Our guest blogger, Olivia Mead, lives in London and has come on board to blog for us about how she manages to live the good life as a partying singleton without breaking the bank.
Over the next few months, as you start to prepare for the razzle dazzle of Christmas, Olivia will be writing a series of blogs which offer tips and tricks on how to go out and enjoy your life to the fullest without having to get yourself into serious debt.
“I don’t know about you but I have a tendency to desire the finer things in life; an expensive bottle of wine at dinner or a fabulous pair of shoes that I simply must have. There is only one small problem. I can’t afford it.
I can’t pay for the £50 pound bottle of champagne even if I am splitting the bill with a friend; and I daren’t even risk saying hello to the £600 pair of Christian Louboutin shoes that I saw in Elle magazine on yet another stunning A list star.
It’s frustrating, annoying and simply not fair. Why can’t I dine at a Michelin star restaurant or go to the hippest new club in town? Why can’t I wear designer clothes or get on the guest list of the hottest new club.
Shall I tell you the truth? Even on a shoe string, I do actually, manage to do all that. I just don’t pay ridiculous amounts of money to do so.
So many young women spend more than their means on pampering themselves with beauty products, shopping for new clothes, clubbing and dining out because they are obsessed with looking like the superstars in the latest magazines. Everyone needs that new dress for the party next week or the red handbag they saw in Selfridges because without it they won’t look or feel special enough.
The funny thing is you will wear an outfit once and probably never want to put it on again as you’ve been ‘seen’ in it in public and god forbid you wear the same thing twice!
I am a shop a holic and I adore having new clothes. But instead of going down to Topshop and Harvey Nicholls every week I improvise with what I have. I always want to be seen in the latest styles and looks of the season.
I bet you didn’t know that you can actually have a brand new outfit everytime you go out without spending a dime! If you’re anything like me then I’m sure you have a wardrobe bursting with clothes that you are simply just fed up with. Well here’s a little secret that enables me to wear a stunning new fashion ensemble without breaking the bank.
Top Tips to reinvent your wardrobe
- Go online and skim through all of your favourite fashion magazine websites, fashion blogs, celebrity gossip columns and look at the pictures of all of the different fashion styles that you like and admire. Alternatively, if there is a particular celebrity icon’s style that you love and admire then Google them individually and search for their images online.
- Save all of your favourite images onto your computer. I sub categorise the folder into different genres such as seasons, (Winter-Summer) and either daytime or evening looks. You could also trying using Pinterest which lets you create”board” of all your favourite images.
- Alternatively, you could print out the pictures to keep a scrap book of your favourite images and styles. I can flick through them at any time for inspiration when I am struggling with what to wear when I am getting ready to go out.
- I will then go into my wardrobe and play around with my own clothes to see if I can recreate the style in the picture and see what innovative new looks I can come up with.
Usually you will end up wearing items in your wardrobe that you haven’t tried on for an eternity and you’ll most likely match it up with something you would have never thought to pair it with in the first place.
The final result? You end up with an outfit that looks brand new, individual and hasn’t cost you a penny!!
And remember if you don’t have the item that you are looking for why not borrow or swap items with a friend? I’m sure they are just as fed up with their old wardrobe and would love to wear something different for a change. What’s old for you can be new for them and vice versa!
Remember to take a snap shot with your camera or smart phone of the outfit you have created and keep as an archive. You never know when you may want to look back for some more inspiration again in the future.
Keep following this blog every week for more tips on living the high life frugally!”
