I want to talk to you all about the power of your wardrobe to save and earn you money, ahead of Christmas. I know that everybody is stretched this year with the Cost of Living Crisis, and it's always an expensive time of year with Christmas coming up. Especially if you've got kids and you've got a demanding list for Father Christmas! As we're getting into November and everybody's starting to think about Christmas presents and Christmas party outfits, let’s talk money saving ideas!
Preloved Apps
The first thing that I want to focus on is nailing the pre loved apps. For obvious reasons, it's a really great way to earn you some money from clothes that are sat unworn in your wardrobe. My top tips for success on the preloved apps are:
1. Plan ahead
2. Take photos of your items in good daylight and draft out your posts
3. Payday planning – post items at the end of the month where possible or to finish on a weekend
4. Upload at a time when people will be scrolling e.g. 7pm onwards in the evening
5. Use the right app for your items – Vestiaire and Ebay are better for premium brands and Vinted and Depop are all rounders
6. Think about what people will be shopping for at this time of year, no point listing summer dresses!
7. Do your research – what are other people selling the same items for, price in line to get the most success
8. Use retailers’ original photos as well as yours, to create more professional posts and help people to see things on model – you can use Google Lens to search for these by taking a photo of your item
When buying from preloved apps for yourself to save money on your outfits:
1. Set up your alerts on eBay, Vinted etc, make sure that you're being as specific as possible so that you're including your size, your brand, the item location in the UK (otherwise you might get hit with import duties post Brexit)
2. Try and plan ahead a month or so in advance of when you need something and before others will be looking for the same thing
3. Make offers on Vinted and Ebay to get things at a lower price
4. Favourite items and add to wish list, as sellers will often then send you an offer for a discounted price
Fashion Rental
Another opportunity to save a bit of money is to rent your party outfit. I talk to so many clients who will go out and buy a brand new outfit for their Christmas party. Then it sits unworn in their wardrobe because they don't want to wear it again the following year. Depending on the kind of brand that you want to go for, you can rent things out for quite a low price point. John Lewis have started their rental service and you can rent things from as little as £15. Or if you're looking for something really special and you don't want to spend lots of money on it new, then you can go to the higher end rental apps like HURR or By Rotation, where you'll find more premium, higher end pieces.
Swap with Friends
The next tip to save money on your Christmas party outfits is to swap with your friends. I'd really recommend setting up a WhatsApp group with your friends or your family. Where you can say to people, for example, “I'm looking for a sequin dress,” or “I'm looking for a Christmas Jumper for Christmas Jumper day on the 8th of December.” And then vice versa, you can lend something to them in return. It's helpful if you've got a group of friends where you're quite similar sizes, but obviously bear that in mind when you're setting up the WhatsApp group that you are setting it up with people that are similar size to you.
Black Friday
Black Friday which is coming up at the end of November, is another great time to save money on your Christmas shopping, but also on investment pieces for yourself. For example if you're looking for coats, boots and leather jackets. However, it can also be a time where so many women make costly mistakes. Again, it’s all about planning ahead, if you get items you need added to your basket now, or put them on your wishlist, when it comes to Black Friday the discounts will automatically be applied. They're already sat in your basket or on your wish list, and it just means that you can be more focused. It enables you to pick up those pieces specifically rather than aimlessly scrolling through items, which you don't really need, and you end up buying items just because it's cheap rather than what you actually need. I’ve personally used some of the 30% off events already to buy lovely premium branded items for Kids Christmas presents, which allows me to be more organised and save money, win win!
Another key tip around this topic is really sticking to what you know works for you, it's so tempting at this time of year when you see things discounted heavily or in the sale, to buy things even though it's not your size. The kind of things that we tell ourselves that very often don't transpire e.g. I’ll fit into that when I’ve lost weight. Be true to your size, and to your colours, and don't get swept up in the hype.
Charity Shops
Charity Shops are the perfect place to save money at this time of year, but again it’s all about doing the groundwork early. If you know, for example, that you've got a Christmas party coming up, go out now to the charity shops and start looking. The last few weeks I've been looking in all of my local charity shops and there's so many sequins, glitter and beautiful evening dresses. I've been in Oxfam this week having a rummage in their stockroom, ahead of my Preloved Personal Shopping service, and there's so many amazing pieces and such bargains. I saw a Christmas jumper that was brand new with tags from Next, which was £6.99 and lots of shoes with glitter for as little as £3.99. Plus an & Other Stories Sequin Dress in Cancer Research Harpenden, which was brand new with tags for £50 (with an RRP on the tag of £180).
I hope that’s been helpful. If you are interested in gift vouchers for Christmas, or it's something that your partner or your family would love to treat you to, they are available on my website for £100 or £200 vouchers that you can use towards any of my services. If you're looking for something more specific and somebody wants to buy you a voucher for a styling package, then email me and I'm happy to make a bespoke gift voucher for you. I've had a few people asking for vouchers for Christmas for my Oxfam Personal Shopping Service. If somebody wanted to buy you a gift voucher specifically for this for next year, you can buy them now, for £149. Then you can book in your slot when I start to open them up next year (must be used within 6 months of purchasing the voucher).
It's a really special gift because it is such a nice confidence boost post Christmas. Quite often we are feeling a bit rubbish about ourselves and maybe a little bit lost with our style. Things like creating your own unique colour palette and going out shopping, can be such a transformational gift for somebody that will really change their confidence and how they're feeling about themselves. I always think that experiences are much more special than being given materialistic gifts. So do get in touch if you'd like any more information or book online here.
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