Wearing designer clothes, although ideal, is often not practical or possible with a limited budget. And even though they are ususally beautifully made, quality pieces, the label itself sports a heafty pricetag. So what is a not-so-rich girl to do? Here are some practical tips to consider before pulling out your wallet.

• Don't buy an item simply because it is on sale. If it doesn't fit well, it will cost you more to have it altered than a sale can justify.
• Don't spend a lot on trendy items that will make you look dated next season. Your money is better spent on classic pieces you will wear for years.
• Don't shop on impulse. Unless it is something you can't live without and there is only one store with one in your size, hold off on purchasing and take some time to think it over. You will know in a day or two if it is worth spending the money now or waiting to see if you can get it on sale in the future.
• Try it on before you buy. This may seem obvious to most but there are some who don't. If you can't take the time to try on clothes in the store, you will more than likely not return it if it doesn't work for you. A complete waste of money and space in your closet.
• Frequent your favorite store to watch for sales. You will eventually get an idea of their schedule.
• Stock up on basics during end of season clearances. This is a great time to purchase t-shirts for layering or jeans for casual wear.
• Look for items that will work dressed up or down. The more veritile an item is, the more you will get for your money. Building a classic wardrobe is key.
• Avoid buying cheaply made clothes that will fall apart after one season. This is not a good investment for your money. The idea is to buy quality pieces at discount prices.

Here are my 4 favorite ways to save money on fashion.

1. Request gift certificates for your favorite store or boutique. Shopping for clothes with free money is like being a kid in a candy store.
2. Check your credit card awards. Some award programs, like World Points, will give you free $50-100 gift certificates to TJMaxx, Marshalls and Macy's.
3. Become a Geo-Affiliate. There is an online affiliate program, called Got-Zip, that tracks sales by zip code. How it works is you can purchase an annual subscription for your zip code if it has not been claimed by someone else. The fee is $19.97 and with it you would then make a commission from any trackable sale from yourself or anyone else in your zip code. Sales are tracked fron a shopping portal page created at their sister site, Pagellan. Membership is free. Sites that participate in this network include Chadwicks, Lane Bryant, Paul Fredrick, Target, and more to come. Whenever you shop, access sites from your Pagellan page and you are good to go.
4. Buy Fashion on Ebay.

A rundown of a shopping tactic that you could try goes something like this. For example, I like to shop for clothes at Target. I usually make a beeline for the 50-75% clearance racks. When new styles come in, I watch them for awhile. When I start seeing them on the clearance rack, I will hop online via Pagellan to access the Target website and make a purchase usually with a gift card I've been saving. Not only do I get the item on sale, I also get money back from Got-Zip for the purchase I made.