Welcome to our low-cost Esperanza guide!
Whether you refuse to spend a lot of money on Esperanza
or you don't have a large budget
whatever your reason to be reading this post, 6100main will give you tips and ideas to maximize your dollar and resources to feel like this:
or like this:
Grab a paper and pen and get ready to take some notes!
Option 1: Closet Raiding
Friends: Sometimes raiding a friend's closet is a great way to mix up your outfits. Maybe your friend shares your shoe size and has the perfect heel to match your dress. Maybe they aren't going to Esperanza (and aren't bitter about not going) and have a dress you can borrow. Talk to your friends about something they have. You can make it a trade and promise to let them borrow something of your's!
College: Maybe you're feeling bold and you can suggest a college swap where people bring down their unwanted Esperanza ready items (jewelry, shoes, dresses, dress alternatives) and trade items!
Option 2: Thrifting
Thrifting is a great away to find Alternative Esperanza outfits (see post here) but also finding dresses as well!
Tips:
1) Thrifting Basics: When thrifting items, make sure to inspect it before buying; are there holes, stains, signs of wear? Also check the washing instructions! You don't want to buy a dry clean only item that will cost you more to keep than what you paid for it.
2) Goodwill, Goodwill, Goodwill: I love Goodwill for thrifting mainly because it is a non-profit company so the prices stay low as opposed to some other thrift and consignment shops. Goodwill is great for jackets and skirts. The jackets are usually around $5 and skirts are about $4. They also tend to have old formal dresses you could buy as well. Pro-tip: try to go to a Goodwill located near areas with higher incomes as the donations tend to be better.
Option 3: Deal-Finding
Low Cost Stores: This suggestion may not be new to you. Stores such as Forever 21, Agaci, and Charlotte Russe are good places to go to find cute dresses in the $20+ range. However, there also are stores like Ross, TJ Maxx, and Marshalls that have plenty of cute dresses for under $20. I cannot count the times I have found a cute dress for $11 or less in Ross. They also have plenty of cute shoes, bags, and jewelry that are reasonably to cheaply priced.
Note: There is a Ross in the same Shopping Plaza as Fiesta so all you have to do is get on the shopping shuttle, get off at Fiesta and walk down to the Ross! There is also a Marshall's across from the Galleria on the Forever 21 side
Tips:
1) Patience: This tip applies more to the latter type of stores (Ross, etc.) These stores have racks of dresses to go through and even though you may get lucky and find a cute cheap dress right away, its going to take a little more time than you may be used to. Sometimes the cheap dresses are hidden away between other more expensive dresses, so don't give up on a section if its out of your budget!
2) A Plan: This tip applies to both types of stores equally. You definitely want to go in with some basic idea of what you want to where. Anything like the type of dress, color, style, or length, just something to give yourself somewhere to start so you don't get overwhelmed (especially in Forever 21)
3) The Clearance/Sale Rack: This tip applies to both but more so the Ross type stores. Clearance will always be your best friend. Especially in the Ross type stores because the regular prices are already fairly low. Clearance tends to bring nice dresses into a really exciting price range. Places like Urban Outfitters and Forever 21 often have promotions on their sale racks as well (50% off sale, Buy one Get one)
4) Improvement Factor: Sometimes you'll find a dress that is cheap but isn't exactly what you were looking for. Depending on the style of the dress, you can make it much better by adding accessories and shoes to transform it into something you'll like better. Plus the money you saved on the dress can go towards the other items!
Option 4: DIY
You can DIY any part of your Esperanza outfit: clothing, shoes, jewelry, accessories. Here are a few of my favorite DIY sites for you to look through and possibly find a project to try!
Sites:
As always, Pinterest has plenty of DIY projects (that barely anyone actually does) for you to try and there is also an Esperanza DIY Round-up you want to check out here!
Hopefully you learned something new from this guide that you can use not only for Esperanza but in life in general so you can look awesome without spending a whole lot!
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