It is often said that impulse buying is a bad habit. A really bad habit. I'm just going to come out straight and say I disagree. Some of my best clothing articles were bought impulsively with no regrets. I don't think a lot of people can say the same.

Think about it: You have been longing for an A-line striped skirt for a very long time. So one day, you walk past a pop up store and behold! There's an A-line Striped skirt! You walk up- not to buy it ofcourse, just to take a look. Guess what? It's exactly your size. You check the price- very affordable. This must be a sign.

Do you then walk away because you didn't plan to shop?

I think not.

The truth is; there's a method to successful impulse buying. I'm sure you're wondering " How can something that's impulsive have a method?" I assure you, this method is why some are successful and others are not in the business of impulse shopping.


So what's this method?


THE MLB FOUR STEP GUIDE TO SUCCESFUL IMPULSE BUYING
To be honest, I really couldn't come up with a cooler name. (MLB = Mira La Belle.)


1. Know your style
I can not stress this enough. To be sure you are buying the dress because you love it (and not because it's 90% off), you need to be sure of what you like. True, that varies a lot. You could, for instance, think you like the dress because your friend insists (rather vehemently) that you look exceptionally good in it.

You might think that now but in years to come? Probably not. If you're going to buy something impulsively (or otherwise), you need to ensure it will capture your interest for a while.

Does it? Yes? Move on to step two!


2. Match the item with the rest of your wardrobe
Now that you're sure you like it, you need to make sure it goes with the rest of your wardrobe. This doesn't necessarily mean that it has to be similar to the items in said wardrobe, but it must flow. You dont want to buy a dress and not be able to pair it with anyhting in your closet.

Does the item flow with your wardrobe? No?

Then you probably shouldn't buy it unless you plan to buy it as a gift to someone. Or you plan to change your whole wardrobe. Which leads us to...


3. Can you afford it?
This should probably have been the first question but there are sometimes you're just willing to take the risk and borrow from a friend because it's that important. The amount being borrowed should be such that you could eventually repay, you just can't afford it at the moment. We are Frugalistas after all.

If yes, move on to the next step. If no, move on anyway because sometimes, there are some clothing items you just have to have. Can I get a #WORD?


4. If you leave now, would you remember the item for a long time?
This is the most important question in my opinion. Nothing haunts us like the thing we didn't buy, I tell you. There might be a time you'll be putting an outfit together in your head then you'll find yourself think "*Sigh*, If I only I bought those shoes". You might think you'll probably find it again but it doesn't always work that way.

If said item will haunt you, it means it probably passed all the tests (apart from number 3 ofcourse). If not, drop it. You'll find something better.


Remember- the goal is to buy a clothing item you won't regret buying.

We're going to be discussing how to balance your wardrobe for maximum functionality and enjoyment. I know it sounds technical (and/or downright cheesy) but there's really no other way I can put it. Are you enjoying the series so far? Shoot questions through my email or the comments section.

What's one item you didn't buy that still haunts you?


YOUR THOUGHTS?

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So you're passing by a store and you see that bag you've been lusting after. You stop dead in your tracks then run into the store thinking "I must have that bag!"

 It's definitely your style.

 Check.

 It certainly is top-quality, free of flaws.

Check.

Except... the price isn't quite within your range.

We all love quality clothing yes? Unfortunately, most quality clothing articles tend to be very expensive (unfairly so in my opinion). So do we then go for the cheap (probably trendy and not-so-quality) alternatives?

Aboslutely not.

In the long run, "cheap" clothes are actually more expensive. Think of it this way: How many times would cheap clothes need repairing or replacing? Far more times than your quality clothes would need replacing. So what's a frugalista (Frugal Fashionista) to do?

One word. Thriftshopping.


So you know how the world usually looks down on second hand clothing? Turns out thriftshopping (or Okrika to Nigerians) is the perfect solution for the frugalistas!  You get quality clothing at the price of cheap not-so-quality clothes.

