Dress Fashionable — within your budget. Here at Consumer Debt Support (CDS) we have come to realize that all of us like to buy clothes and things. Some of us love to buy and shop for clothes and others don’t love shopping too often.
We would like to look into the shopping and budget topic in this week’s blog, and show one can look great without overspending and depleting available funds for the month’s necessary expenses.
The question is to assess what kind of fashion do you like most. Assess your actual needs and what is most needed for the season to add on to your already existing wardrobe. Maybe it is a nice top, or a lovely must have skirt or a stunning little black cocktail dress that never goes out of fashion.
It is important that we guard against doing impulsive shopping. Don’t go shopping without doing proper homework beforehand on what is really needed for the season we are in.
Take the time and dive into your wardrobes and see what you have, and what you would love to add before you go shopping.
Look at what clothes can go for another season or more and stick to those and look at add-ons that is fashionable and possible must-haves for you. Look at your summer or winter pants: can they look great with a new top or cardigan?
Look at your shoes selection or boots if it is winter and sandals for summer. One can usually go another season with boots and add on with pumps and so on. It is fun to tackle your wardrobes and get ready for Spring in this case, and pack away the winter clothes.
When you have unwanted items in clothes or shoes, you can sell or donate them to various institutions that could benefit from clothes that can be handed down to the less fortunate.
It is always a good idea when you go shopping for the classics, that would add to your dream wardrobe. A few great ideas of what could be a classic: Black cocktail dress, infinity scarf, earrings with a timeless embroidered blouse, lace dress for dress up or down work ware or a never out dating maxi dress for summer or classic dark skinny jeans is a great must have for any ladies wardrobe. Planning your closet will benefit your pocket in the long run and depending on your style and what you like most. Classics is items that pull other clothing items in your wardrobe together. When your classics are put together and planned well, you can dress up and down in any season wearing clothes that can be washed endlessly and still look great season after season.
The best way to stay fashionable is spending less money buying fewer things and scaling down on your spending buying things you really love and need most. The fewer your choices and the better your colors coordinate in your wardrobe you will look explosive in any season. When most of your clothes can work together, you have won in looking great, even if you are in debt review and living on a tight budget.
When shopping, remember a few things that are important. Always go shopping with cash in your purse, leave the cards at home — it will help you stick to your budget buying what you set out to spend your money on. Collect the free catalogs from your favorite stores and watch out for the discount sales at shopping malls. Make a list of what you really need and the color of the garment you would buy to ensure you can wear it with other clothes you already have. Sometime it is a good idea to invite your best friend along that can help you stay accountable to your shopping and buy what you need.
A lesson we all can benefit from when we go shopping: It is not important what you paid to look your absolute best when you go out, it is important how you feel in what you wear and that your clothes do not change you the person. Shopping for new clothes should not be eating away your groceries money or money put aside for retirement, shop within your means and plan your shopping. It will keep your love for shopping alive and you will enjoy the shopping outings even more.
Conclusion: Remember the goal is to have financial freedom so that you can buy what you want when you want it. Sticking to a budget can help you getting into the habit of counting your spending. When you find your debt is eating your budget and critically limiting your spending, you might be over-indebted. Please do not hesitate to contact us for a free debt restructuring assessment.
