Cheaper to Keep Her?: 12 Tips on How to Save... But Look Expensive When You Shop

One thing I gotta give to my mama is props on making me a smart shopper. So often I get people who ask me where I buy things, and are legitimately surprised when I reveal a price point lower than what they were expecting. If you want to know how to get stuff on the low-low while still looking pretty expensive, keep reading boo.

1️⃣ ONLY SHOP WHEN THERE ARE SALES. I wish I would have asked my mom to take me to the mall when there weren’t any sales going on growing up. I can feel her breath hitting my face from yelling at me now lol. I get we all see pieces we fall in love with when there isn’t a sale, but TRUST ME, if it’s still there when there’s a sale going on, that’s when you know it was TRULY meant to be. If it isn’t, I just take that as God telling me it would have sat in my closet regardless (y’all KNOW this happens, don’t play ✋🏽). Besides, if it’s still there when the sale starts, that likely means that most people didn’t buy it anyway, meaning it will be a more unique fashion piece to your closet. The more unique a piece is, the more expensive it appears. The watch I’m wearing in the photos is from Macy’s on sale (unique but expensive looking), originally ~$90, on sale $50.

2️⃣ GO TO THE CLEARANCE RACK FIRST. Some of y’all be TRIPPIN’ going straight to the new arrivals section. Nah bruh, take me to the big red sign that reads “clearance” please. Last chance to buy means the lowest price. If I even THOUGHT about going to any section other than the clearance rack first when I was younger, Mrs. Alexander made SURE to grab hold of my shirt and drag me over to that big red sign. Thanks Mom. I got this dress online at ShoppeInsideOut.com’s clearance rack for only like, $12.

3️⃣ CHECK FOR A DISCOUNT CODE BEFORE YOU BUY. I follow all the stores I shop at, online and offline, on social media. If I buy ANYTHING, I search the store pages’ most recent posts, their stories (they be hiding them in there sometimes lol), their online homepages for any pop ups, JoinHoney.com for hidden coupon codes, and any influencers I know they are affiliated with for discount codes.

4️⃣ IF IT DOESN’T LOOK EXPENSIVE, PASS. Now this takes some practice, not gonna lie. I’ve developed an eye for materials that look and feel expensive, but are cheap in price. When shopping on and offline, compare the fabrics of the expensive/expensive-looking pieces that you already have in your closet to the ones you are about to buy. The older you get, the more important this task is. When you’re young, you can get away with the cheap looking stuff; but as you get older, your look should become more refined. If it looks cheap, it probably is and will wear out fast, meaning less bang for your buck because you’ll have to spend again to replace it. That’s more money leaving your wallet. If it’s a stretchy material, sure it will grow with you so you’ll get more wear out of it, but try to ensure that it looks high quality. I have found that when something is more than 5% elastane, it tends to look low quality. Some of the stores that have expensive looking and feeling items for cheap include Aldo (shoes and handbags and where I get all my necklaces from [including the one I’m wearing here] that y’all ALWAYS ask about lol), Macy’s Clearance rack (yes, I promise), Nordstrom Rack, etc.

5️⃣ SHOP AT OUTLET MALLS….BUT ONLY WHEN THEY HAVE BLOW OUT SALES. I visit the outlet malls about once or twice a year ONLY WHEN THEY HAVE SALES. Be careful buying something at these outlet malls just because it’s at an outlet mall. I find that a lot of stores only move stuff over to these locations without changing the prices on them when something isn’t selling to make room for the new stuff.

6️⃣ IF IT’S DESIGNER AND IT’S NOT ON SALE, PASS. This goes back to my original point that if something is still there when the sale starts, the more likely that the piece will be more unique in your closet, making you stand out more. DON’T BLOW YOUR MONEY ON DESIGNER THINGS JUST BECAUSE IT’S DESIGNER AND EVERYONE HAS IT. The more common the piece is, the less expensive you look and the less you stand out, no matter if it’s designer or not. Most people might be surprised to find that I ONLY by designer handbags on sale. You can find designer pieces at Rebag.com, Tradesy.com, E-bay, Poshmark, and TheRealReal.com. This might mean it’s been used before, but who cares? Most of these stores have cleaning and inspection services to make sure their refurbished items still appear new.

7️⃣ IF YOU BUY DESIGNER FULL PRICE, YOUR SALARY FOR THE MONTH SHOULD AT LEAST BE TRIPLE THE COST OF THE ITEM. And if it ain’t, you better wait! My VERY FIRST designer bag was WHEN I GRADUATED MEDICAL SCHOOL (and it was only a Michael Kors bag from TJ Maxx lol 😅), and not a day before. Save your coin until your income is at least triple the cost of the designer item. Good things come to those who wait, I promise.

Goofy pic for fun 🤗

8️⃣ BUY STUFF OFF SEASON. Buy your coats/boots in the summer and your shorts/swimsuits/dresses in the winter. My mom drilled this in me! If it’s off season, it’s more likely to be on sale and be unique (as it will be sold out/”last season” when the next season rolls around). Learn how to style these “last season” pieces so you won’t look outdated (although even if I do, I don’t care lol, y’all will get this last season fabulousness tah-day).

9️⃣ CLEAN OUT YOUR CLOSET. Sell your items online and learn about exchange services to trade in your played out pieces for free or cheap. When you can’t sell, DONATE. I truly believe the Lord will provide when we all have a heart and donate to those less fortunate.

1️⃣0️⃣ TAKE CARE OF YOUR STUFF. IDK about y’all, but I got yelled at if I didn’t take care of my things growing up, and the less likely my mom would actually buy me something if I wasn’t caring for the things I already did have. EVEN IF something in your closet is cheap (like these shoes I got for like $18 at PrettyLittleThing.com), store them away, make sure you use moth balls in your closet to maintain he integrity of your clothes, line your drawers with fabric softener sheets to maintain their softness and freshness, polish your jewelry and accessories (yes, I do this, and you should too lol), etc. If you make sure it always looks new, the more expensive it looks and the longer it will last.

1️⃣1️⃣ STACK UP YOUR GIFT CARDS. The ONLY reason why I bought this Louis was because I had 3 Saks gift cards that gave me a total of $500 off the bag. I saved these gift cards over a period of 3 years y’all! See? I told you: good things come to those who wait! 😉

1️⃣2️⃣ WEAR NATURAL ENHANCING MAKE UP, COVER UP, HAVE YOUR HAIR MINIMALLY STYLED, AND WEAR HEELS WHEN YOU GO OUT. You ever heard of “you’re doing too much?” If your make up is too loud/heavy, if you’re showing too much skin, or if your hair is in too much of an intricate style, you may look cheaper 😬😬😬 (no judgement tho 🤷🏽‍♀️). You look more expensive/put together when your make up is yes, done, but more natural, you’re covered, and your hair is styled in something other than a messy bun (and i’m the first person to rock a messy bun let me tell you, so I gotta preach this to myself still lol). Even if you’re in a jogging suit, you still look more expensive when you’ve got on a pair of heels, even if your shoes are cheap (like these shoes), … people ain’t lookin at ya feet that close anyway ✋🏽.

Hope these tips help! Happy shopping…and saving!