Questions to Ask When Shopping

Hey guys,

We all know that shopping can either be a fantastic experience, or make you wish you hadn’t left the house in the first place. Being in the right mental head space when you go shopping can help to prevent any insecurities or overspending that might pop up. We all want to be able to go out and get something that makes us feel and look our best, so here of some questions I use to check myself before purchasing any clothing and regretting it later.

Is this a mono tasker?

First, let’s define a mono tasker. A mono tasker is a piece of clothing that can only be worn in one outfit or way. You can’t use it in a variety of outfits, or it’s only wearable for certain occasions. An example of a mono tasker would be a prom dress. This is important to consider when purchasing clothing because you might spend a lot of money on a super unique pair of pants, but you never have a good occasion to wear them, and so you waste your money.

What am I looking for?

Approaching a shopping trip is an excellent way to save money, time, and stress. Sometimes just browsing and trying on fun clothing can be exciting, but often times it can lead to over purchasing and buying another black shirt when you’ve already got four hanging in your closet at home. If you approach your shopping trip knowing that you want to get a nice blazer, a new pair of boots, and some accessories, then you won’t be tempted to go and buy a dress in the middle of winter. The more specific your goals are, the easier it will be to get what you want and get out. As someone who gets stressed out by shopping and spending money, I limit my clothing purchase goals to 4 pieces max. This limits how much time I can spend looking at my different options and then I know I am getting clothing that I had planned to purchase.

What did I need?

Similar to planning what you’d like to buy, deciding whether or not it is a “want” vs a “need” can be crucial. If I bought more clothes that fit into the “need” category and less of the “want”, then I might not have to borrow a white tank top from my friend any time I want to wear a white blouse and I wouldn’t have waisted my money on a furry cropped hoodie that I never wear. By considering your clothing needs, you can build your foundation for a successful wardrobe and then spend money on fun pieces without having to worry if you have jeans without rips or an outfit to wear to an interview.

How will this fit into my closet back home?

This question is similar to the mono tasker question. You want to make sure that you have clothes already in your wardrobe that will allow you to wear the piece you are looking at in an outfit. If you buy something that doesn’t match anything in your closet, or strays really far from your usual aesthetic, then you may struggle to style it with the clothing you already have. This may cause you to go and spend more money by purchasing other clothes that enable to you have a full outfit, but as broke college students, we need to save money.

Does this reflect me?

This is the most important question for me when I shop. If you’ve watched any Marie Kondo, or heard the phrase “spark joy”, then you may understand the idea behind this question. I have struggled in the past where my friends pressured me to buy a clothing piece that didn’t match my more conservative style or usual color pallete and so I never wore it and was unhappy. I will always support taking small fashion risks or trying new styles, but for me, fashion is a representation of who I am as a person and a first glance at my personality. If my clothes don;t reflect this, I tend to be unhappy and frustrated. For me, wearing a blue shirt with golden stars and moons on it reflects me, but I know it wouldn’t reflect my friend Jordyn’s style, because she is a bit more edgy than me. Make sure your clothes reflect who you are and the message you’d like to send with your clothing

Am I buying this because I truly like it, or just because it’s on trend?

This may be a hard reality to face, but it is an important one. I think we can all remember buying something that was super on trend, but it just didn’t fit right or match your style. Having a consistent look that matches who you are looks much better in the long run than just buying whatever is trendy.

Would I buy this item if it wasn’t on sale?

This is another hard question. How many times have you grabbed a bunch of clothes because “they’re on sale!” and ended up spending wayyyy more than you budgeted for? Oftentimes, asking myself if I would still buy the item for full price can indicate how much I like that pair of jeans or top and saves me money in the long run. Stores use sales to encourage overspending and purchasing products we don’t need. Save money and spend it on the clothes you really like.

Does this flatter my body? Am I actually buying the correct size for me?

Clothing is an important investment and buying clothes that fit well make a big difference. Vanity sizing and differences across brands can make sizing absolute hell and make women feel ashamed of their bodies. If you’re a size 6 in Old Navy, you might be an 11 at Hollister. My advice is to buy clothes that you’re comfortable and confident in and disregard the size. If you buy shorts too small, just to appease your ego, you will waste your money and probably end up feeling bad that you can’t fit into those shorts. Additionally, make sure the cuts fit your body type. I have a long waist and hips, so I know that low rise jeans will NEVER look good on me, regardless of how skinny I am. We all know what cuts for dresses and jeans look best on us. Well fitting clothing will always look better than whatever weird half cut too small shirt is on trend.

I hope these questions can help make shopping a bit easier for you! They’re a great way to be thoughtful in your purchasing and give you the freedom to buy some amazing clothes! Happy shopping!

-Lena