Olumurewa Damilola

 In this hard economy you do need to reconsider, rethink and re-evaluate your spending choices right from what you eat to what you wear. In a society  where people judge one based on the number of outfits one has lying in a wardrobe, there is the pressure to level up one’s expenses on clothes whereas it is not necessary if we can just know how to make use of the few outfits we have and know how to turn them into  useful pieces.

The first step one needs to take into consideration while styling on a budget is to go thrift shopping. Thrift Shopping is now a common thing nowadays because they are cheap and affordable compared to the new clothes sold in boutiques. Besides, there are varieties of clothes available in thrift stores ranging from skirts, sweatshirts, socks, belts, to cargo pants, and maxi gowns for different sizes. Thrift wears are best known for their cheap prices so one might as well take advantage of that. 

The next thing to consider is how to make use of the internet such as using social media platforms including Pinterest and Instagram to search for ideas on how to recreate your clothes in different styles. These platforms really help in maximising one’s limited outfits. For instance, a button down T-shirt could be styled in different ways; it could be worn as a T-shirt, as a gown for girls, as an inner over a suit for guys. The T-shirt could be styled in different ways on different days and occasions so there is no need to bother about having a lot of shirts when one can style a short in different ways through the aid of the aforementioned social platforms.

  In addition, on Pinterest, one can learn clothes hacks like turning ties to belts. It saves from buying belts every now and then. Another one is turning a long  skirt to a gown so that one skirt can pass for a gown and also serve its purpose as a skirt. Furthermore, a long trouser for men could be cut down to a short knicker, while a scarf can be used to make a blouse. In fact, you can get creative ideas such as using various ties as skirts, how to make proper use of scissors to cut out different piece of dress and the likes. Another fun thing about learning in these platforms is that a particular cloth like a T-shirt can be worn in different ways that would spark curiosity on if it is actually that same shirt that is being worn in various ways. Apart from saving money, learning from these platforms turns one into a creative one.

Also,  while shopping for clothes, one way to avoid overspending is to pick a particular dress or clothe that can go with anything when it is styled. For instance, a baggy jeans pants can go with a T-shirt , a round neck top, a hoodie, and a sweatshirt. Also, round neck tops for both male and females can be matched with basically anything just like how the colour black goes with almost anything. One can settle for colours such as black, brown and white, as they complement most colours. 

Lastly, wasting money on clothes can be avoided by making smart choices like recreating outfits into different styles and by shopping wisely in the right places thereby, saving resources and creating room for exploring and tapping into one’s creative side.