It’s no secret that most of us in college are either working during the semester to pay bills or save money from summer jobs but pretend our account isn’t slowly dwindling. I’ve done both of those things, and yet even with the fear my account will run out, I choose to buy clothes. And a lot of them. However, I’ve learned many ways to soften the dent I put in my checking account on a weekly basis.
Secondhand or thrift shopping is the number one way to save money. Ladies, this is no joke and it’s not ‘clothes your grandma would wear.’ More than half of my closet has been shopped secondhand, and I’ve saved so much money — not to mention thrift shopping is fun! Especially since styles from the ’90s and early 2000s are back on the rise, there are so many cute things on the racks at thrift/vintage stores. In the Chapel Hill/Durham area, some of my favorite second-hand stores to shop at Rumors, Durham Rescue Mission, Trosa and Goodwill! To make this shopping experience even cheaper (this applies to regular retail shopping as well), another tip I try to live by is choosing the things I’m looking for before I go shopping. This way, you’re not just looking at anything and everything thinking you absolutely need it. Making style Pinterest boards with the types of clothes you like can help with this a lot. I like to take a quick look at my outfit pinboard and decide on a few items that I’m going to hunt for before I go.
Before you go shopping, plan where and when you’re going. If you’re going to the mall, plan the exact stores. If you’re going thrifting, plan which spots you want to hit. This way you won’t go off route and spend money in places you didn’t even plan to go in. Also, plan what day you’re going shopping in advance. I love doing this because as the shopping-lover that I am, I can look forward to it all week! This saves me money because I’m not taking a ‘quick trip’ to whatever store I want when I’m bored. Boredom is my worst enemy when it comes to my shopping habits — especially when you can just shop online when you’re bored. To keep from spending tons of money online, I make sure to leave things in my cart for at least 4 days. Fashion trends come and go and you don’t want to buy something on a whim that you would never actually wear but Tik Tok told you was cute. We can do better than spending money out of boredom, ladies!
I hope my tips can help you like they have helped me save probably hundreds and hundreds of dollars. Happy Shopping!