College is a time of major budgeting. If you are among the majority of college students, money is always short. Its understandable. With all the money going into tuition, groceries, books and other necessities, there isn’t much left to shop around.
Shopping Tips for College Students
If you have already taken out a student loan from the best student loan providers, such as SoFi student loans, you don’t want to default on your payment for shopping. You don’t have to with these smart shopping tips:
Shop off-season clothes
That’s when out of season clothes are displayed at unbelievable discounts. For instance, when summer is coming to an end, shop for summer clothes. Wrap and store them at the back of your closet. Meanwhile, take out the winter clothes you shopped last year when winters were coming to an end.
Most fashion brands want to just dump out their off-season clothes because it takes a lot of resources to remove them from the stores and store them till the next season.
Go Prepared
Never go shopping without a list. You will end up with things that might have looked really cute in the shop, but at home you never really know when and where to wear them. Also, you will likely end up with yet another black blouse because if you are like me you just can’t resist a black blouse.
Take a look in your closet. Start from the basics. With a list, you know what you want. You will stick to your list and come back with clothes that you will actually wear.
Sell Your Old Clothes/Things
You probably don’t even have room for more things. Start by purging your closet. While you are making your shopping list, take out the items that you no longer like or don’t fit. Put them up for sale on Facebook groups or even Etsy.
Now you will have more money to shop for new things. But again, stick to your list.
Signup with major fashion retailers
Visit your favorite fashion retailers and other retailers that interest you. Put up your email address in their database. So, whenever they have a sale or special promotion going on, they will send you an email.
A neat trick is to create an email especially for signing up for promotions. This way you won’t be flooded with promotional emails on your primary email address.
Don’t Shy Away From Flea Stores
You’d be surprised at what you might end up finding at flea stores. If you have a good idea for fashion, don’t skip out these flea stores. I once found a really cool vintage denim jacket for less than $10. There’s often a good room for negotiations at flea stores, so don’t forget to negotiate.
Go with a friend
There are so many times when stores have special Buy 1 Get 1 free promotions. But you only want to buy one thing. Take along a friend and split the cost. This way you won’t end up with things you really didn’t need, but with products bought at half the price!
If your friend is fashion savvy, she could also help you make good decisions. Help each other out.
Ask for student discounts
Many stores, especially those close to college campuses, offer social discounts. So, before you make a purchase, ask if there is a student discount.
Many major fashion brands, like Top Shop, Asos and Club Monaco, have some interesting offers for students. There’s no harm in asking even if there isn’t one.
Shop Basics from Generic Brands
You probably don’t know it but Wal-mart sources its clothes from the same places like many other fashion retailers. But with the price difference, we often perceive the quality of the brand to be higher.
From experience, I know generic brands offer the same quality. When it comes to socks, hair bands and other basic stuff, you really don’t need branded items.
Stock up on samples
This might sound cheap, but it is actually a genius way to hold off some good premium products. If a stores is offering samples, take up. Many times, we buy stuff that doesn’t suit our skin or we don’t really like later on. With samples, you can throw them away even if you don’t like them.
Consider Becoming an Influencer
If you have a good fashion sense and your friends look up to you for fashion advice, why not use your talents to help you get hold onto some really good products or even make money. Chronicle your fashion story on Instagram. As you gain followers, you can get in contact with your favorite brands and ask them if they would like to be promoted on your profile.
If you have a good social media followers, most brands are willing to exchange a few products for a positive word of mouth.