The Budget Fashionista

The New Year is all about starting fresh, and if your finances aren’t in order, now’s as good a time as any to make a plan to set ‘em straight. What’s your best tip for making—and staying on—a budget?

The way I am doing it this year is keeping my reciepts first before I create my budget to see what I actually spend my money one.  This way, anything that I can cut out I will actually see on paper ya know?  Once I see my main bills and expenses I am averaging them out, i.e. light bill, gas bill, etc… so I can account for how much money will be spent on bills as close as possible for the ones that fluctuate.  I can also see what I need to put for entertainment, household and unexpected expenses.  This seems to be the easiest way for me to get on a good budget for a family my size.  At times we have up to 8-9 people in this house.  Now as far as staying on my budget, that is something I am still trying to figure out.  I know it is a matter of self-control and that is something I have to work on.

That’s so true—seeing it on paper makes it much more real, especially with those little things we spend money on outside of our monthly bills. It’s so easy to spend $20 here and there, but when you lay out those receipts it’s a different story. So simple, but a good tip!

I am, unfortunately, a shop-a-holic. I love the “high” I get when I buy new things. It makes me feel like there’s change in my life. Even if it’s a small change like switching shampoos.

Anyway, my mom noticed my problem and I really shouldn’t be spending so much money. I usually buy something, only to buy something else, regret buying it, or not using it at all.

So I try to tell myself, “The economy is bad these days. Don’t buy it now. Wait tomorrow and see if you still want it. Do you really need it? Will you use it often?” And it works. $20 might not seem a lot at the time, but if you add it up, you could’ve spent a fortune!

What’s also a good thing to try is… When you buy something like perfume or clothes, you should always try it out. Browse the first day, go home, read reviews on the product, then buy it or decline after asking yourself if you really need it. I was saved from buying a perfume that I thought would smell good, but actually smelled horrible.

I only wish that I had these things in mind and had not wasted so much money on things I would, eventually, not even use. I regret it. :\

well, night markets are becoming popular here. the clothes are quite nice and are cheap too! my friends have bought really good stuff there so maybe i’ll go with them next time!

I guess I am out of the loop but what is a night market?

It’s a market that sells all kinds of stuff from clothes, bags, shoes, jewelry to childrens toys. It usually opens around late afternoon until 12 midnight. There are really nice clothes there that you can buy for a bargain!

There was a time when I would buy just to buy, to say I bought a cute new skirt/shirt/pair of jeans or shoes. Well, as the thread goes, “being broke ain’t cute.” I was collecting lots of stuff, nothing particularly special.

These days I shop mostly thirft and look for items that stand out to me. I might go home, sleep on it...if I dream about it or cannot get it off my mind, I go back and purchase (if it’s still there). I’m not really into trends, so walking past Macy’s doesn’t make me weak in the knees. (LOL)

I had to seriously analyze why I was spending, buying these so-so items--and it didn’t have jack to do with fashion! Shopping on a budget has everything to do with self-control, which I had to learn. It’s not easy, but I’m much better about it now than I was just six months ago.

great insight! that’s one step away from being broke all the time! =)

I have been much more under control this year so far than in previous years. My spending habits have been more disciplined and I’ve been able to do some modest saving while still getting the clothes I want for the most part.