We all want to look chic at work and if you are anything like me, a large chunk of my pay cheque goes to my wardrobe (oops)!

I am just a young girl from Adelaide trying to make it in the big smoke, and Sydney (for all its amazingness) is EXPENSIVE!! Recently I have been on a mission to spend less. So I try to “shop from my own wardrobe” and also buy versatile pieces that I can wear for both work and play.

I am all about sharing what I know with my #Sprintfam so I thought I would jot down a few of my top tips to have a fabulous wardrobe on a budget and still enjoy the finer things in life!

Shop from your own wardrobe

Before you get up in arms and say this isn’t what I want – hear me out!!!

Using the wise words of the tiny Marie Kondo, we should only have clothes in our wardrobe that spark joy in us. If it doesn’t, say goodbye!

Do a massive cleanout of your wardrobe, go through every item, and reacquaint yourself with pieces that were once your favourite and you have maybe forgotten. Say goodbye to those items that just don’t cut it (sell them on Facebook Marketplace) and clear up some space so that everything has its place.

You will be amazed at what you find and I PROMISE you will feel like you have a new wardrobe.

Find an icon and follow them

As someone who struggles to put outfits together without some serious inspo (I mean just copying the exact styling from the model), I have loved seeing all these confident and stylish women of all shapes and sizes sharing their knowledge.

I follow an amazing girl on Instagram @trashtotreasured who  is wonderful! She is an affordable style blogger and I get so many tips, tricks and ideas from her. I have also purchased so many things that she has recommended as she has similar taste and style.

The key thing is to find someone that inspires you, who is true and honest. What I love about Tina is that she is true to herself, a size 10 (and she gives you honest feedback on the brands sizing) and she rocks some amazing outfits from the likes of Kmart and even Target. She also responds to all your messages with any questions – you couldn’t ask for more!

Some of my top cheap and chic store picks!

I absolutely HATE going into change rooms and fluffing around. The lighting is always bad and I swear I don’t look like that IRL. I have found some great brands who have my size and I know they won’t go changing things up on me.

A few of my absolute favourites…

Portmans – Now, you may think of Portmans as a bit “blergh”, but trust me when I say that they have stepped things up a notch in recent years. They have some amazing styles, colours and looks that we love in our office. If you ever pop into SprintHQ you will probably see us all in the same Portmans blazer in a range of colours and we LOVE it! They are affordable and always have a sale happening!

We also have the usual lifesavers, H&M, Zara, Kmart, Target, to name a few that in recent years have brought out some amazing pieces.

A favourite online store of mine is a little one called Esther & Co – you can check them out here and they are super affordable!

Wardrobe Sharing

Have friends that are the same size? Have a wardrobe raid party. It’s the perfect excuse to all get together and share a few (probably too many) glasses of wine. If you have pieces in your wardrobe that you haven’t worn for the past 6/12 months, just take them out and do some swaps with your pals – give those clothes the love they deserve. You’ll also end up with some new fave items without spending a penny.

We’re all about the upcycling here!

At Sprint HQ we always like to keep our eyes peeled for fashion that won’t break the bank. If you have any other hidden gems that you’d like to share with us, please pass them over – we’d love to hear from you!