image courtesy of http://runjun.blogspot.com

I am sorry that my posting has become a bit inconsistent lately. Work and laziness have played a major part in my procrastinations and I promise I’m going to make more of an effort from now on.

I’ve recently become obsessed with the art of spring-cleaning my wardrobe. I’m just so sick of hoarding items I wouldn’t dream of wearing any time soon and pointless impulse buys that just make you think “whyyyyy?” So, from now on I’ve vowed to be good and really take care when splashing out on those deceptive absolute-must-have-buys.

How am I going to take care exactly? The answer, my money-saving-expert friends, lies in the following rules:

1.) Only buy something if it can be paired with at least 3 other garments.
This is such a great point and something which has stuck with me from my dailly scanning over at the Lookbook forums. Whether it’s a top, pair of jeans, or even a fluffy feathery ra ra skirt, it has to go with 3 or more items you already own. Otherwise, you won’t wear it and it will just get discarded at the back of the closet with those other must-have mistakes.

2.) If the price is unjustifiable, WAIT until the sales.
Chances are, if no one else is grabbing it off the rack then it will be in the sales, in which case you’ll end up saving yourself a lot of money. There’s nothing worse than finding that gorgeous dress slashed by more than 75% several weeks after purchase.

3.) Avoid buying more than one item which follows the same trend.
Not as self-explanatory as the first two points, so I shall explain. Basically, if you already own a pair of harem pants, don’t buy another pair. Trends come and go, meaning you’ll have more items to add to the “strictly unwearable” pile by the time that trend disappears. Instead, try the 60/40 rule. 60% of your wardrobe should contain staple items that remain acceptable from season to season (jeans, cardigans, basic tops etc.) and 40% should feature really trendy items which will only last 1/2 years at the very most.

4.) Know what suits you.
Never buy clothes in the wrong size in the hope you will one day fit into them, and never ever buy something you’re not 100% sure about. If in doubt, always take a friend shopping with you for a second opinion.

5.) Work out the money-for-wear equation
You’ve probably heard of this before. Basically, if you’re buying something you will wear a lot, such as a new jacket or pair of boots, expect to pay considerably more than a top which can only be worn so often. So, for example, if you pay £100 for a pair of boots and wear those boots a grand total of 100 times, those boots will cost £1 each time you wear them. Of course, it can be difficult to work out how many times you will wear a certain garment, but if you can’t think of more than one occasion when you would wear it, then either don’t bother or pay less.

Now, I understand I would have been better off posting this back at the beginning of the year when it was genuinely appropriate to make new years’ resolutions. But it’s never the wrong time to change bad habits, so why not join me in the beginning of a new ‘careful shopping’ regime?

Question time:Do you have any bad shopping habits? Are you an impulse buying? What tips do you have to avoid making silly buys?