Budget Babe Tips & Tricks

Hey beautiful ladies. We have been asked many many questions on how we shop, how we afford to go shopping almost every day. How we budget our spending and how we resist impulse buys. Well we never really sit down and go through our bank statements or calculate our weekly or monthly spending. We never actually think when it comes to shopping we really do stick our card in at all the different stores and SHOP SHOP SHOP! However there are some basic tricks that have been programmed into our heads.

We always find ourselves liking a gorgeous top in a shop and remind each other that "YOU CAN GET THAT IN PRIMARK FOR A FIVER" So yes we are not a total recipe of madness.

We've all had moments where we want to shop until we drop but our wallet is telling us to go home and have a big tub of ben & jerrys and an episode of Eastenders instead to mend our broken hearts. 

Read our tips and tricks to never have a rebound moment again *wink*

DISCOUNT: If you go on the website www.moneysavingsexpert.com and go to the shopping section and then click into the shopping vouchers section you can get money off vouchers that'll save you loads of money. Did somebody say 25% off ASOS and Warehouse?? Another form of discount is STUDENT DISCOUNT which we both abuse the privilege of. Topshop, ASOS, Sumaiya even asked for student discount for her laptop. Like i said we abuse the privilege. Those who know me personally will occasionally see me put up a status on Facebook begging for an NUS card number during my crazy online shopping spree times at 3am. Um yeah. 

BUDGET VS BLOWOUT: Scan magazines, the internet and stores for designer pieces you'd LOVE to own in a perfect world where that designer coat could have been bought by sacrificing your strawberries and cream frappucino. (Hey a girl can dream) Keep an eye out for how they're styled by the pros. Now go to Asos, Topshop, Zara, River Island & Primark etc and bag that look for peanuts. 

Investment buys: Yes i hold my hand up to trying to justify a stupidly priced blouse and try to pass it off as an "investment" just to satisfy my conscience. No we're not talking those kind of "investments". We're talking the real deal. We mean some things are just worthy of a few extra pounds. Like that winter coat or a decent handbag that is going to last you. You can justify this purchase by calculating the cost per wear. Lets pretend a bag costs you £240. If you wear it day in, day out for eight months over three years, that works out at £10 a month. Not bad right?

Make the most of freebies: Nowadays shops like Topshop, Gap, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols etc offer the service of a free personal shopper/style adviser. Yes you can feel like a celeb with your very own stylist for free. This person will know all the latest trends and every item of clothing that will suit your body shape. Enjoy the experience and you don't have to buy.

Shop out of season: Yes i know you don't want to be buying knitwear in the middle of July when everyone else is stacking up on Flip-Flops but that's when you'll save the most. 

Wait for the Sales: There is nothing worse than buying that coat you've been lusting after and then seeing it for a fraction of the price a month later. Keep an eye out for when your fave store will be starting their sales. Most stores usually stick to January for spring/summer items and July for fall/winter items. I have joined all the mailing lists for my fave stores such as ASOS, River Island, Topshop etc so they always email me in advance of any sales and they are always emailing me discount codes. So that's worth doing too.

We always save and save for the big blow out - Boxing day sales and we will shop like theres no tomorrow.

Cherish those trousers: We all have that one pair of black trousers that always comes in use for something or another. Yes we know they sometimes become a little worn out. A good trick is to re-dye them with Dylon Fabric dye for machine in black Velvet, £4.80 at John Lewis. Its great for updating tired garments. 

All those tips and you'll soon be shopping like crazy like us. *wink*

Hope that helped dolls.

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Its a girl thing 11 xoxo