Now that I've convinced you, (I'm quite confident in this argument) lets look at the four topics we'll be discussing:

1. Why no fashionista should look down on thriftshopping
2. Items you should and shouldn't buy while thriftshopping
3. Four useful thriftshopping tips

A knowledge of quality items and how to differentiate between fake and original clothing is crucial in thriftshopping.

 Let's get right to it!

Why no fashionista should look down on thriftshopping

Fashion 101: No truly fashionable person turns down a benficial fashion sale. Thriftshopping as far as I'm concerned is like an everyday sale.

Also, no truly fashionable person turns down an item he/she wants because it's not from a high fashion store. "Truly fashionable" being the key word on both accounts. A good find is a good find.

Any other reason for looking down on thriftshopping is acceptable I guess.

Items you should buy while thriftshopping
This depends on how durable the material of the clothing item is.

I recommend clothes made of stronger durable fabric, depending on the thread count and so on. Bags of a sturdier leather or fabric are suitable.

Items you really shouldn't buy while thriftshopping

-First on our hypothetical list is shoes. While there are some shoes that can indeed stand the test of time, I urge you not to take that risk.

 Why?

Shoes are not like clothes. Clothes are worn everyday but hardly put under the pressure that shoes are.

This tip doesn't apply if the shoes look really new. The person probably wore it twice. But if you can, buying brand new shoes is highly recommended.

-Secondly, clothes made of lighter less durable material/fabric. I've found that second hand clothes made of satin (and similar materials)don't make good investments.

You can of course buy satin and other less durable materials but these have to be calculated risks.

Now, to the practical part. We have discussed knowing your personal style to help you buy exactly what you like and fits into your style. We have also discussed differentiating between original and fake clothing.

Now, we're on to tips that'll help you in thriftshopping or otherwise.

Three useful thriftshopping tips

Trust me, these work. Took me a while to learn, but once I started appyling them, they made all the difference.

-Not all items are quality.

Thriftshopping mostly involves quality clothes. If the clothes could survive that long, they are probably quality. But the thing is, there are different levels of poor quality.

Some clothes are just slightly higher in quality and might have been able to survive just as long.

So what's the problem then?

Well, the problem is those clothes might be reaching the end of the life span. So after getting excited about your new dress, you might only get to wear it twice. So scout wisely.


- Don't ignore flaws

Yes, it's a good deal. The Marc Jacobs dress for only 95%  (or more) of the original price? Heck yes!

But... it has a spoilt zipper, some holes here and there and many more imperfections. Drop it. Yes, it's MARC JACOBS. Yes, the flaws can probably be easily repaired. Or so you think.

The dress would probably occupy your "Fix-it list" for so long, you'd probably get tired and just get rid of it.

- Take your measurements and/or taperule with you.

This recommendation is general, thriftshopping or not. Standard sizes are cool and all but not always accurate. I'm a Uk size 8 and a US size 4.

My aunt got me a killer red dress sometime ago. Before wearing it, I looked at the label and was thoroughly confused. It said "US Size 0". I was just like how can it be size zero and the hips are this big?I tried it on and the hips were slightly bigger than mine." Size zero" indeed.

I particularly recommend this for thriftshoppers because sometimes, the label where the size is written might have gone off (with the rest of the dress intact hopefully).

 - Bargain like a pro.

It's quite easy. Just start at a really low price (stating you have little to no money but you'd really like to have the item) and work your way up. Based on their reaction know whether to take a desperate, playful or threatening route. Reluctantly give in when the price suits you.

For a more thorough post (from me) on improving your bargainging skills, check this post out I wrote for a fellow blogger.

I hope these tips help immensely.

Next in this series is a post on impulse shopping. We'll be discusssing this "bad habit".

What thriftshopping tips have you acquired over the years?




BONUS: There's a free checklist of flaws to help you discern the quality of your clothing items.

You're welcome.

YOUR THOUGHTS?

