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
Heads Up: Holiday Shipping Deadlines 2018
The sun is setting on Cyber Monday — did you finish up your holiday shopping? I surely did not. So it’s time to mark the calendar with the drop-dead holiday shipping deadlines. Not that...
6 Ways to Save Big Shopping Online this Holiday Season
Whether you’re shopping for loved ones or yourself this holiday season, there is simply no sensible reason to pay more for items when you could pay less. Luckily, we live in an online world...
Where Budget Fashionistas Shop on Black Friday
We’re mere days away from Black Friday. It’s an unofficial holiday in the United States, when hardcore shoppers go into a veritable frenzy as soon as they put the fork down on Thanksgiving. Black...
The Iconic Label Born at the Family’s Kitchen Table
When you think of a Mulberry bag, you likely think of words like timeless and classic. You’re 100% correct on both counts — the storied brand is one of the world’s most iconic. Founded...
How To Support Breast Cancer Awareness This October
It’s that time of year again — Breast Cancer Awareness Month happens every October, and it’s a reminder that we each have the capacity to help fight this terrible disease. Fortunately, the fashion and...
What’s Next for Fashion Retail? Here are Some Ideas
Competition’s tough out there in retail, and stores are stepping it up to keep you coming back. The old brick-and-mortars are working to stay relevant in world where the convenience of online shopping is...
Snub the Swimwear Trends with These Fun Styles
Swimwear trends have taken on their own life in recent years. Kudos to swimwear designers for getting creative with new cuts and details, but if I see another smocked-top bikini poolside, I think I...
Read This & Love Shopping for Your Next Swimsuit
Tell us if this scenario sounds familiar – summer comes, and whether you like it or not, you head to your favorite department store to pick out a new swimsuit. You find a few...
The Casual Occasion Dress — 6 Stunning Picks Under $75
Welcome the sunshine and balmy temperatures with a new dress. Summer is the perfect time to introduce a casual occasion dress or two to your wardrobe and there are plenty of budget-friendly options on...
How to Get Designer Goods for Less
If you dream of owning the classic Chanel 2.25 bag or a chic Burberry trench, but your checkbook says otherwise, this post is for you. Shopping for discount designer clothing can be something like...
The Designer That Does Vinyl Right
Founded by Elio Fiorucci in 1967, Fiorucci is an iconic Italian fashion label best known for its on-trend selection of jeans, graphic tees, and statement vinyl trousers. Over the last several decades, Fiorucci has...
The No. 1 Rule for Maximizing Your Clothing Budget
My dad buys humongous cans of olives at Costco. It takes him a while to work through those olives, but he feels that Costco’s price per olive is too good of a deal to...
Designer Spotlight: Michael Kors
With his distinguished sports-luxe aesthetic, Michael Kors (pronounced: My-Kal Ko-ors) is one of the world’s best known fashion designers. The New York-based entrepreneur focuses mainly on midrange women’s fashion, but has expanded his empire...
Fab On-trend Swimsuit Picks for Women Over 40
Just a few weeks ago we were still talking scarves, coats and sweaters. But somehow we’ve fast-forwarded past the long winter, head first, into warm and sunny days. And before I’ve even put the...
How Anna Sui Became a Fashion Icon
American fashion designer Anna Sui (pronounced: AN-na SOO-ee) is best known for her ready-to-wear collections with a boho-chic aesthetic. Originally from Detroit, Sui has mastered the art of combining bright colors with black while...
Bottega Veneta Spotlight — and What a $9k Outfit Looks Like
On April 16, iconic designer label Bottega Veneta (pronounced: Bo-TAY-ga Ve-NE-tah) launched its newest home collection during Milan’s Salone del Mobile. The home line-up was born with a single bench design in 2006, and has...
Cheap Maternity Pieces We Love
Dressing up your bump is one of the fun parts of pregnancy. While you don’t need to replace your entire wardrobe, investing in stylish and cheap maternity clothes can keep the spirits high as...
5 Steps to Designing Your Own Wedding Ring on a Budget
Oh! How many torments lie in the small circle of a wedding ring. English actor Colley Cibber commented on the torments of the wedding ring centuries before it became fashionable to design a ring...
How to Buy Mom (or Yourself) a Dreamy Bathrobe
Every woman who appreciates a little self-indulgence needs a quality bathrobe. And by quality, I mean a piece that feels luxurious enough to wear for hours on end. It forces you into a state...
How to Shop Like a Budget Fashionista
Fashion is one thing, but budget fashion is quite another. It’s both a skill and a lifestyle choice/necessity to live stylishly without dropping a ton of cash. And while we regularly talk trends and...
News: eBay Authenticate™ Allows You to Purchase Luxury Handbags with Confidence
A woman’s handbag is purchased every 13 seconds on eBay in the US. Some of those bags are fakes, unfortunately. eBay has launched eBay Authenticate™, a white glove authentication service designed to help the...
About Me
Thanks for stopping by! I'm Catherine, your Budget Fashionista style editor. I'm a bargain shopper at heart, as I love nice things but hate paying for them! I'm also a personal finance writer who's been featured on USA Today and MSN Money.