Guide to Shopping Online

I love online clothing shopping. It's easy to use and you have countless options. Instead of trudging to the mall and fighting the crowds to pick out the styles I want, I can pick out everything from the comfort of my home. However, the massive variety and ease of use are the very issues that can make online shopping incredibly wasteful. I have to be wary; if I'm not careful about what fashions I buy online, I end up wasting my money on stuff I'll never wear. I'll buy items on impulse or clothes that don't fit. In other words, I waste money.

In order to get the most satisfaction (and most style) out of your online shopping experience, follow these tips! Happy shopping!

1. Plan what you want to buy before you log on. In order to avoid the danger of buying stuff on a whim or making an emotional purchase, make a list of what you need. If you have a preset list, it'll be that much harder for you to purchase that pink and purple checkered polyester skirt just because it looks like the one Carrie Bradshaw wore on an episode on "Sex and the City."

2. Know your size. While it's much more convenient to purchase clothing online without the changing room, you lose the opportunity to make sure that your purchases fit your body. Know your ideal pants inseam, waist and bust size. You'll look better if everything fits better!

3. Purchase only from retailers or sellers that you can trust. When going beyond the big sized fashion retailers, it pays to do a little research. Ebay has vendor reviews for all of its retailers and Craigslist has a special section to help you avoid scams.

4. Get on your favorite retailers' email lists. Most fashion retailers (from discount stores to department stores to the actual brands) give email subscribers updates on sales and special deals. Get better deals from the retailers you already know and love!

5. Go beyond the tried and true! Traditional retailers like Banana Republic and well known websites like bluefly.com offer beautiful clothes but I suggest that you go outside of your safety zone to see what other kinds of great clothing is out there! Rustyzipper.com offers some fun vintage options and Etsy.com connects you to all kinds of handcrafted items.