Fashion on a Budget

When your looking to save a bit of money and stop spending, one of the quickest ways to cut costs is to reduce your clothes budget. It's also better for the environment, your happiness and your creativity!

There are a couple of easy ways to start saving money, which may take a little extra time and energy, but will do wonders to your bank balance! It is possible to get designer looks for less quite easily once you know how to style things up and create different looks with the same items.

A fashionista who knows how to switch up her wardrobe to create many different looks with a small wardrobe is Elaine (right) at Clothed Much. She keeps her items simple but fashionable, and opts for classic pieces that are interchangeable.

Learn from her individual style by investing in well-fitted jeans, patterned colorful skirts, plain neutral tshirts and a few key accessories - straw trilbies, vintage leather waist belts and costume necklaces.

Budget Fashion Tips

♥ Swap - Get together with friends and have a big swapping party, or offer to swap with someone who is a similar size to you but wants to get rid of some of their wardrobe. It's one of the easiest ways to get new things for free, and it will help clear out your wardrobe if it's cluttered. Trading is also super eco friendly, as it's basically clothes recycling!

♥ Make It - Try making your own clothes from scratch - start with something simple like a vest top or skirt, and follow a pattern (either a packet or try to map out another item you own that fits well). Check out ThreadBanger for some really amazing DIY tricks and ideas.

♥ Customise - Adding a little extra detail can make a simple piece of clothing look incredibly designer and expensive. You can purchase cheap embellishments online or in fabric stores, and there are all sorts of different ways you could customise, with studs, braiding, sequins, buttons, trims or iron on patches. Play around with different things until you find something that works - and the best part is that it doesn't take very long to sew these things on; in under an hour you can have an entirely new and unique item of super stylish fashion.

♥ Thrift - Some of the most stylish bloggers out there are thrifting experts, who will scour local and distant thrift stores and charity shops until they find something worth adding to their collection. Thrifting doesn't cost a lot, it's really very reasonable at a few dollars for each item, and you are bound to find a bargain eventually. It does take a lot of patience, but it can be a quick way to start looking chic on the cheap.

♥ Vintage - One of the biggest trends of the last few years has got to be vintage shopping. There are countless Etsy and Ebay stores with vintage addicts selling their fantastic finds, and plenty of fashion bloggers showing off beautiful outfits created with vintage pieces. Again, hunting through vintage stores takes quite a lot of time, so this would suit someone with hours to fill (like a college student perhaps). If you don't know how to start

♥ Classic Style - One of the best ways to save money in the long term, and have more of a celebrity style, is to purchase lots of classic pieces that are timeless and good quality that will last you many years. Well fitted jeans, shirts, dresses and leather boots are all a great addition to any wardrobe and incredibly versatile too.

♥ Sale Shopping - A really great way to get fantastic clothes at knockdown prices is to go sale shopping, July and January are the ultimate sale months, as stock gets replenished for the next season. Visit your local highstreet stores towards the end of those months to find some well-reduced items for sale. Sale shopping is great for maternity clothes, jewelry and bags - and is better in some stores rather than others, so keep your eyes open. For a more permanent way to get reduced designer items, visit the outnet.com.