As college students we are always on a budget from the day we move into our dorm to the day we graduate finally! Usually putting clothes on the must-have list is impossible. Yet we are dying to stay up to date on the latest trends and fashion but often times our wallet will cry if we do so.

Budgeting has always been apart of my life so over the years I have learned to prioritize and do weekly estimations on how to spend money. This makes it possible for me to have spending money for shopping around $40 to $60 dollars a month. A lot of people ask how do you do it? How do you get these deals?

It’s not a huge secret, all it takes is practice. Most people do not know the tricks and handy tools available out there for either indoor or online shopping. The answer is right in their hand, it’s your handy-dandy cell phone...

1. Find Promo Codes or Coupons- Almost every site/store/shop has either coupons or promo codes available. All you have to do is google the store's title followed by promo code or coupon. This requires trial and error in order to find a code that actually works! But once found, the discount you get for your items is worth it.
2. Download The Apps- If you truly love a specific clothing store it’s best to download their app. Which in itself offers many deals! The more advanced apps, such as Target, even offer a barcode scanner that allows you to see if there are any additional offers on the items you want.
3. Sign Up For Emails - Personally, I made another email account for shopping. This allows you not to be spammed so much on your school account. Additionally signing up for a site or stores email account allows you to be narrowed into a smaller population of people who shop there too. This allows you to score deals faster than members who are not signed up for their emails. If a site offers you a discount when you sign up, take it! You may want to repeat this sign up with different emails, but that will be our little secret. Rue 21 is great because if you have not shopped there in a while they will send you an email asking you to shop with a 20% or more discount because they miss you!
4. Sign up For Text Messages- We all look at texts more than emails. When you sign up for a site or stores text you are more alert and not on a time restraint because you get the text right when the promotion is about to begin! The text messages are short and sweet and are a nice surprise to look forward to every month!
5. Share With Your Friends- Sharing with your friends usually only works for online shops. Online shops may give you another promo code for you to share with your friends this way they get a discount and so do you!
6. Shop The Sale Rack- For most sites/stores they start a season ahead. This is good news for you! During the transition stages, items will go right to the clearance rack. Fall, Winter, and Summer usually have the same style and coloring so once you get them on clearance you can easily save them for next year!
7. Get a Head Of Weekly Ads- Saturday Night’s right after most store’s close you can google the weekly ad for deals that will start on that Sunday. This allows for a more accurate ad in case you are not subscribed to a newspaper! By doing this you are able to see what sort of deals they will be having that week and compare stores.
8. Google the Item- You may find an outfit you adore in the store and there are no offers for them. No worries! All you have to do is get online and see where you can find a similar outfit at different stores that offer them at different rates! Usually, you do not have to settle for the high priced clothing items because easily you can find a similar item at different sites or stores.

These eight things will allow you to save money and get more bang for your buck!