Smart shopper tips

My husband called just now .

It is Sunday but both of us are working.

So he called and asked me what color he should get for 'Baju Melayu'.

Since he is having a shoot in KL so he might drop by at Jakel to get his own traditional wear.

This year I realized that we won't be doing 'raya' shopping together.

I got Isabella's outfits and shoes from Parkson Alamanda last week.

My outfits are all from Fashionvalet and Zalora.

Thank God for technology.

Shopping through a click away.

Shoes and bags I got them from Lacoste, Primavera and Vincci.

I think I went overboard with shopping this time.

Don't tell my husband that.

It is not my fault.

They are launching new pretty things daily in fashionvalet.

How cruel!!!

Don't they know that we earned that money through the hard ways?

Okay cut the crap.

Nobody is holding a gun to my head to click the 'buy' button.

The price was reasonable and the collections are so  pretty.

I comforted myself by saying that I deserve this.

This is the only time for you to have a chance to shop.

You rarely indulge yourself. (You indulge your baby though)

If not today, when?

Next year Eid? What if you are pregnant?

There goes another Eid.

Whenever I do online shopping or just shopping, I would select everything that I want and try them on.

Then I would discard whichever didn't look good on me.

Next step would be discarding which ever too expensive for me.

Then, left with things that I like and the price within my liking.

I would still filter them by thinking do I really want 5 tops?

Do I need them all?

Do I have enough at home?

Usually the answer would be I don't need this much so I would walk away or only buy one or two.

Most of the time, it will be walking away empty handed. (I am a Chinese through and through when it comes to money. Calculative.)

Even if my answer was yes I don't have enough clothes since wearing hijab and giving away my old clothes which are no longer appropriate for me, I would ask myself,'are you sure you don't have anything else to do with this money?'

Of course the answer would be 'Owh I could use this money for a new furniture or just save it in the bank or for travelling at the end of the year'.

That is why I do online 'window shopping' most of the time.

Too much assessments to filter my shopping decision.

Usually they don't make it to the payment section.

Now this time for Eid, I was like 'yupp you know you have been wearing the 2 blouses every alternating day, too many time which you bought from Dorothy Perkins 4 months ago and it is time to get more long sleeves tops, non sheer tops.

Luckily Zalora has sales for old tops and they were as cheap as RM 49.

Usually the good tops cost about RM 100+ on ordinary days.

It was a struggle to get below RM 100 let alone be below RM 50.

So I got 7 of them.

If ordinary day,7 tops=RM600-700, today they costed me RM 350.

Half the price.

I do shopping maybe every 4 months according to my needs but when I buy them, they will be in bundles.

Fashionvalet has so many beautiful skirts that I have been clicking buy and cancelling for like 5 times already.

I knew I really like them.

Took 3 skirts and 3 tops and 3 pants.

They were the skirts and pants that  I saw Vivy wore but too pricey after launching.

Now they are just within my kind of price.

Owh and Duckscarves.

Just have to find out what it is all about.

I bought 4 pairs of shoes 2 pair for Eid to match my traditional outfits and the other day for daily wear to work.

Being so practical, I always wear one comfortable sandal to work until it is worn out, then I would buy another one.

Right now, my beautiful glittery sandals are torn so I am using my husband's oversized slippers to work.

Which is not a presentable image for a doctor. Hahaha. But they are so comfortable.

Heels only when my going out with husband because he can help with Isabella.

No husband, no heels.

It is silly not to take advantage of Raya sale since a pair of pump and wedges could be as low as RM 46.

No wonder I didn't shop the other season, because the prices didn't agree with my calculative-Chinese-brain.

A pair of simple sandal can reach RM 100 or more.

Hmm. No way. Mahal.

Tips to be a savvy shopper:

1)A clever shopper buys thing she needs for a year round during the bargain periods.

She doesn't always need new things for the sake of being new.

2)Then filter the things they wish to buy crazily until you won't regret after paying.

Regretting right after making payment is a sign that it was a mistake.

I really hate that. That is why I need to really assess myself.

3)Buy according to your budget. It is not about whether you can afford or not but about being clever.

If you have RM 5000 extra in your account, do you think it is clever to throw RM 1000 away for a silly things?

I am sure that money worth something.

Budget is not only set by how much you can afford but by how much do you want to spend on that particular thing.

4)Make sure they are worth it by dividing them with each week or month you will wear.

Example: a skirt costed me RM 150 and if I wear them for 4 years,  150/48 (12 months X 4 years)=RM 3.125 / month.

Now that is worth it.

This is how you would know if it is a beneficial investment or not.

5)Now that being said, you should buy something evergreen which can last for years.

If you always buy according to trend, it might be out of season soon and so your outfit has not been paid off yet. When I was studying abroad, I would buy a black leather jacket or a white blazer coat according to season instead of buying the hot fuchsia pink trench coat for spring which was so in style that season.

What are the chances that people will not remember me in that next spring?Not a chance.

They will remember how I wore the same pink trench coat last spring.

As it turns out, next spring will bring another colors.

White blazer coat can be worn any season of the year and match with a lot of different colors and style.

Shop smart.

6)Next, take care of your clothes well.

During my student days, I was a shoppaholic. Well, I was young and immature. I didn't know the value of money since I used my daddy's money. So when I bought something pricey, I took care of them and worn them for years. After 5-6 years they have paid their debt.

7)Buy something with good quality. Eventhough you want a cheap one, you should get a good quality product which can last for years.

Like my dad used to say ,'Buy the cheapest amongst the good quality'.

Even if you pay RM40 for a top and you will only wear it once because it wasn't comfortable or it got worn out too soon/didn't look good on your body, it will be a stupid investment in the end.

8)Invest in classic colors such as black, grey, nude, beige, cream, white, navy blue because they last all season.

9)Buy something new to match the outfit you already have instead of buying a new concept which means you have to get a whole set from up to toe.

10)Last but not least, buy what you need and not what you lusted for. Do not shop till you break your bank. You shouldn't have to tie your tummy at the end of the month.  I don't think any top/bag or shoes worth the headache.

11)Shopping monthly is not a good idea because it will make it harder to save money and budget your expenses.

 12) Control your lust. Be content with what you have. You have more jeans and shoes than your wife. Be grateful. You will never be happy until you are grateful'.

Happy shopping:)