outfit details

floral dress
cream sweater
red midi skirt

Do you have trouble shopping for clothes? These four tips will help you become a better shopper so you end up with a closet full of pieces you love!

If you struggle when shopping for clothes, I’m here to teach you!

My number one email and comment I receive from you wonderful women is that you have a whole closet full of pieces that you don’t like. Ugh, that’s so frustrating! So today I’m sharing four tips to help you get better at shopping for clothes.

Are you ready to learn and become a better and smarter shopper? Let’s do this.

Four tips to help you become better at shopping

1. Know your general style

If you missed Monday’s post, go back and read that. It’s all about figuring out your style.

Trust me, when you figure out your style, shopping becomes so much easier!

Here’s why it helps to know your style before you go shopping for clothes:

• It helps you know which stores to go into and which stores to avoid – only go into stores that fit with your style
• You can skip past certain sections and shop in the sections with pieces that work for your style (ie: skip the distressed mom jean denim, go for the dark wash skinny jean section. Skip the graphic tees and go for the blouses).
• You’ll come home with pieces that actually work with the rest of your closet – game changer!

2. Make a shopping list

You know when you go to the grocery store without a list and you end up with a bunch of random things? Shopping for clothes is no different!

I recommend making a list in your phone’s Notes App (so you can access it from anywhere) with a running list of things you want to add to your closet.

Here’s an example of a “clothes to add to my closet” note:

• Light wash denim jacket, hits at hip bone
• Striped, long sleeve turtleneck sweater
• Nude flats with a pointed toe

Having a list (with specifics!) will help you stay on track as you shop and end up with pieces you actually want in your closet.

Look at yesterday’s post about closet essentials to help you make that list.

3. Ask yourself these questions before you buy something: 

1. Can I wear it more than two different ways?
2. Are there pieces in my closet that I can pair with it right now?
3. Does it fit into my style adjectives (if you don’t know what I’m talking about, READ THIS POST)?
4. Does it ACTUALLY fit my body right now? (Don’t buy it if you have to change sizes to fit into it)
5. Do I really love it?

4. Know when to save and when to splurge

Let’s talk about saving and splurging when it comes to shopping for clothes. There were a lot of years when I had no money to splurge, and I totally respect that. So don’t ever exceed your budget or go into debt because of a wanted “splurge.”

That being said, I’m now at a stage in my life where I’m able to splurge a bit more on some items, so here are a few general rules for saving verses splurging.

also it should be noted that “splurge” means more than $50 in my mind — we’re not talking about $500 necessarily.

Save vs. Splurge: 

• I always save on trendy items. Pieces you know will be out of style in a few months.
• Splurge on something if it’s something you’ll wear over and over again. I tend to spend more on jeans, sneakers, and sunglasses because they get a ton of wear in my closet.
• Splurge on classic pieces that won’t go out of style anytime soon. A nice leather jacket. A pair of black ankle boots. A nice watch, etc.

Save this post as a reference!

Do yourself a favor and save this blog post and come back to it every time you’re going shopping. I promise, these tips will help you become better at shopping, and help you fill your closet with pieces you love and will wear.

IF YOU LIKED THIS POST, YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE THESE POSTS: 

– Tips for successfully cleaning out your closet

– 12 items every woman should have in her closet