SWHF, Part 3: The Challenge

Jacket: Urban Planet / Tank top: Urban Planet / Pants: Laura Outlet / Shoes: Guess

If you've been following my She Who Hunts Finds series, you'll know that I was given a $200 gift card and challenged to shop at Dixie Outlet Mall in Mississauga and see how much I could save while buying a spring outfit. While I pride myself in being careful with my money and quite the deal finder, saving turned out to be harder than I expected! While there were many outlet stores with sales, a lot of the clothes were already so reasonably priced at full price. My silky tank top was only $12.50 and it wasn't even on sale!

As I mentioned last time, Dixie Outlet Mall has many stores that aren't limited to shoes and clothing - my mom was pleased to see a Michael's there and shopped for ribbons as I hunted around for deals. I spent three days in Dixie Mall as I had a hard time deciding on just a few pieces for spring. I was most excited to shop at Guess as this was an outlet store and things had been discounted quite a bit. I checked out stores such as Aldo, Winners, Sirens, Designer Depot, Dynamite and Nine West (and many more) before settling on Guess, Urban Planet and Laura. A lot of the stores were outlet stores and I could've easily bought an entire spring outfit for under $50 but the challenge was to see how much I could save and I desperately wanted to stick to it!

At savings of $98.70, I saved almost as much as I spent on the outfit. I was glad to find these great pants on sale since their quality was as high as their original price but I paid a lot, lot less for it!

I would recommend this mall to any bargain hunter if they're in the area (and if you stay tuned to next week, I'll be giving away a little incentive to visit!). I preferred shopping on a weekday as it was a lot less crowded but I will definitely be visiting again! 

What do you think of my outfit? Are you excited for next week's giveaway (I know I am!)? Comment below or tweet me @SundayWardrobe!

STWW: Tips for Spending Less

It's rather ironic that I have a beauty blog that advises you to buy different products and I'm writing this post telling you to stop. But this is something I've been trying for a few months - there have been moments of weakness and lapses but, overall, I think I've been doing a pretty good job of spending less.

I would spend a lot of money on make up, food and clothes. I was addicted to online shopping (since I hate trying clothes on in-store) and it is the devil's work: shopping from the comfort of your bed is exactly what a lazy shopaholic like me needs. But my lack of savings forced me to rethink my spending habits and so here are a few tips that have helped me spend less:

1. Try to avoid malls (or don't bring your wallet): my biggest problem was that I'd go to malls with my mom "just to walk around" since it's too cold to do so outside. When I did this, I'd spend money on things I didn't need and clothes I wouldn't wear. I found that it was easy to not spend money when you literally couldn't.

2. Sleep on it: a new Forever21 opened up in our local mall and I went in a dropped quite a lot of several items. I went home and, feeling guilty about my purchases, I began to think, do I really need this? After a few nights, I realized I only needed (or really, really, really wanted) 2 out of 5 things I bought. So I went back and returned them. Having several days to mull over what you want is a good way to show that it's just a want, not a need. Before you buy something, take a couple days to think of if you really need it and you may realize that you don't.

3. Give yourself a time span: one way I began controlling my spending was setting myself a time span: I wouldn't spend money on unnecessary things for this month. After the month passed and I realized how much I'd saved, I would push it to another month. Gradually, I realized that I was capable of not spending and so, now, I don't find the need to.

4. Shop around: if you really need something (and time isn't a factor), shop around. You may find similar and cheaper products in other stores or even on Amazon and Ebay. Take your time to spend smart.

I hope these tips help you spend less and save more - it can be quite difficult but, ultimately, worth it.

Is spending less something that you'd want to try? Do you have any tips for spending less? Leave your comments down below!