#Bloggersdoitbetter: Shopping for a Bargain

Some of you might know that I am recent university graduate who works part time. As you can probably guess, since I only work part time and have a pretty active social life (sometimes I like to pretend I'm still a student without the actual studying part) I don't really have a lot of money to be spending on clothes and makeup. I mean, if I really wanted to, I could easily go out and spend a few hundred on a pair of shoes or a pretty dress, but I prefer to spend my money on nights out and the odd holiday. So over the past few years I have become pretty good at finding bargains and shopping on a budget, and today I thought I would share some of these tips with you, along with some of my favourite bargains.

1. Shop the sales
The thought of looking through the sales depresses me. The messy rails, clothes that have rips and makeup stains, and pushy people who just won't move out of your way. That said, most of my clothes actually have come from the sales, and despite hating the process, nothing makes me happier than leaving the shop knowing I have picked up a bargain. If you really hate trawling through the sales in-store, you can always take a look online! With the added bonus of not having to battle with the other customers, there is normally more of a selection. And sometimes with online stores you can get extra discounts. Just last week ASOS had a further 20% off all sale items, which resulted in me getting the jacket above for just £11.90, down from £35.

2. Take advantage of 3 for 2, or similar offers
Stores like Boots regularly have 3 for 2 or similar offers. These are normally just on a certain section or brand, but every now and then they have a store-wide 3 for 2 where everything is included. They had this offer back in March, and pretty much every UK based blogger (including myself) appeared to take advantage of this offer! You can see what I bought here. Its not just beauty stores that do these deals either, sometimes clothing stores have a buy-one-get-one-half-price or similar deals on, especially on their sale items!

3. Get store loyalty cards
A lot of stores, especially beauty stores, have loyalty cards, which can results in great rewards for yourself! My particular favourites are from Boots and Debenhams! I buy the majority of my beauty related items from these two stores so these cards have helped me save a lot of money! You should also look out for points deals that they have running. Debenhams regularly have bonus points events- just last week I got 1000 bonus points when I spent £50 at Chanel! That means that I now have £10 to spend on makeup. There are other loyalty cards you can get aswell: I have cards for Starbucks, Costa, Space NK and Superdrug! And some stores will offer a stamp card where you get a stamp every time you spend a certain amount and when you fill your card you get a reward such at £5 off your next purchase! I have to admit I don't really use these too often, simply because I always lose them.

4. Shop blog sales
Before I started blogging, I had never heard of blog sales, but now I see them everywhere! If you don't know what they are, blog sales are where a blogger sells some of their items on their blog. I have only bought from Kenzie@ Lemonaid Lies blog sale, and I got some great deals, including the above Zara jacket for £6! Also, if you are a little short of cash, you could always run your own blog sale! I am thinking of starting one myself!

5. Look in stores such as TK Maxx
T.K. Maxx is one of my favourite stores to find bargains! I love that you can get so much under one roof. It can be a pain to search through, especially the clothing, but it is worth it! My favourite part of TK Maxx is the home section, where I go to get candles, glasses and wall art! I know they have a sister store called Homesense, but there are none of these in Northern Ireland. Another area I love to look around is the bags and sunglasses. Pretty much all of my sunglasses have come from here, and last year I found an Osprey London bag for £40 down from £300! In the US they also have stores such as Marshalls, where I got a Calvin Klein dress for $30, and Century 21 where I got a BCBG dress extremely cheap!

So there you have it, some of my favourite ways to find beauty and fashion bargains!
Do you have any tips for discovering bargains?