By Matt Lyons
Last month I got to see Melanie Martinez in concert! She’s been one of my favorite artists ever since I was a freshman in high school, and her show was everything I imagined it to be and more. Ever since she had announced her tour dates towards the end of July, I knew I had to go. The only issue I was faced was being able to afford everything! I have a job back home that helps me out financially, but because I am at school now, I am only able to work the occasional weekend. Because of this, I have been struggling a little bit financially (like a lot of us college students). A decent amount of money can go into attending a concert, from ticket prices to gas money if the concert location was far (Columbus, Ohio was the closest option for me to see her) and the most important part for me: my outfit! Once the end of September came around and it really started to feel like fall outside, I knew it was time to do a little bit of shopping. I needed clothes to wear on chilly days and some nicer clothes I could wear on special occasions like the concert I’d be going to!
Typically whenever I shop, I like to go on sites such as Pacsun, American Eagle, and Hollister. As of lately, I’ve been trying to widen my options and find some cheaper places. I’m sure some of you are familiar with Romwe, which is an international fashion site with very cheap prices. The jacket I wore to the concert only costed me $12! Forever 21 is a also a great place to get clothes and accessories, as far as price goes. The belt I wore was priced at $9, and the t-shirt was $8. The jeans I picked up were from American Eagle, and cost $50. I have had the Doc Marten shoes I wore for a couple months now, and they were $140 when I bought them.
I have been guilty of spending way too much money on the clothes I buy. It can be a challenge at times to use your money wisely, especially when it involves shopping but there are a few tips I’ve learned that could possibly help some of you!
Whenever I decide that it’s time to go shopping, I buy a bunch of clothes that I know I’m interested in all at once. Before I did this, I would buy different clothes one by one every once in a while. Then, I’d end up choosing clothes that were way too expensive. I’d tell myself It was alright because I haven’t been shopping in a while. Sometimes I’d end up paying more for one outfit than I would buying multiple clothes at once! This is why I didn’t buy my concert outfit all on it’s own. If I had done that, I most likely would have gotten something way too expensive that I wouldn’t be wearing again for a while! The shock of how much the clothes cost all together reminds me to buy less or to find cheaper alternatives.
It’s also important to spend the most amount of money on items that you care for/need the most. For example, I spent a lot of money on my Doc Martens because I had wanted them for a very long time, and I knew I’d be wearing them often, especially in colder, wetter weather.
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