I always thought that personal style and style on a budget were polar opposites—the two together was not possible. So I shopped the way any fashion loving shopaholic would shop: recklessly. By recklessly, I mean that if I liked it in the slightest and saw myself wearing it once in the future, it was in my basket (or online cart).
Except for this summer, I’ve had to be a responsible person and actually [try to] live on a budget. Boy, did I feel limited. But I think I grew more into a personal style through it— rather than being just ‘fashionable.’ Being on budget forces you to switch from just wearing what’s “in” to wear what you like. And that changed the way I thought. It made me want to dress less like everyone else to want to dress like me. All on a budget.
1—Less excess, more essentials. Cut down the excess. You know, the shirts that you wore once or twice but you’ve owned them for a few years. Throw them out in favor of essentials—the things you like to wear and look good in. You decide what those things are so your core style will be you.
For me, one of my core essentials are white T-shirts. They’re comfy, they match with everything, and I look good in white.
2—Narrow down where you shop. Ditch the mentality that you’re open to shopping everywhere. Try to look only at shops you genuinely and consistently like. There are cute clothes everywhere—it’s helpful to narrow down the number of places you’re tempted. And then when you are, you know you’re buying from a brand that you like and will wear more often.
3—Not everything is a steal. It’s not a steal if it’s not your style. Just because that top at Forever 21 is kinda cute but only three dollars, doesn’t mean it’s such a steal and you need to buy it. That’s three dollars you can spend somewhere else. Don’t buy it.
4—Let your interests find their way into your clothes. Everyone has their own interests that make them unique! Why not let those show in your clothes to also dress uniquely? If you like a band, wear their merch! That’s more you than wearing a Pink Floyd tee that you saw at Brandy Melville because it has the ‘band t-shirt’ look you wanted. Or if you like palm trees and the beach, why not wear them?
5—Just because you’re on a budget doesn’t mean you can’t find nice statement pieces. You can find nice statement pieces that will add the “wow” factor to your essentials— you don’t have to splurge.
I got this little black statement purse for $10 while street shopping! I also like this minimalist backpack and this structured bag.
Do you have a rule to add on how to do personal style on a budget? Let me know in the comments below!
