Score the best deals and make the most of your fashion budget with these shopping tricks. It’s not called bargain hunting for nothing! Here are six great tips for your shopping trip.

1. Know what you want – Boredom really can kill...your wallet that is! One of the easiest ways to overspend is by dilly-dallying at a mall or shopping venue, whether it’s an online store or a shopping mall. Make sure you have a game plan:  Go directly to the shops you favour most and which may have what you’re looking for. The other shops can wait. Or better yet, give yourself a time limit so you have less time to loiter and empty your budget!

2. Work your way up – There’s nothing worse than seeing an item you just purchased in another store at a cheaper price! The best way to avoid this is to check the more affordable shops that may carry a specific design you’re eyeing first. That way, you’ve covered the bases from the shops with the lowest prices to the highest.

3. Open your mind – As they say, nothing ever goes according to plan. However, unexpected surprises await those who are open to change, right? Didn’t find what you were looking for? Did it not look as great as you thought? Did it look better on the mannequin or pictures? Did they run out of stock? Don’t worry, that’s what improvising is all about. You just might find something better and more affordable! Don’t limit yourself to the shopping mall! Check online shops, little boutiques and flea markets when overseas.

4. Ditch the plastic – Credit cards are convenient, but if you don’t have the discipline to own one, stick to CASH! Cash helps you see the money come out of your wallet, which makes it harder to spend, as opposed to a credit card bill that only has a number printed on it for you to sign so passively.

5. Don’t buy into cheap – Just because it’s cheap, it doesn’t mean you need to buy it! If you don’t see yourself using it several times, forget it. We’ve all fallen into that trap, but think about the money you’ll save (for something you really like) if you just learn to walk away.

6. Stock up on gifts – It does pay to be the early bird. Don’t wait till the holiday rush when prices go up again or for an occasion when a friend deserves a gift. If you see things that may be great gifts on sale, go ahead and make those purchases. Just make sure to store them properly to keep them fresh and new.