Feeling at home

I have been away so long that I’ve hardly done any blogging, and I’m sorry about that! Now that I’m back, I have so much to catch up on! The one thing that I missed while I was away, was the Joburg shopping. I shop all the time! And being away, I missed out on a large portion of the January sales, which are divine! To make up for it, I’m going to have to raid the left over stock tomorrow to see what I can find. So much of my clothing was bought on sale, and always at such a fraction of the price. And it always makes me feel great when people complement a piece of my clothing, and secretly I know it was bought on sale. It makes me feel like I’m cheating the system somehow! I see sales as a great way to save money, or to use the money you save to buy more things, leaving you with twice as much as you bargained for!

I know it’s a bit late, but there will always be a sale somewhere, so I wanted to share with you some tips about sales:

1. Be patient! If you see something you like but you can’t afford, or rather what i say, is not worth as much as they are asking for (something that you won’t wear forever, a fashion item or a statement item), ask the shop assistant when their next sale is, and wait it out. It’s a tricky situation, because the item might not be there when the sale is on, but it’s a risk you have to take when it comes to clothes you can’t afford or don’t need.

2. RELAX! I know i need to. When i walk into a sale, my mind goes bonkers! I want to grab anything that looks remotely nice, and I end up picking up things i don’t want, because the excitement makes me rush. Rather go slow. Chances are the item will still be there in a few minutes. Walk around the shop as you usually would. Pick up pieces that you like, as well as ones that you are not sure about. Then go stand somewhere and look through what you have. There is no point picking things up you will never wear just because they are on sale. You will just end up feeling disappointed when you are going through the clothing deciding what you want to buy, and you end up with a lot less than you had.

3. When deciding what to buy, think rationally. Think ahead. There is no point buying something that you will never wear. I always try imagining myself wearing it on an occasion, and then try think of what shoes and accessories of mine would go with it. It needs to fit into your wardrobe; otherwise you will never end up wearing it. Ask yourself "if this wasn’t on sale, would i buy it?" if the answer is no for a reason that hasn’t got to do with price, then put it down.

4. When i go shopping, I wear my shopping outfit! Black skinny jeans and a black strapless vest. The whole point is to be plain and fitting. The reason for this is that you can use your clothing as a blank background. You can hold up clothes or accessories without your clothing clashing with them. If you are wearing bright colours or patterns, you won’t be able to judge the item accordingly, because your clothing might not match it or make it seem too bold. Another good reason is that I don’t always want to take my clothes off to try things on. wearing simple clothes allows you to put T shirts, Jackets, even skirts on over your clothes to see if you like it. If you do, you can then fit it properly.

4. Don’t overspend. When things are on sale, because each item is cheaper, you tend to choose more. The problem is, it all adds up, and generally it’s more than what you bargained for. Make sure you constantly keep a tally in your head so that you don’t get a surprise when you get to the till.

5. Have a sale budget. Before going to a sale, decide on how much you want to spend. Draw that cash or limit yourself, so that when that amount is finished, you are finished shopping. An item has to be DE-fricken-VINE if you want to go over that amount, but having to draw more cash, or use a card when you have been spending cash all day, will make you think it through before you do it.

I hope that you can use these tips one day and that you find/found amazing pieces in the January sales. Like i always say, have fun with sales. If it’s an item or style that you would love to try out but are not sure of, a sale is the time to try it! It’s not as expensive, and chances are, you will love the style on yourself, but at least if you don’t, you won’t feel as guilty!

“In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different.” Coco Chanel