How To Shop More Sustainably When You Are On A Budget

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In the words of Kanye West, you may be “rocking Forever 21 buy ya just turned 30.” If you’re feeling it’s time to upgrade the quality of your clothes, but your pockets are preventing you from heading into the upper echelon of the clothing, then you will want to continue reading. As sustainability becomes more of a hot topic and people are trying to make choices better for the environment, reducing (or completely stopping) your fast fashion shopping, is at the top of the list.

Unfortunately, sustainable shopping is honestly, more expensive upfront (and less expensive in the long run). I explain to people that there is truly nothing that costs $5.00. If an item is cheap, someone is paying for it. It may be the individual who made it (lack of fair wages or working conditions) or it may be in the form of the fabric choice (polyester is one of the worst fabrics for the environment as they are made from petrochemicals and non-biodegradable). If you’re on a budget or of lower socio-economic status, you may think that sustainable shopping is not for you.

This is not true!

There are many options to help you stay on trend and think first about the environment. Keep reading for tips.

Thrifting.

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Thrifting is an art in and of itself and when done right, you can walk out with designer clothing and fashion gems for a fraction of the price. In fact, most of my “big purchases” or designer clothing has been thrifted. I admit, thrifting is not a quick process; however, there is a satisfaction when you get a major buy at a discounted price. You can thrift at stores like Buffalo Exchange or your local consignment shop. One of my best thrifting tips is to go thrift when you are in a different city (especially if it’s one where people are rich). I go and thrift in the most expensive neighborhoods because these are where the housewives like to drop off their Chanel they no longer want. I also like to thrift in warm weather cities for cold weather clothing. You get the cheapest finds because no one is looking for this.

My best thrift find was a fur coat that I bought in Naples, Florida. I paid about 10% of the original price.

Thrift Online.

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There are online shops where people are selling their clothes for extra money or even starting whole online shops. You can purchase on Ebay or Poshmark; however, because they are so popular, you might not find as good of a deal. Shop sites like Model Citizen or even private Facebook consignment groups for deals and steals you cannot even imagine.

Model Citizen is a peer-to-peer shopping platform that allows women to shop each others’ closets for rentals and sale. You can rent a big purchase item (like this Goyard bag) or buy a designer item from a user at a lesser price. They also feature women owned brands and are currently featuring BARBER, a sustainable clothing line.

So you can discover new brands for a fraction of the price. Facebook consignment groups have users that list pieces they want to sell. Sometimes you can even negotiate with the seller for an even deeper discount!

Online Sales.

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It’s annoying because who wants to hear about “X Brand” and their 10% off discount on a select item every other day. However, signing up for these lists also let you know first when things are going on sale. You can also plan your shopping around Black Friday or Christmas time to take advantage of brands that are vying for your consumer dollars.

For high-end designers, while the individual designer may not have a sale, Barneys NY or Nordstrom often have sales that give great discounts a couple of times a year.

Sample Sales.

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If you live in a big city like New York City or Los Angeles, then you should be taking advantage of sample sales. You can sign up for free websites like Top Button who will keep you in the loop of the latest sample sales. For limited time only sample sales, try to go on the first day (or become a VIP member) so you can get to the items before others. By the last day coveted items or bigger sizes tend to be completely gone or sifted through.

Outlet Mall.

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An outlet mall can be your best friend. While some of the clothes can be a season behind, if you are looking for work clothes, an occasion dress or even a fun pair of shoes, then you can rack up for less. Some of my favorite outlet stores are Bloomingdales Outlet and Nordstrom Rack. I love Nordstrom Rack because they have shoes that go up to size 12.

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