I consider myself a good shopper. Sometimes. I think through my purchases. Sometimes. I imagine all the different outfit options a piece will give me and I never have regrets. Sometimes.
Why the hesitation? Well, I could be buying better. I could be buying quality, versatile clothing. I am a default TJ Maxx, Target, Old Navy, and Forever 21 shopper. Why? Because I can find cute, sometimes versatile, items for a low price. These items aren’t always quality, though. Not to say these are bad stores. I have a jean jacket from Old Navy I throw on probably five days a week, a dress from Forever 21 that I’ve had for six years and it is by far the cutest dress I own, work pants from Target I wear constantly, and a sweater from TJ Maxx so comfortable it’s my go-to Saturday night loungewear. I have been really lucky to find amazing clothing items at ridiculously low prices at these stores, but I’ve also spent money on low-quality shirts (why is it always shirts?!) where the collars of button-ups wrinkle and relax and holes pop up on the seams. $12 feels like such a steal at the counter, but it’s a vicious cycle of too many $12 shirts that keep failing me. I’m wasting money, and wasted money on clothing = bad shopper.
My solution: actually become a good shopper.
First thing’s first, as you can probably guess, spend your money on quality items. Sure that sweater is $20, but is it a static-bomb? How easily does it pick up pet hair? Can you clean it? How quickly is it going to fall apart? Believe it or not, these questions apply to one devil-sweater I have in my closet right now. It’s a piece of shi#, but I’m sentimental. Quality is important. Quality clothing will have better cuts, sturdier and sometimes softer material, and stronger seams. I am still in the learning process of this, but tip number one: forgo the cheap clothing.
As I scroll through the Women’s Style section of Pinterest, I save the outfits and pieces I want to see on myself. I am fully aware that the models featured on Pinterest are incredibly beautiful, have amazing bodies and makeup and hair, but a good sweater is a good sweater, right? Right. I can rock a turtleneck with the best of them. In my Style board, I realize I am curating my style, the style I find timeless and almost effortlessly chic. Yeah, I love to buy East Coast preppy every now and then (cardigans anyone?) but that doesn’t necessarily fit with my style and something I now consider a waste of my money. That’s my second tip to becoming a good shopper: stay in your style lane. It creates an image of who you are, whether that’s boho, preppy, rocker, athletic, or anything in between. When you have your style, your pieces will naturally complement one another.
And that brings me to my third tip: buy for versatility. Say it with me, “capsule wardrobes are a thing because they are a beautiful thing.” My hesitation with capsule wardrobes has always been with the seemingly uninteresting aspect of a wardrobe without dozens of statement pieces, but I am starting to realize that a stylish woman is a woman who is effortlessly stylish all the time. She’s at work? Workin’ it. Grocery store? Looking fabulous. At home relaxing or cleaning? Stunning. Feel free to disagree, but this is the woman I want to be. A good shopper has multiple purposes for each item she buys. She keeps her life simple by making her closet simple as well.
Do you have any other tips to being a good shopper? Tell us in the comments below!
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