My Shopping Tips

As requested by one of my friends {and since one of my passions is fashion}, I would now like to share my top 3 shopping tips.  I find that they are very simple {you would think common sense}, but good rules to live by.  I will say that there are times when I am shopping that all common sense goes right out the window.  But, I try very hard to be strong and follow these guidelines. 

1. Do not buy anything {unless its a really good deal} on impulse. If you really want it, it will most likely still be there a couple days later unless its on some ultra clearance and will be scooped up by someone else in the next few hours.  For example, I recently went into the new downtown Nordstrom Rack {I once vowed to never step foot in any Nordstrom rack ever again about 2 years ago after a particularly messy shopping experience. But, my co-worker had to run in and she somehow convinced me to accompany her}. That's when I spotted it - from across the room. What a beauty! 

This gorgeous kate spade bag: 

Via Pinterest, source unknown

I exclaimed "It would be perfect for ITALY!" My co-worker said it looked "just like me". Everyone says that about things I like. Either I have really good friends who know me really well or I am just plain boring and predictable.  Anyway, I backed away from it and tried really hard not to think about it for several days.  That being said, it was all I could think about and I became obsessed with it. The more I tried not to think about it, the more I thought about it. It was on sale -- which definitely fueled my fire. But, in the end, I am proud to say that I didn't buy it. We stopped by Nordstrom Rack in Portland and I was still able to resist {it was the last one, no sales tax}.. you get the idea. I had to just be strong and wait for the urge to pass. Now, I am totally OK with passing on it. Remember my facebook status last week: "Announcement to the world: "I am not allowed to buy ANYTHING else for Italy. No clothes, electronics, sandals, or purses." The end."

2. Don't buy something just because it's on sale.  I like to shop without looking at price tags.  That is crazy, you say? Well, think of it like this:  I want to decide if I like something before I know how much it costs.  I don't want to let the price sway me either way.  Of course, I will look at the price tag before I decide to buy it or not -- I have definitely been at Nordstrom and found a super cute dress that happened to be $600+. Of course I didn't buy it.  So, just be smart. Sometimes I will set a price before I look at the price tag and say, if its under $50, I will buy it. Or if its over $100, I won't buy it. Works for me.  

3. Invest in classic pieces and save the trends for Forever 21/Target/outlets. Sometimes I find it hard to spend hundreds of dollars at j.crew on a nice dress or skirt, but I tell myself that it will last for a long time and it is very high quality.  I would rather spend more money on one classic piece than several cheaper pieces. But, I do allow myself to buy what I call "trendy items" from cheaper places like Target or Forever 21. I am still wearing sandals I got from target 4 years later. They are so comfy and I probably wear them at least once a week. So, there are definite exceptions to this rule. If something is cheap {dollar wise}, it doesn't always mean cheap {quality wise}.  But, that is often the case. For example, I find that several shirts I bought from Target get pilly really fast {and I cannot handle pilly shirts}, whereas I don't see that happening as much with higher quality {and more expensive} shirts.

Those are my tips! Do you have any shopping tips that you use regularly?

P.S. One week until ITALY!!!!!