If someone were to ask me what I like to do on my spare time, I’d say shopping. I mean, who doesn’t love shopping?! After all, it’s nothing but frivolous fun! And let’s face it, none of us really have the leisure of shopping 24/7, unless of course, we’re somehow rich.

But sometimes, we can get a tad addicted when it comes to clothing and shoes, especially the shopaholics. It’s just a matter of knowing where to shop, how to shop, what to shop for, and taking advantage of the stores sales. So here’s a rundown of my shopping adventures.

I like to stick with my “go-to” stores. So in terms of clothing, I prefer Topshop, American Apparel, J. Crew, H&M and Forever21.

Topshop

I mostly go for their tops and overlay shirts because they’re simply amazing. The camis and tops vary from $10-$35 and the over lay shirts tend to be pricier.

As for the pants, high-waisted everything ! Specifically the MOTO Joni jeans or the PETITE wide leg jeans. Sometimes, I buy the raw hem jeans because they’re the wide high-waisted type. These are the only jeans I buy because of its good long-lasting quality. The prices are either $65, $70, $75 and $80, but if you’re a student, you get a 10% discount.

But if you subscribe to their emails, you can get sale updates. It’s not only awesome, but every 2 months or so, they have a 50-75% sale and sometimes, those pants are $20, which is aka major!

But you have to pay attention to the sales because sometimes, they send emails at around 3am so when you receive them, you have to shop fast, so that your size won’t go out of stock. But there’s bound to be some people who are asleep at that time, but for those who are awake, take advantage!

During these sales, their flats and sandals are pretty cheap, comparing to their original prices! In fact, right now, this huge sale is still on. In terms of heels, I really don’t buy any at Topshop because I’m not really a huge fan and it’s really about one’s own preference. However, feel free to browse around. Usually, their sandal heels are always on sale.

For shoes or heels, I tend to go to Aldo, Macy’s, or even Aliexpress, which sells a variety of things for cheaper prices. The only con is that shipping takes long and sometimes, the quality of whatever you buy, isn’t really all that great.

American Apparel

I like their sleeve crew neck tops and rib long crop tops because they’re easy-ons and come in good quality. These vary from $25-$35, which again, be sure to pay attention to their sales. Sometimes, you’ll find good deals in their sales rack, specifically loose blouses or colored crop tops.

As for their pants, it’s expensive period. They’re not as long-lasting or gives you good shape like the Topshop pants do. But the wide high-waisted jeans, the non-skinny ones, are way better. These are about $95.

And you don’t have to worry about the color going away too fast because it lasts longer than you think, especially the dark blue jeans. But if you tend to go to for a more elegant look, try the crepe pants —those are $60, but are cheaper at the store’s outlets with at least a 25% discount.

J. Crew

Well, they really have the best high-waisted and regular-waisted shorts, in my opinion. But the high-waisted are not easy to find. They tend to have more available at the store’s outlets because they have more sizes to choose!

At the actual store, you can always find the regular waisted ones. In fact, some of them resemble the high-waisted so it’s not that bad. But its better to visit the outlets since they cost $30 there.

H&M and Forever 21

I think we can all agree that they’re the most popular retail stores available to us at a decent prize. At Forever21, you can find anything. They have a vast selection for you to choose from, which includes dresses, skirts, lingerie, and pjs, etc. And their prizes are affordable too.

I actually prefer their floral and lacey-like clothing, but that’s just me. Their jean jackets are not that bad either. And as much as I love Claire’s for accessories, Forever21 is next in line. They really have some pretty cool stuff and sometimes, the $3 or $5 sales are insane. But their idea of organization is not so bright.

H&M, on the other hand, is a little pricier. It has a classy look to it and it’s not that bad. In fact, the quality of the clothing is way better so it’s worth the price. But some shirts or tees are about the same price at Forever21. The clothing, however, has more neutral colors including those of monochromatic blues, whites, pinks, etc.

H&M has a bigger baby section and a new makeup section that’s quite handy. And although Forever21 has a much more bigger sales section (in most stores), H&M offers more $1-$5 deals in accessories, which is great.