The 5 Rules of Shopping

The two most recurring events that happen to me involving shopping are leaving the mall with nothing and leaving the mall with everything. When both things occur, I probably had no idea what I wanted. I'm going on vacation in about a week, and I know I'm in need of a shopping trip so I can refresh my wardrobe for summer. I want to avoid my usual outcomes of shopping, so I have put together a few rules for me to go by while I'm shopping. I hope these will help you guys the next time you shop as well!

1. Set a budget before you go shopping
To avoid leaving the mall with everything, set a budget. This will help you to make rational decisions while you shop. For example, if you set a budget of 100 dollars and you see a dress that's 80 dollars, you'll have to really think about how much you want the dress. To tell you the truth, I am absolutely terrible at this rule.

2. Create goals and guidelines of what you want to buy
I've realized that I do this rule subconsciously and I don't know if that's a good thing. I'll catch myself daydreaming up the perfect outfits and all of the clothes that I want. I think this is a really important thing to do before you do go shopping, though, because then you'll be shopping with a purpose. Instead of aimlessly roaming around the mall, you'll be on a mission to find the best gladiator sandals (for the record, I hate the name "gladiator sandal", it's historically inaccurate- Tim Gunn said so). Creating guidelines regarding the things you want to buy will allow you to shop happily and come home happy with the things you have bought.

3. Balance the amount of staple items and statement items you buy
I define staple items as items you can use in many years to come, or in other words, timeless clothing pieces. I define statement items as items that will most likely only be popular for a season, trendy pieces. In order to save money and be able to make the most out of the clothes you buy, think about the ratio of staple and statement pieces you have. Then, when you shop, you can keep or create a balance of timeless and trendy clothes.

4. Check quality of clothing
If you are going to splurge on something, make sure whatever you're buying is worth it. Sometimes big name companies like to raise their prices because of their brand, not the cost of production and material. When you're about to buy something, read the material labels on the tag and check the quality of the seaming.

5. Only buy things you're in love with
To me, this is the most important rule. If you find that you're trying to convince yourself that you'll wear something, don't buy it. In a few days when you look at what you bought, you'll most likely regret it. From personal experience, the things that I have to convince myself to buy are the things that I never wear. Only buying things that you love will guarantee that you will get the most wear possible out of a piece.

Thanks for reading! I hope these rules will keep you on track when you go shopping and will help you stock your closet well.

Have a great day!

Emily