I receive questions from y’all around exactly how I keep my budget in line while still maintaining a social life and a (hopefully somewhat decent) appearance. So here it is…
I don’t shop for clothes/accessories very often because I am a budgeter with a healthy addiction to the debt-free community; but when I do, I LOVE a sale. I am such a stickler about not buying something at full price. I can almost always wait a month or so for the item to go on sale; and that’s when I pounce. Buying at full price limits your ability to maximize your true budgeting potential. And getting all of the things I want while maintaining my budget, well, that is a balancing act that I have come to both know and love.
There is a lifestyle blogger here in Nashville that I am O.B.S.E.S.S.E.D. with; her blog is called Living with Landyn. She is truly All The Things. She posts Instagram stories out the wazoo filled with one I have to have that item after the next. And of course, basically every 15 second story clip contains a ‘Swipe up’ feature that takes you to a direct link where you can purchase the exact thing she wearing/talking about. I mean y’all… I want everything she owns from her robe to her bracelets to her skincare to her house. I warned you I was obsessed 😊 Go follow her!
Anyway, my point is, since she does have such a classic style, sometimes the item she is linking to has a hefty price-tag to go along with it. And don’t get me wrong, I am all for spending money on the staples (after-all, quality over quantity, right?!), but my shopping budget would be in the red after just a few purchases. SO I try my hardest to replicate her style without sprinting into the red. If I decide something is too expensive for me, I just use her recommendations as inspiration for my own (primarily Landyn-like neutral colored) bargain shopping.
So here we go!
I want to show you the items I purchased over the past few months of summer – as well as what I paid for every single item. I will provide as many links as I can in case you see something you like and it’s still available. I’m then going to share with you 3 tricks to ensure you are squeezing every possible discount out of the purchase. Our styles might not be the same, but hopefully my purchasing tricks can help you on the items you’d like to purchase!
T O P S
Blue Mazarine Halogen Ruched Bow Sleeve Top
Original Price: $59.00
Price Paid: $12.97 (78% Off)
Pink Cedar Abound Short Sleeve Pocket Tee
Price Paid: $14.97
Black & Grey Flutter Shirt
Original Price: $34.95
Price Paid (Gray): $9.18 (73% Off)
Price Paid (Black): $15.11 (56% Off)
Gray Side-Tie Top
Original Price: $39.95
Price Paid: $20.97 (47% Off)
Navy Stripe & Cream Relaxed Tie-Front Top for Women
Original Price: $22.99
Price Paid (Navy Stripe & Cream): $7.99 (65% Off)
Black, white & Gray Boyfriend Scoop-Neck Tee for Women
Original Price: $14.99
Price Paid (Black, Gray & White): $5.60 (62% Off)
Rich Avocado Ana Cross Front Tee
Original Price: $29.00
Price Paid: $15.29 (47% Off) (The color I purchased is sold out, but other colors are now on sale for $8.70!)
Verve Violet Worthington Scoop Neck Short Sleeve Tee
Original Price: $27.00
Price Paid: $11.04 (59% Off)
B O T T O M S
♦ OLD NAVY ♦
Campeche Mid-Rise Super-Skinny Ankle Jean
Original Price: $29.99
Price Paid: $10.00 (66% Off)
Olive Leaf Mid-Rise Soft Utility Crop Pant
Original Price: $39.99
Price Paid: $15.00 (62% Off)
♦ CHARLOTTE RUSSE ♦
Refuge Mid-Rise Denim Shorts
Original Price: $24.99
Price Paid: $12.00 (52% Off)
A C T I V E W E A R
♦ OLD NAVY ♦
Black Luxe Swing Tank for Women
Original Price: $16.99
Price Paid: $4.80 (71% Off)
(This isn’t marketed like an active top, but I love it as one!)
