I'm a Fashion Editor, and This Is What I'm Doing to Ditch My Bad Shopping Habits

With an innate interest in fashion, you may have more of a willingness to experiment with various style aesthetics and trends. For me, this has led to impulse purchases and many from fast-fashion brands in an attempt to save money. Spoiler: I rarely saved money. Instead, I usually bought more than planned and ended up with a mixture of pieces that hardly denoted a particular style. Sure, I put together plenty of fun outfits, but not many that I truly loved. (I look back at most of them and cringe, but we all know about hindsight, particularly as it relates to outfit choices.)

It took me a long time to establish what I now consider to be my personal style, mostly because I didn't take the time to reflect on what I was buying. I shopped willy nilly and let more affordable price tags convince me that a purchase was sound. Now that I've landed on a style that truly suits me, I'm much more thoughtful about what I buy. It's helpful to think ahead and plan out purchases. You might consider how versatile a piece is and how many ways you can wear it. I choose to invest in staple pieces that are more classic in silhouette but still fill in my wardrobe with plenty of affordable pieces that are similarly clean and simple for a cohesive feel. If a trend does tempt you, opt for a less-pricey version — if it's ultimately not for you, you won't be as burdened by the purchase.