Hello everyone! Welcome to Recycled Roses, an everyday guide to living luxuriously for less! In this fashion and lifestyle blog, I will introduce readers to my exciting world of converting discounted goods into luxurious, modern gems. As a woman who loves a good bargain and the finer things in life, I am so excited to share my secrets to living luxuriously on a budget. However, as this is our first time getting to know each other, I don’t want to give too much away too soon (I’m not that kind of girl). I will, however, share some of my key tips on how I am able to accomplish such a task:
Tip #1: Consignment, Resale, and Thrift Stores Are Your Friends
Unfortunately, some people describe consignment, resale, and thrift stores as smelly, poor, and dirty. Although that may be true on some occasions, most of the time that is not the case. As someone who works in a resale store and visits thrift stores every week, I can tell you that some of the cleanest and most organized stores that I have ever shopped at have been consignment, resale, and thrift stores. Most are organized by color and section making items easier for customers to find. While shopping around, I am always looking for hidden gems and some of my best designer purchases have been made at these stores. Where else can you find Gucci, Fendi, Tory Burch, and Louis Vuitton for under $20?
Tip #2: Don’t Spend Your Money on Diamonds
When it comes to shopping, many people fall prey to spending their money on “diamonds” (and no I don’t mean jewelry). What I am referring to is the type of shopping behavior where someone sees an item that stands out or “shines” as a diamond would and as a result, spends money impulsively. Although everyone participates in this behavior on occasion, it is not a good behavior to engage in on a regular basis. When building your wardrobe, I would strongly encourage people to spend a little more money on “go-to” essentials instead of on statement pieces. Go-to essentials are going to vary from person to person but they should be pieces that work best with your lifestyle, personality, and body shape. To give you an idea of what I am referring to, I will share with you my “go-to” pieces or the 3“L’s”- Leopard, Leather, and Lace. I am more likely to spend a little more money on these pieces and less on items that are trendy because I know that I will get a lot of use out of them. I will elaborate further on this topic a little bit later.
Tip #3: Quality versus Quantity
There are two types of shoppers out there: (1) the quality shopper and (2) the quantity shopper. The quality shopper focuses on building a limited wardrobe of high-quality pieces built to last while the quantity shopper focuses on building an extensive wardrobe of seasonal, trendy pieces. Although there are pros and cons of each, I believe in being predominantly the quality shopper with a hint of the quantity shopper. The best type of shopper is one that spends money on quality pieces but also has some on-trend pieces. This is a shopping philosophy that anyone can follow regardless of budget. An easy way to accomplish such a task is to find high-quality pieces at discounted retail stores such as TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and Burlington Coat Factory and at consignment, retail, and thrift stores. Finding the right material is key; high-quality materials consist of wool, cashmere, and cotton while low-quality materials are predominantly polyester and rayon. As with Tip #2, I will elaborate on this topic further a little bit later.
What are some of your favorite shopping tips? Share in the comments below.
Baci (Kisses),
Bianca Ida
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