3 Ways to Make Your Holiday Shopping Easier

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This post was sponsored by Octer, but like every other post you read here, all opinions are my own. 🙂

We knew it was coming…..holiday shopping season is officially here. I’ve kind of been avoiding it but since Thanksgiving is next week (what?!), it’s time I kick it into high gear. If you’re like me, it might be easy for you to want to panic but I promise…it will be okay. Here are three tips to help get you through the holiday shopping season and come out on top!

1. Make a list and a budget NOW. It’s so important to plan out your budget early on and make a list. Otherwise, you end up spending and spending, then spending some more because you spent too much on one sister (brother, parent, child, whoever) and you need to make it even. Planning makes all the difference in the world.

2. Shop Octer. If you’re shopping (especially on your phone), navigating a million different websites is just plain annoying. With Octer, you can shop tons of retailers at once (over 8000 brands), and then once you find what you like they take you to that site to make your purchase. It’s really convenient and they have items for every price point.

3. Take note of Black Friday sales but stay focused. I know, Black Friday ads are VERY enticing. And you can definitely save a lot of money, but don’t buy things just to buy them. Go in with a plan and stick to it! Search the ads ahead of time and put blinders on to all the other random stuff you see (unless it’s something that can fill a gap in the shopping list you made in step one!) If you spend more than you planned, what’s the point of shopping the sales? Stay focused!

Crop top: Go Jane (sold out) | Jacket: Go Jane (sold out) | Skirt: Cents of Style (old) | Choker: Forever 21 ($5; exact available here) | Lips: NYX Liquid Suede Lip Cream in Brooklyn Thorn ($7; exact available here) | Booties: Octer (sold out but similar styles available) | Photos by Taylor Gardner/Dallastyle

Now let’s chat about what I’m wearing. 

I kind of threw this look together not really expecting it to work. I’ve wanted to style this jacket in a trendy way since I got it, but so far black jeans and a black shirt was the only combo that fit the bill. When I decided to give this a try, I thought the silhouette of the skirt would be too voluminous, but the fitted crop top helped balance it out. Plus, even though the jacket is a tad oversized, it’s not “puffy.” I finished the look off with my new favorite thing in my closet – these boots I ordered when I was browsing Octer a few weeks ago. Unfortunately they’re sold out now, but with 8000 brands on one site, I bet you can find something else you love.

• How do you maintain your sanity during this shopping season?
• Have you started holiday shopping yet?

xoxo

Valery