Leave a link, let me know in the comments, I'd love to hear from you!

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How many times have you been asked to describe your style and started with "Uhm...." Then fumbled and came up with "Trendy", "Casual" or something similar?
We've all been there and seeing as the question, "How would you describe your personal style?" is fast becoming a really popular question, you really need to figure it out.

"But what does this have to do with being a #frugalista and working with your (limited) budget?" You might be wondering. This article is geared towards two things:
1. Helping you understand how your knowledge of your personal style greatly affects your budget.
2. Giving you an easy method of actually knowing and defining your personal style.

So how does knowing one's style come into play?

Put simply, knowing what you like helps you choose well, there by helping you spend less.
Not convinced?
Think of all the clothing articles you ever bought (probably because you thought you were getting a good deal) but never wore because you realized (a little too late) that you really didn't like them. You probably ended up giving them out.

Now, think of the money you could have spent instead on clothes that you actually like.

Knowing your style helps you know what specific clothing items to invest in rather than just buying clothes randomly.

So this begs the question... How do you know your personal style?

Let me tell you the truth. No one has one particular style. Even people with a generally casual style dress up once in a while. You probably fit into two or more fashion styles. The fact is, most times, our style varies based on occasion.

The key is to just know what you like, then find adjectives to describe those things you like.

Knowing what you like is not as easy as one might think.

So here's what you do: Get a piece of paper and write down things you like. Do this randomly, don't overthink it. Done?

Now, find adjectives that rightly describe a group of things you like.

For example, I have noticed I love earthy tones, sandals, florals, bulky natural jewellry and flowing maxis. The simple adjective here is "Bohemian".

But like I said, not a lot of people fit into one style and I'm one of them. I also like shirts, skater skirts and clothing items similar to the typical high school uniform. The right adjective here is "Preppy".

So if I were to describe my style for instance, I'd say "Preppy Bohemian" (my style isn't just preppy bohemian but we'll go with it in this case).

"Trendy" is an okay description but it's way too vague. An apt description is probably a combination of two or more styles since people usually fit into more than one.

Funky, Punk, Afro, Vintage, Retro, Classic, Bohemian, Preppy, edgy, urban, sporty, glamourous, corporate, Goth, victorian, lolita, laid-back, business-casual, the adjectives are endless.

In conclusion, being able to describe your style would in turn help you define your style which will help you choose well when you go frugal shopping.

N.B: There are so many styles in the world and I'd think it'd be fun to learn about them in an upcoming "Know your style series". Excited?

Now that we know what we like, on to the next step: Finding things we like that are cheap in price but expensive in quality.

The next post in this series would be covering Thrift Shopping (tips & tricks) which is the perfect marriage of our efficient definition of quality.

Let me know if you have any specific questions on the Frugal Fashion Series in the comments section or shoot me an email (ijennamirabelosuji@gmail.com).

Picture credit: All items in the collage can be found on Jumia.com

How would do you describe your personal style?

YOUR THOUGHTS?

Leave a link, let me know in the comments, I'd love to hear from you!

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SIMILAR POSTS

Frugal Fashion #1: What is Frugal Fashion?

Frugal Fashion #2: The difference between fake & original clothing | How to spot quality clothing items.

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Have you ever walked into a high-fashion (expensive) looking store expecting to find/splurge on top-quality clothing items only to walk away disappointed because the said store is full of not-so-top-quality items?

Expensive doesn't always mean quality and once you understand that, your wardrobe becomes much better and your pocket becomes immensely grateful to you. This begs the question... What exactly does quality mean?

I took a mini (teeny tiny) survey and 9 out of 10 people said that the first thing that came to their minds when quality was mention was in fact, "expensive".

I'm not necessarily an expert in this field but I think I've learnt a lot of quality (ha ha) lessons from my various mistakes while shopping and building my wardrobe.


By the end of this article, I want you to gain three very important things
1. A new efficient way to look at quality.

