I honestly didn’t think I had this many tips and tricks to share but I started writing them all down and it just kept going! Here are some of my favorite hacks for shopping while Young Broke & Glamorous!
Coupons & Sales
This one might seem a little obvious, but keep an eye out for coupons and sales for stores you frequent at. For example, I love Ulta (who doesn’t) and right now they happen to have 20% off any one item (prestige products included May 10-30). Click here to get the coupon. You’re welcome! They also have their 21 Days of Beauty event every year that I’ll wait to get essentials on & have frequent sales on drugstore products. Some places will even let you COMBINE coupons with the sale deal & I will never forget walking out of Bath and Body Works with over $100 of products for $30. I felt like one of those moms on coupon wars that had coupon-ed so hardcore the store actually paid her 😂.
Try looking for that product on another website
Awhile ago I had purchased some luggage from Calpak and I randomly saw that the set I purchased was being discontinued – why they would discontinue sparkly pink is beyond me but it was my gain because I found the second matching piece for over 50% off at Nordstrom Rack! Very random find but I just typed the product name into Google and BAM. The same thing also worked for me when I saw something I liked at a boutique that was way overpriced, I looked up the tag online and found it on MAJOR discount. Next time you see something you really like, take a picture of the tag and search for the brand name and product code online and you might be surprised to find that exact piece on another website at a better price.
Dupes
We live in an age of fast fashion, so unless you find some sort of value in buying the authentic (I feel you, for some reason I just need to have an iconic Juicy tracksuit so I can live my inner 2000s Paris Hilton) then there is no reason to buy the original. You can get the look for less at almost any online retailer. When Skims came out with their Cozy Collection I looked at the price tag and knew I had to pass, only to find that it was duped nearly everywhere! I listed some of my favorite websites below to shop at and honestly I wish I had access to cute affordable clothing growing up because it’s really not fair how 13 year olds look these days versus how I looked when I was 13 😭. The same goes for makeup, there are so many drugstore priced brands that are stepping up their game these days. There are even websites dedicated to finding exact color dupes of makeup products. I love Temptalia & DupeThat on instagram.
My favorite affordable websites:
Welcome Promotions
Browsing Sephora and see a palette you absolutely love that’s slightly out of your price range? Try going to the brand’s website and signing up for their mailing list. 9/10 times they will give you a welcome 20% off code just for joining. I filter all of my promotional emails out of my inbox into their own tab (thank you Gmail) so I’m not bombarded with emails and clear out the mailing lists I don’t want to be on. If you frequently shop from that brand you’ll also be notified of additional sales they promote on their website – last year my coworker told me Tarte had 7 full sized products for $63 for one day only on their website. I just purchased a $30 foundation alone from them! Before making a purchase I’ll search my email filtered promotions to see if I happen to have a coupon.
I also have a couple of different email addresses I use for personal, professional, etc. as I’m sure most of us do. In a pinch I’ve used one of my other email addresses for some additional $ off, but I know people who are so set on getting a deal they’ll make a new email every time they shop 😂.
Birthday Rewards
For stores you really love, stay on their mailing list because they will usually send you a birthday discount. Who doesn’t love buying themselves presents on their birthday? A lot of places will actually give you things for free on your birthday – this year the highlight of my #quarantinebirthday will be going to Starbucks drive thru for my free birthday drink 😂
Buying Shoes in Youth Sizes
I was talking to my friend about this one the other day because I just snagged a pair of Adidas sneakers for $25!! Honestly I had completely forgotten about this trick myself for awhile until I was eyeing a pair of trendy sneakers that I thought were WAY overpriced. Did you know if you’re a size women’s 8.5 or smaller you can be saving $$$ by ordering youth shoe sizes? You can save about $15 – $20 by ordering the exact same shoe in youth size. Mind blown. Standard rule of thumb is to convert down 2 sizes from your normal shoe size (for example; I’m a size 7-7.5 normally and 5-5.5 in youth). It varies based on how the shoe sizes run and obviously you can only do this for shoes they make the equivalent of in youth (sorry, no heels lol). I’ve used this trick on pricier shoe brands like Ugg, Adidas, Nike, and Birkenstock. You might want to go into the store to try on the shoe but once you’re acquainted with how that brand’s size runs you can apply it to other products they carry 😉 Don’t ever buy sneakers in adult size again!
DIY
Don’t want to buy it? Make it! Right now tie dye is all the rage and have you seen the price tag for a simple tie dye set? Make it on your own for cheap! Plus, your item will be 100% unique and the process of making something is (typically) more rewarding. My friend and I made matching tie dye sweaters we purchased at Walmart and we decided now everything must be tie dyed.
In quarantine I’ve been gluing rhinestones onto anything I can get my hands on. Another trend I’ve been seeing lately is butterflies on nearly everything – hats, sweatshirts, tshirts, so found a pack of embroidered butterflies on Amazon to iron on things myself!
Rakuten
Formally known as Ebates, I’ve seen a handful of people promote this from time to time and always wondered if it was legit. I’ve been using it for a few years now and I can say it 100% is. You can download the app onto your phone and most popular stores will give a cash back percentage of your purchase when using the app. Every 3 months Rakuten will send you a check or deposit the savings right to your Paypal account! The percent cash back fluctuates per store, for example right now HSN, Adidas, Levi’s, Nike, and Overstock.com are all 15% cash back since it’s Rakuten’s anniversary this month. Even when the percent cash back is small it adds up for things you were going to buy anyway. I also have a browser extension on my computer so when I am shopping from my laptop it will let me know if there is a savings for for the store website I am on!
If you haven’t tried Rakuten you can click here and use my code to get $30 cashback when you make your first $30 purchase or use the email youngbrokeandglamorousinquiry@gmail.com when asked who referred you to qualify!
Honey
Another browser extension you’ve probably heard influencers talking about a lot lately. Honey is a browser extension that you can use on your laptop, it will search for any discount codes and apply them for you at check out! I know I’m not the only one who scours the internet tediously before making a purchase and this takes all the work out! There are many other browser extensions and cash back websites but I personally use these two and can definitely recommend them both!
There you have it, happy shopping babes!
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