Skint Girls’ Guide to Shopping

In the words of the philosophical genius and champion of the lady humps,  Fergie: ‘IF YOU AIN’T GOT NO MONEY TAKE YOUR BROKE ASS HOME.’

So… we’re safely at home. If you and your broke ass are too, then this post is for you. I’ve been meaning to write this for a while, as Lauren and I are staunch believers that being skint is no excuse to not go shopping. It’s an excuse to not pay your rent, yes, and definitely an excuse to get away with living off Flumps and tap water for a week – but to not go shopping? We think this is simply showing a lack of dedication to the shopping cause, and we have some handy tips to help you shop on a budget.

1. Go Global
I harp on about this quite a lot already, but the amount of bargains I have had delivered from China recently is mad – mad I tell you, mad.  Everything from false eyelashes and cosmetic storage, to jewellery and clothes can be found so much cheaper online if they’re being shipped from China. My main source for tracking down these bargains is, of course, eBay. As well as good dupes of UK high street pieces, there are also some really unique stores selling things you wouldn’t find here in the UK. Here is one seller that I’m particularly obsessed with at the mo – cow-print shorts? It can’t be me that thinks these are so wrong they’re right? Of course with international deliveries comes quite a long waiting period – usually around 2-3 weeks, though I’ve had some things turn up after just 9 days or so – but as long as you shop in advance then this isn’t too much of a problem.

2.Finding the highstreet on eBay
Of course, my next tip was going to have to involve eBay too. If you don’t fancy the long shipping period of international shopping, or are looking for some recognisable British high street brands then there are a couple of ways to hunt these down on eBay. Obviously, you have the auctions where you can find either second hand pieces (often only worn once so don’t be a snob, especially if you’re skinto) or the occasional BNWT (Brand New With Tags to any non-eBayers out there) gem. If you filter your search to ‘New’ only then you can have your page filled with brand new items at cheapy prices. Another great way to find cheap high street items on the site is by searching for ‘ex’ items. I don’t really know how these come to be sold by these sellers – something to do with them being manufacturers’ overs – but there are plenty of supposedly ex-Topshop and ex-ASOS items to be found. I’ve had one or two of these before and can confirm that they’ve seemed to be authentic, but at usually around a third of what you would expect to pay for them in the shop. BARGAIN.

3. Discount Codes
Nothing can tempt you into making an online order quite like  the promise of free next day delivery or 20% off with your own exclusive discount code. Online retailers know this, and this is why they’ll occasionally throw these little treats our way. However, these discount codes aren’t really that occasional at all – 9 times out of 10, there are discount codes floating around for your favourite store that you just don’t know about. A quick Google of a phrase such as ‘Missguided discount code’ will bring up numerous sites (Latest Fashion Deals being just one that I quite regularly turn to) that will list all the latest offers or discounts available on that site. The amount of times I’ve managed to shave 10 or 20% off an order is amazing, and guess what magically happens? About 80% of your shoppers guilt is shaved off at the time. Magic, hey?

4.Check Online First
I particularly use this tip when it comes to buying new beauty items. Boots and Superdrug are the two dominant beauty shops on the high street, with both stocking most of the same brands and products. The chances are most of us will pay a cheeky visit to both of these establishments during our shopping trips, and often it’s just a case of which one we head into first that will determine which one reaps the rewards of our impulse shopping. There’s nothing more annoying, though – and I mean NOTHING – than finding out that one of them has a huge offer on a brand after you’ve just paid full price for the same products at the other one, so have a quick check online before you head off shopping to see which is the best place for the bits you know you might want.

I hope you’ve found some of these tips remotely useful. As the old saying goes, ‘take care of the pennies and the pounds take care of themselves and you have even more pennies to spend on other junk’!

Do any of you have any more tips for shopping on a budget? Share them in the comments section! 

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