2. Know the difference between fake and original clothing

3. Sure-fire ways to actually spot quality.

Interested? Let's get right to it!


A New Efficient Way To Look at Quality
Instead of looking at quality as "expensive", why don't you look at it as "Free of Flaws"? So you when you're holding a clothing item, you don't wonder how expensive it is. You look for flaws. It's that simple. Makes more sense right?

Now for the frugal fashionista, We'll be looking at it a bit differently. As a frugalista, you don't just look for flaws when you pick that clothing item. You also look at the price tag.

The question should be, "How can I get an item that's free of flaws for a reasonable/affordable price?" So that way, you don't compromise on quality and your pockets aren't empty. It's a more efficient way.

Yes, finding a way to satisfy both parameters is quite difficult. I'll be covering that in this series too (so stay tuned!).


Know the difference between fake and original clothing
There is only one difference between fake and original clothing. I kid you not. Curious?

I couldn't bait you. The simple difference is in the workmanship. The manufacturer of the original clothing is trying to make a very good, long lasting clothing item, while the other is trying to make maximum profit from minimum resources. That's it in a nutshell.


Sure-Fire Ways To Actually Spot Quality
Now that we've started thinking of quality in more efficient terms, it's time for the practical part- how to actually spot these quality items.

Since we know that quality means "Free of Flaws", when judging quality, we look for flaws. Easy innit? The not-so-easy part is knowing exactly where to check. There are two ways you could go about this.

1. You could look through the eyes of the manufacturer and ask yourself the question- "If I were trying to efficiently cut costs to make maximum profit, where I exactly would I do that?"

2. I could just list out 3 ways manufacturers could try to cut costs for you and you use the lessons learnt from this post to figure the rest (plus a free checklist!). ;)

Since I would go with number two (naturally), here's the list of what to look out for when looking for flaws.


- Buttons and Embellishments
This is the easiest giveaway. If you're trying to cut costs, why make it so obvious? *shakes head sadly* Most cheap (in quality) clothes have rubbish (for lack of a better word) buttons. The buttons and embellishments look so fake, it's a giveaway.

If the buttons look good however, check how well they're sewn on. Very well?

Then that item has some quality. To pass the ultimate button quality test, a very flawless item would even go as far as giving you extra buttons. This simply means the manufacturer expects the clothing item to last long enough that you might have to change the buttons.


-Seams
How neat are the seams? When clothes are low-quality, the seams are almost always untidy or ripping apart. Dead giveaway.


- Fit
I wanted to go with thread count for the last one but what with the way flimsy materials are in fashion, it might not be as helpful so we'll go with fit.

Have you ever tried on a clothing item and it just doesn't look right? You think its your body so you make another person try it and it still doesn't... fit?

Low-quality clothes hardly ever have the right cut. The work done was shabby so it doesn't sit or fit right because of the poor workmanship. This should be easy enough to spot. I implore you- stay away from ill-fitting clothes. I made that mistake a lot. Ignore how pretty the dress is.


Remember- the goal is to for the item to be reasonable in price, expensive in quality.
While knowing how to combine the word quality and cheap (in price) is crucial as a frugalista, it is also important to define your style. Knowing what you like and don't like would make your frugal journey easier.


How? You'll just have to wait for the next post.
   What quality mistakes have you made on your fashion journey?

BONUS: There's a free checklist of flaws to help you discern the quality of your clothing items. Get yours here by signing up. You're welcome.

 YOUR THOUGHTS?


Leave a link, let me know in the comments, I'd love to hear from you!


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Facebook, Google plus and Blogloving, let's connect!

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I fancy myself a frugal fashionist. Wondering what that means, aren't you? Frugal fashion basically means fashion on a budget. Fashion on a low budget, to be precise. It could also be called affordable fashion or fashion for less.

The dictionary defines the word frugal as "Avoiding unnecessary expenditure either of money or of anything else which is to be used or consumed; avoiding waste". Of course, in this case, we are referring to the amount of money spent on fashion items.



