As a regular shopper, I am continuously looking for ways where I can stretch my dollar. Living in a world dominated by the pressures of social media, we often make silly decisions of not repeating an outfit we’ve already posted or avoiding purchasing mass produced clothing with the fear that someone else may have the same thing. Because of this, I frequently find myself wondering how I can keep my shopping and being as environmentally friendly as possible. Here are a few habits that I’ve adopted to avoid wastage and keep fashionable at the same time.

First things first, I love that everyone is obsessed with the concept of vintage. Technically, vintage is anything that is older than 30 years, but for me, I’ll take any appealing hand me downs I can get. Vintage often comes with a hefty price tag so often enough I can’t bare the burden of the cost so I hit up my local second hand shop to get some affordable pieces! A Goodwill or Value Village seem to be the more popular ones as they have a wide array of one offs or unique items that you won’t be able to find elsewhere. These community based shops have great finds at extremely cheap prices but don’t forget to wash your purchases pre usage.

So let’s get real – a lot of us are trendy chicks are constantly upgrading our wardrobe according to season or styles. Because of this, we need to dispose of outdated clothing. Personally, I never throw away my clothes. I usually haven’t worn them enough to damage them but they have done their task of lasting the season and so donation drop offs are my best friends when it comes to trashing my once upon a time treasures. Again, your local value village, or clothing drop off box comes in handy here because your belongings can go a long way in helping someone who may not have enough money with the goods you once wore.

Giving back to the community helps me justify my poor decisions that I sometimes make when overspending on things I don’t necessarily need. There is nothing more rewarding than knowing that you as an individual is giving back to the community and assisting those in need while at the same time maintaining your stylish self.