I would say 87.3% of the clothes I wear come from J. Crew, and I’ve had friends ask how I afford to shop there so often. Well my friends, I VERY RARELY buy things full price. I pretty much have shopping on a budget all down to a science by now and I thought I could share some tips for I purchase items from J.Crew, Anthropologie, Lululemon, and the likes.

I recently purged a lot of items in my closet, and have been rethinking my personal style so I am in the process of purchasing some wardrobe essentials!

5 Tips for Curating Your Closet

Wait– Yup, I know waiting can be annoying. But the item you see on the front of the website will go on sale in about a month (at least at J.Crew this is true). So wait a little bit and check back. This is also helpful in deciding whether or not you really need this item, or if you just wanted the satisfaction of buying something. Also, when you take the time to wait you can truly decide if you want the “name brand” version, or if the almost identical, yet less expensive version at Old Navy will work for you just as well!

eBay– I know eBay scares a lot of people but after you get the hang of it, it becomes a real gem. I have bought quite a few out of stock J.Crew items and Lululemon pieces from here. Most of the time I buy them “brand new” meaning they have never been worn before, but a little bit a wear definitely makes it more affordable. The bidding aspect can become a little addicting at times (the endorphins from winning a bidding war is crazy!) but that is honestly the cheapest way to do things as some of the “buy now” prices are more expensive.

Make a list– Categorize your closet and look at what you really need. Then when you actually get to the store you have specific knowledge of what you actually need and not something that is just “cute.” If you know you have too many items stuffed in your closet, check out some tips for decluttering here! 

Buy in opposite seasons– Clothes tend to go on sale when they are not in season, so this is a great time to stock up. Think things like shorts and dresses at the end of the summer/beginning of fall season and sweaters and coats at the end of the winter season/beginning of spring.

Use Ebates– If you’re not using EBATES, you need to get on it ASAP. For almost everywhere you    shop online, you can get a percentage of your purchase back in CASH MONAYYY. If you have the plug-in installed, it will remind you each time you head to an online store, to activate the cash back feature. It’s like getting paid to shop, hah! Sign up using my referral link here!

Where I Shop:  

jcrew.com

jcrewfactory.com

madewell.com

Oldnavy.com

loft.com

asos.com 

ebay.com

Lululemon: “We Made Too Much” 

It takes time to curate the closet of your dreams but be patient, shop the sales and it can happen!

Disclaimer: Referral links were included in this post. This means that if you sign up for something linked here I will receive a commission.