A Guide: 6 Easy Tips to Creating Style While on a Budget.

Trying to keep up with the constant change in fashion trend can be an expensive affair. With each new year comes a change in clothing taste so much that last season's clothes feel outdated. To add to that, clothing needs change as seasons change, making staying fashionable seem like a lot of work especially when one is on a budget.

If you are anything like me, I'm sure you are not looking for crazy trends or head-to-toe designer looks. Instead, we want to keep it simple and classic with occasional trends thrown in and most of all easy to pull together.

Creating style to look fabulous while on a budget is about being skillful in how you dress and what you buy rather than buying anything and everything that is on sale. In doing this, you find yourself barely wearing a lot of the items because of the intent behind the purchase. The process of looking stylish and seasonal doesn't have to rack up expenses, as long as you know what pieces to select.

As someone who loves fashion and staying trendy, I have learnt a few tricks that has helped the way I shop and helps me stay fashionable on a budget. So, here are some of my tips:

1. Define your budget. This in my opinion is the most important. A budget is subjective. One person's "save" is another person's "splurge", but everyone works within some financial parameters. You can look fabulous while being smart with your money.

2. Find your style. If you want to have an enviable style while on a budget, knowing what you like and what you don't will save you so much time and money. It will also help you make better choices when shopping. Yes, our preferences and needs change drastically over the years, still we tend to stay stuck in a particular time when it comes to our clothing. Create a visual of what you like (you can use Pinterest). It is the most efficient way to make the most of your budget because it gives you a structure through which to filter your choices.

3. Look for staples first. The number one tip to building your closet is to make sure you have enough basics from which to create a variety of different outfits. This means neutrals (which includes patterns, animal prints, textures), form fitting blue jeans, decent jackets or blazer. The point is, these staples should be items that you can interchangeably mix in to fill your daily outfits. The beauty of investing in basics is that you don't have to go high-end, and for the most part, you can find these items on sale.

4. Save on luxury items. I'm also a huge fan of buying luxury items but there has to be a budget for it. There are items worth splurging on, specifically classic luxury items not just because they go with every season but because most times you get more than spent when you sell as used. An example is the Chanel classic leather bag. Now the prices of these bags are more on the aggressive end of the spectrum and as such must be budgeted for.

5. Create a Capsule wardrobe. A capsule wardrobe if you are not familiar with involves a set number of clothes that can mix and match with one another to create many outfits. You can also pair your capsule wardrobe pieces with seasonal and trendy pieces without having to invest in a large wardrobe. Having a capsule wardrobe will definitely help you create style while on a budget.

6. Avoid shopping on credit cards. The very thing you shouldn't do is charge all of your fashion items on your credit cards and rack up debt. One rule of thumb, if you can not pay off the balance in full when your statement closes, then DO NOT BUY IT!

"Fashion is like eating, you shouldn't stick to the same menu" ~ Kenzo Takada

xo