When I think about shopping, I am filled with both excitement and anxiety. Looking for new clothes, whether it is to look for something specific or because it’s time for a refresh, hunting for the best deals can get exhausting. Just like any other 20-something female, I’m hoping to find the latest trends and classic pieces for prices that won’t break the bank.
Since I don’t have children, I shop Swap.com differently than a lot of our customers. When I browse, I look only for items that are in women’s sizes, then I check that company’s website to see if I’m really getting a deal. I took on the “Build Your Closet on a Budget” challenge and gave myself $150 to refresh my wardrobe for the upcoming season.
My first step, always, is to filter the women’s apparel by size. This way I won’t waste time getting excited over items that won’t fit anyway. My goals for this virtual shopping trip were to find an outfit to wear to the gym, some pieces I can mix and match to go to work, to go out in the evenings, and to take it easy in over the weekend. I have autumn on my mind already so I was looking for knit sweaters, denim, and sleeves.
Build Your Closet on a Budget
I spent about an hour shopping and came under my budget! (Well, I spent $148 but that’s $2 extra that I now have to keep with my walking-around-money.)
Remembering to stay in my budget turned out easier than I thought. Before I knew it, my cart was filled with 18 items! I was able to get 4 new pieces to wear to the gym, two pairs of jeans, two basic tank tops (because we always need new
ones of those!), casual sweaters, and a tunic. Some nicer pieces that I found included a dress, a few blouses, and a tank top to wear out on the weekend.
Once I built my cart, I went to the Web to find the comparable prices for the items I found. Now, I know that I most likely wouldn’t be able to find the exact items due to seasons and some of these items may have been from a different year, but I found current items that were very similar. After I collected the retail totals for similar items, my jaw pretty much hit the floor. For the 18 items that I bought, I would have spent about $678! Holy cow! Talk about major savings! Now every time I’m looking to go shopping, I check Swap.com first. Maybe there’s a new item that came through the fulfillment center that is similar to what I want or need.
Staying in my budget was simple and I really expected to only find about 10 items. I’m now ready for the temperature to drop as I cannot wait to wear my new denim and sweaters.
Are you willing to take on the “Build Your Closet on a Budget” challenge? Our Marketing guy did it for back-to-school shopping for his son and spent $118 instead of $301. We’d love to hear about your great finds while shopping consignment. Share your story in the comments below!
Looking for fresh start.