It has been
acknowledged, by my-self anyway, that to some extent as human beings we are
never quite satisfied with anything or everything, continuously wanting more
and more. Personally I know that even if I save up for months to purchase a
skirt, a jumper or perhaps even a pair of new heels, afterwards I will ‘need’
something else, be it a Kenzo phone case or the latest issue of Company
magazine. As an avid shopper and fashion follower I often find it difficult to
invest in the ‘most happening’ trends and, if you like, dress for a champagne
lifestyle on a lemonade budget. With pricey shops like Topshop and Zara, where
a basic jumper, as beautiful as it may be, will roughly cost you a hefty £40,
ruling the high street it’s often difficult to get value for money. Here, for
all you bargain hunters and struggling fashion fanatics, I’ve compiled a list of
my top stores for shopping on a budget:
Asos
Like any e-commerce
site Asos is quick and easy shopping. Selling brands from Primark to Vivienne
Westwood the site attracts people of all ages, styles and incomes. With dresses
sold from £6, Asos is great for budget shopping, finding clothing for a
multitude of occasions. I find its versatile Jersey basics, in addition to its jewellery line,in particular good
value. See below for my Asos budget top picks:
Monki
As someone who only
discovered Monki about 6 months ago I’m a relative newbie to the brand; however
the store, which claims to express personality and care for the planet, is growing
on me. I particularly like Monki as it sells products, which are often quite
unusual and foreign to fellow high street stores i.e. their raincoat, for
moderate prices e.g. their £25 blazers. Also, Monki does sell some items which,
like New Look, are slightly more expensive; this allows shoppers like myself to
buy a mixture of cheap basic products, which are relatively easy to accumulate,
and combine them with more expensive and sophisticated pieces e.g. the Lana
Blazer
Forever 21
One of the things I love
the most about Forever 21 is that unlike many other moderately priced stores,
it still continues to sell the latest trends and at a good quality. Selling a
vast amount of products from cocktail dresses to tracksuits it is very possible
to construct outfit from the brand for under £50. Similar to Asos, Forever 21
almost spoils the consumer for choice, offering 1000’s of variations of product
type. I find this trait a particularly good one as it offers customers who are on
a multitude of incomes & who have their own individual style, to access
good quality, on trend products, quickly and cheaply.
H&M
I always find
H&M a chaotic, often unorganised haven of garments which when visited,
consists of a long period of time rummaging through rails and rails of standard
and somewhat boring products. I do however feel that regardless of the shopping
experience, H&M, well the one in my area anyway, stocks some items which
would give Topshop a run for their money. Budget wise I would class H&M as
reasonable, selling a mixture of high priced and relatively cheap products. I find
H&M shoes and jackets in particular pretty good value for money. Here are a few of my favourite H&M budget picks:
New Look
I always
find that New Look is a bit of controversial brand and although many may argue
that it probably isn’t the greatest brand to purchase from when shopping on a
budget, I’d have to disagree. I will acknowledge and agree with the fact that
New Look does sell some items which come close to, if not above the £50 mark; however
the majority of the stock is relatively cheap. I find that New Look does
unbelievably good value shoes, selling boots for as little as £19.99- which
compared to other high street stores is very little. New Look also has tendency
to sell really low priced knitwear which is inevitably rather useful in the
British Climate!
T.K. Maxx
T.K. Maxx is great place to find designer clothing from the likes of
Stella McCartney etc. for a reduced price. Although the website itself is
useful to see a small range of their products it does not cover the same extent
of garments as found in the stores; I recommend any serious bargain hunters to
visit the stores themselves, which are a treasure troves of cheap designer
garments, and rummage the rails for the best finds. I find that T.K. Maxx sells
a good range of occasion wear, selling ball gowns, wedding and cocktail dresses
at a fraction of the price elsewhere. Additionally the brand sells great quality shoes with Kurt Geiger’s
sold for as little as £25.
Primark
I have a love hate
relationship with Primark. It can be said that one can never experience
shopping in such a way anywhere else as they would in Primark. Shopping in an
overcrowded and unorganised store at the weekend is my worst nightmare. A trip
to Primark usually involves a long period of time rummaging through heaps and
heaps of products and queuing, be it for the changing room, the cash register
of sometimes even to get into the store itself. The thing about Primark is that
although some give it a bad name, if you look around thoroughly it does
actually sell some nice garments and it’s always my store of choice when
purchasing pyjamas, jersey basics etc. In addition to its very low cost
products, Primark has begun to feature its stock on Asos. This, to me anyway,
is great news as although only a few products are currently available to buy on
Asos it relieves the stress of going into the store itself, something which I’m
aware puts many of the stores.
Missguided
For me missguided.co.uk
is the site of choice when searching for occasion wear etc. on a tight budget. Although
the brand does also sell a range of more casual items such as knitwear, I find its
dresses are one of the best things about the brand, selling them from as little
as £7.49 (sale price.)In particular I think Missguided’s most successful garments
are the most simple ones i.e. plain LBDs etc. The brand is also really good for
body con products, selling bodies, dresses, skirts and tops like this for very
little. Although I like the brand and feel it’s great value for money, I’m not
sure how fond I am on their more casual wear pieces.
Ebay
Ebay, for any money
loving, fashion following person like myself it is pretty much a god send. With
a large amount of products coming from international sellers it’s fairly easy
(no IT wizardry required) for anyone to grab themselves a bargain online. Ebay
allows shoppers to either ‘Buy it Now’ or ‘Bid’, either of which have certain
consequences; the bidding option can be great, especially when you secure
yourself an item for as little as 99p. It can also however lead to a bidding
war, where the £1:50 you just bid quickly escalates to £150. Alternatively
choosing to buy it (as in the product) now, eliminates the possibility of
competition between other potential buyers but simultaneously eliminates the
prospect of getting the product any cheaper. I find ebay a great tool for
shopping on a budget as it not only allows you to purchase unloved garments
from around the world, at a low price, but also provides you with the
opportunity to generate your own money by selling your unwanted items.
Generally I’d say ebay was rather good when on a tight shopping budget and I
find it particularly useful when purchasing and locating vintage pieces etc.
The site is also great for purchasing items which have sold out elsewhere-
however in these situations the products often come embellished with a hefty
price tag.