Gray Scoop-neck Tank
Original Price: $12.99
Price Paid: $4.00 (69% Off)
Black, Palm & Black Geo Semi-Fitted Run Shorts
Original Price: $16.99
Price Paid (Black): $6.80 (60% Off)
Price Paid (Palm): $8.00 (53% Off)
Price Paid (Black Geo): $6.40 (62% Off)
♦ WALMART ♦
Black Racerback Tank
Original Price: $7.49
Price Paid: $4.95 (34% Off)
S H O E S
Sand Mule Heels in Faux Suede
Original Price: $46.99
Price Paid: $8.15 (82% Off)
(Luckiest purchase of the summer! Found these babies on a clearance rack for $16.99 at a Gap outlet store – they had a 40% off of clearance items sale going on – then they had one *tiny* scuff in the suede so I got an additional 20% off)
♦ OLD NAVY ♦
Cognac & Gold Double-Strap Sandals
Original Price: $19.99
Price Paid (Cognac): $12.00 (40% Off)
Price Paid (Gold): $9.99 (50% Off)
Black Suede Cross-Strap Slide Sandals
Original Price: $19.99
Price Paid: $9.99 (50% Off)
♦ CHARLOTTE RUSSE ♦
Original Price: $35.99
Price Paid: $16.00 (55% Off)
(I needed these shoes for the CMT Awards so I paid full price for them; I looked on their website the very next day and they were running a $16 shoe sale. I took them back to the store and had the price adjusted. I learned their sales change daily at CR, so that is something to keep in mind!)
B A G S
♦ FRANCESCA’S ♦
Straw black pom clutch: Sold out online. Check your local store for this or click here to browse some other cute sale options!
Original Price: $24.00
Price Paid: $9.60 (60% Off)
♦ NORDSTROM ♦
Emperia Patrice Woven Faux Leather Hobo
Original Price: $49.00
Price Paid: $24.49 (50% Off)
♦ EBAY ♦
Gray Chunky Wristlet Clutch
Price Paid: $8.19
(This price pretty much stays the same. However, this works perfect for a classic clutch and would likely run $20+ in a boutique)
So how did I get these prices?!
Some purchases were simply pure luck when searching for a deal in-store. Others truly were from waiting for a sale to surface and then implementing the below 3 tips/tricks:
Trick #1: EBATES
You get cash back. On almost every purchase. Sometimes even in-store purchases. Here are two examples of the cash back I received after shopping. What does this mean? The ‘Price Paid’ for some of the items listed are actually even lower after I factor in the couple of bucks I saved with cash back from Ebates(!!) Every little bit helps your bottom line. Learn the ends-and-outs about Ebates with this quick 3 minute read.
Trick #2: HONEY
FOMO is real. I often scour the internet in search of discount codes to make sure I am using the best one(s). This is a tad exhausting as oftentimes, I don’t find many codes past the ones already advertised on the retailer’s site. This is where Honey comes into play. This magical plug-in allows you to simply hit a button and the searching is done for you. It even goes as far as to test all of the codes once it finds them to see if they are valid. Once its few seconds of magic is done, it will tell you the code it found and what discount you received. Sign up pronto!
Trick #3: EMAIL OPT-INS
Sign up for retailer’s email lists. 9 times out of 10 there is a code specifically for you and your email (that Honey will not pick-up) to get discounts off of your first purchase. Also, it’s obviously the main line of communication to alert you of upcoming sales. Don’t want to be inundated with emails? Don’t need the constant shopping temptation? Cool, me either. Unsubscribe after you sign up.
**A little bonus secret: (Almost) never pay for shipping. Many stores offer free shipping once you hit a certain threshold. Many stores offer free returns. Order what you set out to buy, and if it doesn’t hit the free shipping threshold (and honey didn’t find you a free shipping code), order another item or two. Maybe it is something you might end up liking – maybe it isn’t. If returns are free, ship it back – no harm, no foul, and no shipping fees.
SO. No more full price! Shop only during sales. Link with Ebates. Check-out with Honey.
H A P P Y S H O P P I N G!
Mark Rafferty says
Thanks for explaining shopping tips and tricks however the discounted products don’t explain how to get the discount?
Thanks
Jessica Elberfeld says
The discounted product is the main tip in the first place. Many buy at full price versus waiting for a sale. The other way to get a discount is searching for an online code (where Honey comes into play) to get a % off and to avoid shipping fees at all costs. I almost never purchase something if it doesn’t have a discount code (for a % off) or free shipping. Lastly, using Ebates will give you cash back which makes the actual price of your purchase even less.
Guest Posting Tips says
Your blog has very unique information for unique topic which you have written. thanks for sharing with us good information.
Jessica Elberfeld says
Thank you!
kartikey tiwari says
I really enjoyed reading your blog …
Jessica Elberfeld says
Thank you!
Chirag Manghnani says
Very Useful tips and tricks
thanku soo much
Jessica Elberfeld says
You are so welcome! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
darren says
fabulous free shopping, i never find these tips.Thanks for sharing the incredible post!
Jessica Elberfeld says
You are so welcome, thanks for reading!