As a college student suffering with an extreme shopping addiction, choosing between the not-so-necessary new dress and the very real necessity for food is a problem that I face weekly. Not just once, but multiple times per week. I'm a fashion major that lives ten minutes from malls, Target, and a huge outlet shopping center.. can anyone blame me for the struggle?
With that being said, I know exactly what it's like to feel like my small budget cannot keep me up to date with all of the latest trends. But, with a few minor adjustments to where I shop and how I spend my money, I have started to have fewer problems staying relevant on a budget. And now, I am here to share my fantastic solutions with you.
Step One: Find the Look
Find a look that speaks to you. It can be something from a magazine, a Snapchat story, an Instagram post, absolutely anything can be your muse. As an avid fashion blog reader, I usually pick my looks from posts from Who What Wear, not only their clothes, but also their blogs are to die for. Another go to for anyone majorly into social media as a blog resource, is an Instagram account, LikeToKnowIt. Bloggers simply tag LikeToKnowIt the admin for LikeToKnowIt re-post the image and tag items similar to the ones being modeled, for online shopping convenience.
For the look inspiration for this article, I chose the all-so-fantastic, Gigi Hadid. In this look, Gigi Hadid is pictured leaving her apartment in a gorgeous, green bomber jacket, smooth black leather leggings, and she ties the look together with camouflage, velvet booties. Her looks never disappoint, leading many people, including myself to want the pieces in the look.
Step Two: Find the Bargains
While this is a look that ties together three staple trends for Winter 2016, there is no doubt that even one of these items can be a budget buster. This does not always have to be the case. With a quick change in where you spend your money, you can still get really cute items, equivalent to what you see your favorite fashion influences wearing, just at a cheaper price. And who does not love saving money? Going to sites such as ASOS or storefronts such as Forever 21 can end up saving you a pretty penny (especially for those 2 A.M. Taco Bell runs.. am I right?).
Forever 21 Padded Bomber Jacket: $29.90
http://www.forever21.com/Product/Product.aspx?BR=&...
ASOS Velvet Heeled Booties: $68.00 (Also, currently on sale for $47.50)
http://us.asos.com/missguided/missguided-velvet-bl...
Charlotte Russe Leather Leggings: $10.00
http://www.charlotterusse.com/high-rise-liquid-leg...
Step Three: Find the Discounts
One of the most important parts of budget shopping in college is learning where your Student ID cards can save you money. In addition to cheap prices, most places offer discounts without many people even knowing. Forever 21, ASOS, and Charlotte Russe all offer 10% student discounts on top of the already low prices. In addition, showing your Student ID cards will also get you discounts at J. Crew, Urban Outfitters, Ann Taylor, and Steve Madden.
For future reference, here is a link showing you 100 places that you can receive a student discount:
http://www.bestcollegesonline.com/blog/100-stores-...
Being a college student on a budget is not always the easiest thing choosing between wants and needs, unless you have serious self control. Kudos to those of you who are stronger than me in the spending department. Being cheaper does not make it any less cute. Smart spending and super cute fashion, it doesn't get much better than that.
