How To Find the Cutest Styles at the Best and Most Affordable Prices

Have you ever struggled with finding affordable items that you like, are of good quality, and are actually in stock? We've all been there, and sometimes online shopping can be a real pain. If you're anything like me, you like to save some money when it comes to shopping but want to find stylish items that suit you and your fashion sense.

They always say online shopping is the easiest way to go, but what happens when the styles you like are sold out, too expensive, or not what you expected?! The struggle of online shopping real, I know! Buttttt, I also know that there's some fun when it comes to online shopping because everything is at the tip of you're fingers--literally everything! It's just a matter of finding it.

This blog post will walk you through my process of online shopping and how I find the cutest styles at the best and most affordable prices. Some of my favorite style deals I've found that you guys have loved can be seen here, here, here, and here.

So let's get right to it and let me teach you how to find the best and most affordable deals when it comes to shopping online!

Each season, I usually tend to buy items from multiple retailers roughly around the same time to stock my wardrobe with new items for the upcoming season. This is what I call my "seasonal haul." Retailers I typically purchase from and have recently are Shein, Forever 21, Gap, Old Navy, and Target. These stores are my absolute go-to's for finding cute styles at affordable prices!

Didn't catch that?

My GO-TO stores for finding cute styles at the most affordable prices:

Target

Forever 21

Shein

Gap

Old Navy

Now I'm not saying I don't purchase throughout the rest of the season, because I typically do, but in this case the haul idea works better.

When I'm shopping online at a retailer, I usually tend to go through the "Newest Arrivals" first, which will now lead us into my first piece of advice I have for you.

Tip #1: Shop "Low-to-High" and set a mental price budget per piece

Oh-so-typical I know, but I shop prices "low-to-high," so that way I can set a mental budget for myself for when I'm scrolling through the items and I see the price point go above $X amount, I move onto another page.

Shopping this way allows you to see everything that is within your price point within every category. This brings us to Tip #2.

Tip #2: Take advantage of the categories and the search bar! They are your best friend.

Like I said, I usually start with the "Newest Arrivals" tab, but my search is far from over when that's all wry and dry. I hit the categories and search tab like no other. I'm like a mad-man married to them, for like a week straight (we'll get into this) whenever I have the time to hunt down items.

By browsing different categories, you can get pretty narrow when it comes to your selections. Most online retailers have the option for you to filter what's shown to you by style, color, hem, print, pattern, and the list goes on! Take advantage of this. This is where I've found some of my cutest styles. I take my time to sort by color, by pattern, I search for item specifics such as "black striped peplum blouse," or "striped high-waist shorts," or "floral print balloon sleeved blouse." It's okay to get specific on these sites because that's what they are there for!

As I find items I like, I add them to my cart...even if I'm not 100% or iffy on them! This brings us to Tip #3.

Tip #3: Add every item you like to your cart and sort through them later

It kind of sounds wild, I know. This could lead you to some danger, but if you have a mental budget already set, there's no better time some good self-control skills could come in handy for!

If I like an item, I'll add it to my cart. This can sometimes be a long process, because if I'm really ready to go in on a seasonal haul, I will spend days looking at almost everything on the site---or as much of it as I can find. So my cart will sometimes add up, but once I get to the point where I'm ready to make my purchase, I go and sort through the items.

A few questions to keep in mind when sorting through the items and trying to decide if they're a buy or bye:

-Do I love it?

-Why did I like it in the first place?

-In what ways can this item be styled with pieces I already own?

-Does the color fit my style/wardrobe?

-Am I buying this because it is an absolute need or will I only wear it a couple of times and forget about it?

This is honestly one of my favorite parts of the process because some of the things I put in my cart then look at again when I'm checking out I honestly get confused about because I actually hate it when I'm ready to check out and I wonder what the heck I was thinking in the first place lol. This leads me to Tip #4.

Tip #4: Wait a few days and think on it.

Yup, I said it. This is one thing I'm glad I started to do with my most recent orders. I've taken about a week or so to think on all of the items in my cart before actually buying them, and it's made me 1. Way more excited to receive the items that I just love that have never left my cart, 2. Get rid of items that overtime I grew old of even before purchasing, and 3. Best of all: see if anything goes on sale!

Waiting a few days can be well worth it because if one of the items in your cart goes out of stock, it wasn't meant to be (my motto, always), and when the day comes that you're ready to purchase and you've got a cart full of items that you just absolutely love because you were patient, I promise you won't regret waiting and it makes you 10 times more excited.

Now that I've mentioned sales, this brings me to my final piece of advice, Tip #5.

Tip #5: Know your sales.

Sales....everyone's best friend.

I'm not talking clearance, I'm talking sales.

Sales are promotions retailers put on fairly occasionally to offer deals on new items, get rid of the old, honor a holiday, surprise their customers with a flash sale, or all of the above. When it comes to online shopping, having a good radar on sales is key because that's when you'll find your favorite styles at their lowest price.

Many retailers offer more sales online than in stores which is also a plus because it gives you better a better opportunity to find a good deal. What I tend to do when it comes to shopping.

I leave this tip for last because it correlates with every single tip that comes before. Waiting for a sale may be a few days process, but isn't that better than purchasing something at full price then having it go on sale literally one or two days after you've paid for it? Been there, done that!

Waiting for sales is a main reason I get a lot of my clothes at affordable prices. Plus, on top of sales, many retailers have coupon codes lingering around online that you can use to get extra money off or sign up to their email list to receive a welcome offer! Some places I know that are almost always running sales are Old Navy, Gap, and Shein.

I really hope this advice was helpful and helps you find some awesome deals! It's one thing to be a shopper and it's another thing to be a good shopper. Any questions? Shoot me a DM on Instagram or fill out my Ask Abby form for a chance to have your question featured on an upcoming blog post!

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Until next time, babes.

Xoxo,

Abby

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