Blogging on a budget

Blogging on a budget. It's something that sprang to mind and is probably more poignant than ever at this time of year for those of us who blog, who read blogs and who have a general love  addiction to shopping including me for all of the above!

I decided to write a post on this, purely because I myself am struggling financially at the moment (which is all self inflicted) due to buying too many 'must have' items of clothing the past few months; cue sighs. The way I have justified it is that believe it or not I have managed to lose almost 2 stone from turning gluten and dairy free in the past nine months. Being able to wear things I wouldn't have dreamt of before, and replacing must needed essentials has meant that my semi healthy shopping addiction is now somewhat of a massive problem.

The way in which I look at it is that for those of us out there who blog, whether it be for 100 readers or 10000 we are always thinking about the next outfit that we can feature in a post. The temptation of never wearing anything twice for the fear or being labelled 'boring' or 'too much of the same' does flicker in and out of my mind more often than not. You know what; were all only human and realistically everyone even our favourite super bloggers wear clothes more than once. 

I want to give some easy to live by tips for all of you out there to keep your wardrobes exciting without having to break the bank; something I know all of us will struggle with as some point or another and especially now that Christmas is approaching.

Having the needed 'essentials'

If we make sure that our wardrobes contain all the basics it should, we enable ourselves to introduce different items and change outfit looks easily. For example, having a few white, black and grey t shirts albeit 'boring' really helps when it comes to mixing and matching. This goes for shoes, bags, jumpers trousers etc. By having a few simple pairs in a style that suits our body shape it means that 

all you need to jazz an outfit up or make it different is a bit of jewellery or a fun bag.

Affordable ways to keep up to date

Not all of us are lucky enough to earn 60k a year, or get sent numerous samples by PR companies to keep. So this means we have to be inventive when trying to change the look of an outfit without breaking the bank each month. The simple solution is to concentrate on accessories. Yes trends change frequently, and yes we want to keep up with this, but an easy way to do this is by investing a small amount of money into things that can radically change a white shirt and a pair of black jeans.

Having different types of jewellery (and not expensive) can really help. Topshop, River Island, Warehouse are to name but a few places to get some excellent on trend accessories for affordable prices. Next time your heading out, or planning an outfit post why don't you think about mixing pieces you have already worn and used and bring it to life with a new pair of earrings or a patterned / coloured scarf.

Keeping it simple

The simple and unplanned outfits are often the best. I used to be a stickler for prints and crazy colours when it came to clothes, and it didn't take me long to realise that this made it almost impossible to interchange outfits. Prints are a fantastic way of getting across who you are and colour is amazing for showing your style, but if your trying to save a few pounds, the easy way to incorporate print or colour into an outfit is by adding accessories or a statement tee. When you are buying new things think about what in your wardrobe they will go well with and if you have enough clothes already to match them up with. If you cannot make at least five outfits-then ditch it (unless it is a really amazing item!).

Finally: Be you

This one sounds like the easiest tip but I think it can sometimes be the hardest. With social media at our fingertips for most of the day, it is hard not to come across images and photos of people we'd rather be or look like. This is something that not only affects us women but men too. Remember who you are and if you blog like me, why you started your blog. I can guarantee most of you will have begun it for yourselves, and having readers and followers is a massive plus! Wear what you feel comfortable and most importantly confident in; thats what people will enjoy seeing most. Be proud of who you are and remember to always stick by what you love.

Thats it for now; I hope you've enjoyed this different type of post. Sorry for the rambling and happy tuesday everyone!

S x