Official Participant in the Youth Media

As part of the third Youth Media Blog-a-Thon concerning money, I decided on doing a blog on budgeting. When you shop. It’s hard, I know, but you can do it!

My parents always made it a point not to talk about our family’s finances in front of us, but whether we were in good times or bad, we always stretched our dollars as far as they could go.

I pride myself in having inherited my parent’s good sense of budgeting. Even though my parents could afford to give me an allowance, they never did, because they knew if I had the money I would spend it on things I could do without, like my weak spot, shopping.

I still waste plenty of my time shopping, but I pride myself in the great deals I end up getting. Anytime someone compliments me on my clothes, they’ll soon hear the words “It was on sale!” I would say only 5% of the things I own were ever bought on full price.

Now, to keep your shopping from going out of hand, only take with you as much money as you are willing to spend. But let’s say you need a pair of jeans, and only want to pay up to $20 – only carry $20 with you. You won’t end up spending money you don’t have. And for those of you who have credit cards – leave them at home! You don’t need it. Credit cards are evil temptresses.

Then go to whatever stores you wish. And one of the most important tips – GO STRAIGHT TO THE SALE RACKS! No exceptions. Don’t buy anything that isn’t on sale. If you even glance at things that are full priced, you will be tempted to buy them, and then you’ll leave with broken heart because you didn’t bring enough money to buy those pricy items. By going straight to the sale rack, you are only looking at things you know you can afford, and usually if you spend enough time digging through the mess, you can find some pretty cool stuff.

If you absolutely cannot help going to the rest of the store, hide your wallet. Super Glue it shut. Do whatever it takes. But make sure you don’t spend the money. Than, go ahead and do some window-shopping. Whenever something catches your eye, observe what made it pop out – those buttons or colorful zippers on that sweatshirt look cool. Then, go back to the sales rack, and find a plain sweatshirt or something at a discounted price. Take it home, and make it wearable by adding your own flair to it. I like wearing colorful clothes, so I bought a ripped vest once, went home, found all the colorful buttons I could find, and sewed them all on to my vest. Ok. It sounds weird, but once you see it, it looks good. Every time I wear it, I get compliments on it because it stands out. And because I put my heard work into sewing all those little buttons, I have a great sense of pride whenever I put my vest on. Another way to personalize clothes is to get some colorful thread and put some stitches on your clothes. If you’re feeling fancy, embroider a flower, or a happy face. If stitching isn’t your thing, iron on some patches.

The great thing about adding your personal touch to your clothes is that no one else will have what you have. Most of the things that aren’t on sale are things that are the latest fashion – something everyone is wearing. But by personalizing your clothes, you make things that you like yourself, and something that is utterly unique.

Another great shopping tip is to go to flea markets. They have EVERYTHING. It’s like going on a fun treasure hunt with your friends. It’s entertaining to see the people there, let alone to scrounge around for some articles of clothing. Flea markets are usually already cheap, and you can almost always bargain to get a better deal. Again, they have things that the average department store won’t have, and every stand in the store sells something different from the next. I find it to be a great, fun adventure.

Now you’re all set. Happy, affordable, budgeted shopping!

-Maahum Chaudhry