This is the introduction to a series that's basically a guide to a frugal style. It's engineered towards helping you recognize your limits and working around them to achieve that killer- look people would compliment you on while staying true to your individual style. That's what we are all about at MLB- individual style on a (low) budget.

A student budget is definitely the worst in my opinion. We have books and other "more important" items to spend money on with a very limited inflow.

On my way to becoming a Frugal Fashionist...
 I remember when I started buying clothes for myself. I quickly took note of acceptable prices. By acceptable, I mean prices I could afford. There were so many awesome clothing articles but I started to understand shopping- you can't buy everything you like.

You just buy some stuff you like so you'd still have enough money for something else you might see and like even more. It was difficult and I could not understand how this could be a hobby.

Frugal Fashion tip: Thrift Shopping!
 Then I fell in love with thrift shopping. Not necessarily because it was cheaper (although that
played a very big part) but because most of the stuff I found were one of a kind (individual fashion, anyone?) I don't particularly like having the same accessories with everyone so this was a perfect fit.

This outfit costs far less than you would think. Hint: The bag was gotten for 200naira (less than $1).

Frugal Style is cheap in price but not in quality...

Then I had to learn the harder lesson- What was fake and what was original? I can now boldly say that I can tell the difference expertly (bahd guy tinz) but it wasn't so easy once upon a time. What with "Aba Guys" improving their skills and all.

That's one of the reasons I liked thrift shopping.

If the item could last such that it could be sold, it definitely had some quality. I also had to be able to tell which items were closer to their death and which ones weren't. As I look back on it now, it seems funny buy it wasn't then. I kid you not.

 Buying that dress you thought you liked...

 Then deciding on things I liked and didn't like was also a toughie. This might seem the easiest part like "how could you not know what you like? *puzzled*" but those of you who have taken friends along to the market know exactly what I'm talking about.

You see a dress and you're deciding whether you like it or not, next thing your friend starts dropping comments like "It looks so nice on you!" "It looks like something you would like!" "It's so you!" This might very well be true (or not- she might just want you to buy it so she can borrow it later) but it kind of leaves you confused. Next thing you know, you've had a dress for about 5 years that you've never worn.

I'm a living testimony.



 Wouldn't you rather buy...?

 Then what to spend a huge amount of money on or not. Save or splurge? This was the hardest. I remember about 5 years ago someone asked me- would rather spend 100,000 Naira on a bag or a weave? That was when the "human hair" craze was just starting. I asked in reply "Couldn't I just spend the money on a wardrobe of new clothes?" It seemed rather ridiculous to me to spend that amount on either of the items but I guess it's different strokes for different folks.

I learnt that figuring out what to spend money on has a lot to do with your interests, the items in question and how much money you have (for now and for the future)

Then how to balance it all out? A properly functioning wardrobe needs some kind of balance between expensive and cheap quality items and not-so-high quality items. Attaining that balance is very key.


In the frugal fashion series, the key topics to be covered will be:

• Recognizing quality items- because expensive isn't necessarily equal to quality.
 
• Helping you define your style- because knowing what you like will help you be more frugal and cut down unnecessary purchases.
   
• Thrift Shopping- what it is, the pros & cons and how to thrift shop like a pro.
   
• When to save or splurge- what to spend large amounts of money on.
  
• Impulse buying... A bad habit?
  
• How to balance your wardrobe- because everything in your wardrobe won't necessarily be cheap in price.

Frugal doesn't mean stingy. A frugal fashionist is one who recognizes limits in one's budget and strives to overcome those limits by getting items that are cheap in price but expensive in quality.

 I look forward to your response to this series. Do you have any shopping stories/experiences to to share? Let me know in the comments, I'd love to hear from you.


Enjoyed this post? Do me a favour, share with all your friends!

 Don't forget to keep up with MLB by subscribing and following on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Google plus and Blogloving, let's connect!

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