Holiday shopping 2020 is about to get real. Retailers have struggled in 2020 and they’re eyeing this holiday season as an opportunity to bring in some cash. Sadly, you and me are the marks. They’ll follow all the usual tricks to lure us into spending more — bundle and BOGO deals, the loss leader trap,…
Category: Learn How to Shop
Welcome to The Budget Fashionista Learn How to Shop Guide. Here you’ll find our best strategies for shopping like a pro and saving money at your favorite fashion retailers. You’ll find store-specific tips for many retailers including ShopBop, Ulta Beauty, Dillard’s, Bloomingdales and more. Also see our tips on shopping thrift stores and trendy stores.
We also love the “shopping list” post. Posts like “Best Occasion Dresses under $75” give you an easy set of trendy pieces to make your shopping uber efficient.
One overlooked side of shopping for clothes is returning clothes. After all, it happens sometimes that you buy a piece and then your opinion changes when you get it home. Some of our most popular posts cover return policies, from Payless to Saks.
If you’re not sure where to start reading, try these posts and topics:
How to Shop Marshalls ● How to Shop New York & Company ● Return policies for your favorite retailers
I can admit this freely: My wardrobe lately is almost exclusively leggings and sweatshirts. Granted, I do learn towards cute leggings and sweatshirts whenever possible, but still. I feel a little sad for the lonely ankle boots in my closet, waiting for pandemic life to be over so they can accompany me to an evening…
Weddings are ridiculously expensive and have been for ages. Unfortunately, there’s a whole huge industry whispering in your ear from a young age, about what the perfect wedding entails. But this isn’t a post about the big, bad wedding industry — it’s a post about how to plan a budget wedding that’s elegant and memorable.…
Maybe you’d rather spend every last dollar on a vacation you can’t afford and carry your things in a garbage bag, but that’s just not practical. Even for a road trip, which is about all any of are doing these days, you need real luggage. Ideally, that luggage is budget-friendly, but it’s also high enough…
If ever there was a retailer synonymous with the now beloved designer collaboration, it’s Target. Target designer collaborations have earned a cult following, thanks to the brand’s knack for linking up with big-name brands to produce affordable, must-have items. If you’re a shopaholic of the highest order, odds are you’re pretty familiar with the late…
Now that we’ve closed the books on another holiday season, we’re all ready for some quality sleep. And sure, we can get by sleeping in old gym shorts and a t-shirt, but it’s decidedly more luxurious to have a real sleep set. And did you know that silk pajamas help keep your skin moisturized?
If you’re over the age of oh, I don’t know, 10 years old, you’ve likely experienced the demise of a New Year’s resolution or two. The more serious and lofty the goal, the faster it seems to slip out of your overly optimistic grasp. To help you stay on target in terms of health, fitness, and…
I have a love/hate relationship with Kohl’s. What I love? Trendy, wearable styles for less. What I hate? The inconsistency. One day, I might load up my cart with options and the next, I can’t even find something I want to try on. But if you’re a stickler for a great deal — and of…
Let’s talk about designer footwear. If your budget doesn’t quite align with your high-design tastes, you might feel a pang of sadness when Shopstyle shows you those $1,200 Fendi boots or $6,000 Ralph Lauren pumps — like you’ve lost something that you never had. It’s OK; we’ve been there. But did you know that you…
Few retailers are as committed to providing a combination of high-quality fashion and transparent business practices as Everlane. Their approach relies on three important principles: audit factories around the world to determine the fairest facilities to produce their garments, design clothes that are at once classic and stylish, and provide their clients with the actual…
If all of your girlfriends have gone silent, they may be immersed in the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. It’s Nordy’s biggest sale of the year, and Early Access Week of the event has already started. As of Friday, July 12, Nordstrom cardholders exclusively can shop the beloved anniversary sale. You can also apply for an account…
To sum up the life of Gloria Vanderbilt in just a few words would not do her justice. Indeed, her story is one of true starry-eyed enigma: she was a mother, an actress, an author, a socialite, an heiress, an artist and a pioneer in the fashion world. Vanderbilt got her start in the industry…
For such a tiny garment, it’s amazing how complicated the swimsuit can be. I mean, we get swimsuit questions on everything from swimsuit fabrics to swimsuit shopping to swimsuit care. Read on for answers to the most pressing swimwear questions. Swimsuit Questions 1. What’s better: Spandex or Cotton? If all you plan to do is…
It’s swimsuit season fashionistas. That means you get to flaunt your figure (and your fashion) in your teeniest, tiniest ensembles. But who wants to spend a $100 or more for a little strip of fabric you’ll only wear for a few months? We don’t either. We’d much rather invest $50 in a classic suit that’ll…
Spring has sprung (finally!). And with the season of renewal comes a whole slew of enticing beauty gifts that are sure to put a smile on anyone’s face. We love beauty gifts for mom — we’re dealing with a spring holiday after all, and what better time to give Mom something that’s indulgent and pampering?…
Staying stylish can seem impossible when you’re running your own crazy schedule — let alone an entire family’s on top of that. Finding the time to get out and shop for yourself is tough enough, but trying things on with kids in tow can be downright stressful. If you can relate, you need these five…
Finding the perfect swimsuit is tough no matter what body type you have. But as a tall woman, your concerns are more than finding the silhouette that flatters. You might struggle to find a one-piece that even covers your body, or a bikini that doesn’t look like a throwback from the 2000s’ low-rise era. Tall…
You don’t have to live in New York or L.A. to experience the wonder of a sample sale. Even if you do live in the Big Apple, it’s probably still more agreeable to do your shopping online. Shopping sales from home is less violent (no fighting over the last Rag & Bone cashmere scarf). And,…
It may be the most frustrating of fashion quandaries — figuring out how to wear a bra gracefully underneath a dress with an open back or a body-hugging silhouette. Yes, you want to show off your sexy back or amazing shoulders or curvy hips. But not at the expensive of support, and without revealing bumpy…
For the battle-tested bargain-hunter, the true holiday shopping experience doesn’t begin until the day after Christmas. It takes a true warrior to spar in the parking lot, exchange those unwanted gifts and then jump on real savings opportunities — all without losing your mind or ending up with more stuff you don’t really need. If…
The name alone is enough to conjure images of the famed double G logo and sleek, timeless accessories. Yet Gucci is so much more. The Italian luxury fashion house is a Florentine dream, rife with ready-to-wear creations that are wearable off the runway — along with those glamorous pieces that solidify the brand’s reputation as…