Sometimes you simply do not have the cash to go shopping and look trendy. That is where you need to get savvy about where you shop for bargain. It is totally possible to look great without spending a mint.

First of all you need to learn how to pass up the sale that sounds like a bargain but actually isn’t. The bottom line is that 10% off is not much of a discount. You need to stick to your guns and wait until there is a 40% off sale. The idea is to look for bargains that cost half of what it cost the retailer.

Yet another clue is not stop buying year round. You need to buy last year for next year and think ahead a few seasons. You also need to buy one piece here and there. The surest way to get into debt is to go on a big shopping spree and blow all of your money. Remember too that shopping at the end of a season is always cheaper.

Shop online if you want to save money. There are simply more accessible wholesale outlets available online than anywhere.

Another solution to looking great while you are on a budget. Simply get into the habit of swapping clothes with equally broke girlfriends. This is one way to get you a new look. Women know this works and some take it so seriously that they hold large swap meets where everyone switches clothes, shoes and other items.

Another way to look great is to buy vintage. Make sure you are not buying from a vintage store that caters to celebrities or you could pay much more than you bargained for. Search the discount and second hand stores for bargain. Sometimes you can find the perfect t-shirt or scarf at the same place you buy your toilet paper in bulk.

Remember that being a fashion victim can sometimes mean you paid too much for an article of clothing. It is also important not to be a fashion snob. If you care too much about labels you may not save any money.

The ultimate way to save money is to buy a sewing machine and start making the clothes yourself. Of course the only issue here is time. If you are slow or inefficient sewer it may not be worth it to you to spend twenty hours making a dress and include the cost of fabric. However if you are a whiz with the sewing machine then it may well be worth it to you to start sewing.

Sometimes a sewing machine is your best ally when it comes updating your clothes as well. Sewing a ruffle on a skirt or narrowing a pair of jeans may be the perfect way to update an out of style item.

The news for Spring and Summer is that motorcycle jackets are going to be in. However these will be produced in colorful crayon hues like bright blue and canary yellow. The construction of these types of jackets are also a lot looser at the neck, sporting suit colors and cuffs that button up and roll up at the wrists. If you want to look less eighties and a little more seventies, the Paris company Acne is making a classically styles slanted zipper motorcycle jacket in a distress powder blue leather.

In fact two of the hottest colors for Spring are going to be powder blue, moonbeam white and a buttercup yellow so wearing items in those colors will also help update your wardrobe. Coral is also a big color and you will see it in the dresses of both Acne and Christian Dior. Miu Miu has made a big pink dress that features a giant pink bow at the mid-thigh exposing a slit that shows off the leg.

Suits and pantsuits made of one all over print are also going to be hot this Spring. Jil Sander made a wild skort and jacket set made out of a purple pink and canary paisley print which really does harken back to the seventies.

To freshen up your wardrobe buy one of the newest skirts that features a chiffon or lace overlay over a heavier fabric. Wearing a season that is more high-waisted is also going to look more fashionable. Skirts that have a partial crimp in them on one side or that have pleats in unusual places along the lower part of the hem are also going to be in fashion.

Peplum skirts and dresses will also be back and these double skirted looks will look great with little cropped jackets, floral patterned sweaters and high heel gladiator shoes. This is the classic Judy Jetson look from the sixties.

A sure way to update your look for spring is to buy peep toe shoes or sandals in a pure bone white leather. Both Alexander Wang and Jean Paul Gaultier are making shoes in bright white that have very interesting tall variations of wedge shaped heels. Calvin Klein has made an art piece that features the white leather shoe toped on a six inch spike heel that is no thicker than a chopstick. Dangerous to walk in? Yes. Will you look more fashionable than any other woman in the room. Yes.