Shopping on a College Budget

We all know how difficult it is to balance money being a college student. On top of loans, books, rent, to name just a few of the expenses that arise, it’s hardly reasonable to set aside money for new clothes at anytime of the year. Luckily, we live in Portland where consignment shops are in abundance and we are able to find adorable, well loved clothing that won’t break the bank while still making us look good! Here are a few shops in the Portland area that are worth checking out. You might even be able to hand in clothes of your own that you are finished with for some cash!

Crossroads Training Co.

3736 SE Hawthorne Blvd

128 NW 23rd Ave

What’s fun about Crossroads is that they have their clothing organized by color. While it may be a little confusing trying to find an item in your size at first, at least you can avoid those pieces of clothing in a color that just doesn’t match with your skin tone! Yellow is one of those colors for me, so I try to avoid it at all costs and Crossroads makes it easy for me to do just that. Crossroads has stores all over the country (two in Portland) and they are known to have items from designer brands such as Free People and Marc Jacobs for a lower price.

Consign Couture

7400 N Lombard St

Not only is Consign Couture located conveniently close to UP (just a nice walk or quick bus ride away in St. Johns), but it’s got amazing online services as well! Their website has an online shop where you can browse through some of their collection and they also have a look book so you can see how their team has styled the pieces! Like most consignment shops, they look for popular brands such as 7 for all Mankind, Hudson and Joe’s Jeans, so you are sure to see items from your favorite brand at a cheaper price!

Buffalo Exchange

1036 W. Burnside St

1420 SE 37th Ave

Buffalo Exchange has always been a favorite of mine. My sister and I have gone into the Burnside store after perusing Powell’s (that’s right across the street) and just loved browsing through racks! We both have found great pieces there; she found a great summer dress and I a couple of floral tops! Buffalo Exchange has shops all over the country where you can sell back and buy clothing, so chances are even if you can’t make it to one of the two in Portland, there is probably one around your hometown as well!