could even wrap any store cards you have in a plastic bag and keep them in a block of ice in the freezer. Granted, this sounds like a strange thing to do, but it will force you to wait for the ice to melt before going ahead with any potentially “naughty” purchases – as long as you can cope with a small puddle of water!

Buy wise

• Buy clothes for versatility. For example, a plain white shirt with classic pants is dressy enough for work and will be casual if paired with jeans.
• Set a time limit on your shopping trip and if you haven’t found what you are looking for, go home – it wasn’t meant to be.
• Take your clothes list with you and don’t buy anything that doesn’t appear on that list.
• Avoid the “one for $19.99, two for $30” scenario – unless these are classic items you will wear again and again.

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