How I Shop

Since I would call this blog a "fashion blog" I thought it would only be appropriate that I dedicate one post to shopping and more speficially, how I shop. I know I really only post fashion for James here and that's because he's easy on the eyes and I love taking pictures of him. My husband would kill me if I made him shoot photos of me all day for fashion posts but that doesn't mean I don't like to shop and dress up myself!  If I'm half telling the truth, I shop a lot. If I'm being completely honest, I'm a total shop-a-holic. I LOVE TO SHOP. I am the first to admit that only until recently, I was a horrible shopper. I would spend top dollar on all the latest trends, and try pieces that I WANTED to work for me, but I knew DIDN'T. In the end I wasted a lot of money and ended up selling more than half my wardrobe to one of those buy back places. I've wised up a bit and thought I would share some tips I've learned along the way.

-Only spend top dollar on staple pieces. You know what clothing items are staple pieces for you. Those are the ones you should be allowed to spend top dollar on. A great jacket, perfect jeans, etc... The clothing items that will last you for years and years are the ones you should make an investment in.

-Ease into trends and buy cheap. Floral denim, peplum, neon.. Any of the trends that are currently going on that you want to experiment with, ease into it. Don't go out and buy 10 pieces right away like I used to. And if you're going to try these new trends out, remember that they are "trends" for a reason and you will probably be over them soon. Try to buy trendy pieces at places like Target where you can spend $20 instead of $100

- Wait for sales.  Recently, my husband took me on a shopping spree to J Crew. I got bags and bags of clothes at a fraction of the cost because I hit the sale racks. When these peices first came out, I kept eyeing them online and really wanted to pull the trigger. If you can be patient, chances are most things will go on sale and you can get them for way less money. My husband even scored a $300 jacket from J Crew for $40!

- If you NEED it, sleep on it and then BUY it. Some times I see items that I know I need. I know they are going to live in my closet for years and years and can't stop thinking about them. I sleep on them for a few nights and then, even if they have a high price tag, I buy them. I don't do this all that often and try to limit myself, but there have been times (especially with Free People) that the item is perfect, almost sold out, and I know it will never go on sale. In cases like that I buy before it's too late.

- Don't force it to work. Peplum is something that I love and that I want to look good on me so bad, but it just doesn't.  I can't tell you how many times I've tried on a peplum top hoping it would work but secretly knowing it wouldn't. Just the other day I tried on an amazing peplum top at Ann Taylor. It looked so perfect on the rack. I even tried on two sizes too big thinking maybe a loose fit could work, it didn't. My tall thin body type just doesn't work with peplum and I should stop forcing it and never spend money on it.

-Know where to shop. If I had all the money in the world my wardrobe may look a lot differently, but I don't. My favorite stores are Free People, J Crew, and Anthropologie. I like to buy staple pieces (mostly tops) from those stores. On the other hand, I know that a pair of jeans from Target fits me the same, if not better, than a pair of designer jeans, so I opt for the $20 Target jeans and call it a day. I have really long and thin legs and it's hard to find a pair that fit me right. Because I buy some things cheap, I have more money to spend on classic pieces at more expensive stores.


****FOR KIDS****
If you've got kids, here are a few rules to stick to when shopping.

-If you can, size up. I don't mean make your kid wear clothes so big he's swimming in them, I just mean that if you're in between two sizes, always choose the larger. James has SO many pairs of leggings and most all of them are a size 2T. He will be two this month and the tiny guy only wears a 12 month!! I buy things like expensive leggings sizes up so they last him longer and I get my money's worth. And you would never tell by looking at him that they are a couple sizes too big.

-Go big or go home. Your kid is only little once. Buy them the funky leggings, the cool shoes, the neat hats.. You only get so many years to control what they are wearing so have fun!

-Look for good deals and know when to splurge. It's no secret that I like to dress James. I love it so much I started a darn blog about it! Most all of the money I make from my Baby Gizmo blogging gig, goes to buying James fancy clothes. I LOVE IT. That being said, I know what to splurge on and what to buy on the cheap. I splurge on one of a kind, handmade items like moccasins and leggings. If he needs solid color shirts or simple things, I buy those things on sale at places like American Apparel. Balancing splurging and cheap buys help balance out my baby shopping budget.


I hope this silly post gave you a few shopping tips! Where do you like to shop? Have any good shopping tips to share? Leave me a comment and have at it!