Here come the sales

Whether you’ve already taken advantage of the sales, or like me, you’re waiting until the chaos calms down, I thought I’d post a few of my tips to help you make the most of the discount the stores are offering.  We are all guilty of making the same mistakes during sale time; purchasing an item simply because it’s 90% off, buying your dream dress at half price even if it is in the wrong size, wearing that bargain purchase once and throwing it away by Easter.  Yes, we’ve all done it!  So I thought I’d take a leaf out of my book of sale shopping mistakes and offer my top 5 tips for surviving and shopping successfully in the sales.

Top 5 Tips

1. Begin with a list.  My golden rule for every shopping trip, but especially important for the sales.  It’s so easy to get carried away and buy the same dress in every colour purely because the discount is ‘too good to miss’.  So instead, write a list of exactly what it is you’re looking for from the sales.  Perhaps a high quality new work suit, something special for that New Year’s Eve party or some essential cashmere sweaters for the cold months ahead.  A list will help you focus on exactly what it is you need for your wardrobe so your trip will be far more successful. 
2. Set a budget.  Be realistic with what you can actually afford and want to spend on sale items.  When stores are throwing ‘once in a lifetime’ discounts at you it can be tempting to stretch your budget that little bit too far.  Set aside the amount you want to spend on the various items on your list and stick to it.  This will help you to avoid making unnecessary purchases whilst saving you money.
3. Start early.  I don’t necessarily mean day 1 of the sales, but start first thing in the morning.  You will find the stores are usually that little bit quieter, the queues for the tills and fitting rooms won’t be as long and overall it will be a calmer and more relaxed shopping experience.
4. Is it a bargain?  The excitement of finding an item at 90% off can be thrilling, but the massive reduction doesn’t necessarily mean the item is a bargain.  When I find myself in this sort of situation, I ask myself these all important questions – ‘If it wasn’t on sale would I look twice at it?’, ‘Will it match with anything from my wardrobe?’, ‘Do I really need it?’, and then I work out the price per wear to help finalise my decision. (Cost of item/Number of times I wear item = Price per wear)  I always think if I’m likely to wear an item more than 5 times, it’s worth purchasing.
5. Be experimental.  My favourite thing about sale shopping is I find it the perfect opportunity to source through the endless rails of muddled up clothes looking for something new and unique that will take my style in a new direction.  Sometimes I’m successful, others times I’m not but I guess that’s part of the fun.  My only advice would be stick to what you know suits you – if you don’t look good in skin tight, metallic, bell bottoms now, a 25% discount won’t change that.

Happy sale shopping folks!

Noreen xx