While fashion trends may squint appealing, our wallets may think otherwise, resulting in a tug of war between our current closets and our dream seasonal wardrobes. Some important questions arise, including “How much should I spend on a coat?” or “Do I really need to buy a trendy shearling bag for this fall?,” expressly considering this roulette goes virtually four times a year (depending on where you’re based).
For finance expert Bola Sokunbi, it’s all a balancing act. “Fashion is what you make of it,” says Sokunbi, who is the founder of the personal finance platform, Clever Girl Finance. “You want to have those foundational pieces in your closet that you can wear at any time without having to replace them every single season considering they’re now ‘out of fashion.’”
Ahead, Sokunbi shares the key money moves that’ll transform your closet from season to season without going broke.
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Save Up Ahead Of Time
While for most people a transpiration of seasons may not midpoint a desire for a new wardrobe, Sokunbi says that it’s normal for people interested in malleate to want to invest in a trendy look. That’s why she recommends setting up an account just for shopping.
This is basically an worth where every month you can put a little bit of money that doesn’t impact your other financial goals or bills,” she says. “Then when times like this come when you want to do some shopping, have mazuma there, and you don’t have to worry well-nigh how to sire it.”
Shop Your Closet
Before you start shopping, Sokunbi says you should start with evaluating your closet to determine “any gaps on essentials that you unquestionably need,” from footwear and suit to traps and jewelry. For example, for the latest spring and summer fashion trends this months, you may be short on sandals, while in the fall and winter seasons, your wardrobe might be missing comfy turtlenecks. “That’s the first item you want to prioritize,” she says.
Don’t Overspend On Trends
While essentials are needed to survive each season, that doesn’t midpoint your style should be basic. Sokunbi says there is still room to shop for trends, plane if you’re trying to be financially responsible. “Determine what are the trends that you’re interested in,” she says. “And then squint at your wardrobe gaps and what’s in your closet to see if there are items you can add to stay on trend without having to buy a whole new wardrobe.
Create A Budget
Before you plane plan a shopping day or log on to your favorite e-commerce site, Sokunbi urges people to “determine the maximum value that you’re willing to spend.” That value will determine how much you will be worldly-wise to spend on essentials and trendy items. “You could probably find that you won’t be worldly-wise to buy every essential item, or that you are willing to spend your upkeep on one piece that financing increasingly but is higher quality,” she says.
While the upkeep depends on each person’s style and income, Sokunbi says she still recommends people to follow a 70/30 method. “That ways spending 70% [of your budget] on the cadre classics and 30% on trends,” she explains.
Get On The Resale Market
In specimen you’ve missed it, the resale market is booming. And that ways that consigning items in your closet may midpoint a good pay back. Sokunbi says this is a fitting strategy to build up your budget for some new gown each season. “It could be things that you have been wearing for a long time.
Things that you no longer like, that no longer fit you, or plane that you bought on an impulse purchase,” she says, subtracting that platforms like Poshmark, eBay, and The RealReal are good options to try, as well as clothing swaps with friends and family. “Remember that someone else’s trash is somebody else’s treasure.”
Sokunbi is moreover emphatic that, if you segregate to sell items, you need to be intentional well-nigh how you use the money. “I’m unchangingly intent on putting the money that I earn from that lanugo into flipside item,” she says. “This way you minimize how much you’re having to take out of your paycheck or your savings account.”