10 Tips on How to Stay Stylish on a Student Budget

Back to school lists are usually all about the latest and greatest products that you need to spend your money on. Here's the thing though: students are typically broke as fuck, and aren't really concerned with $700 backpacks. That being said, there's no reason why your swag should suffer when you head to campus or cruise through the hallways. Instead of showcasing the BTS essentials and things to cop, we're taking a slightly different route.

Contrary to popular belief, there is no reason you need to spend a shitload of money to be stylish. The little money you do have should be spent on more important things, like textbooks and tuition. If you're trying to stay on point this semester without sacrificing food, rent, and beer money on new gear, then we got you covered. These are 10 Tips on How to Stay Stylish on a Student Budget, so you can blow your coin on what really matters: late-night Frosties from Wendy's.

It's pretty easy to get caught up on brands, but if you look past the name on the tags that people pay a premium for, it's possible to stay stunting without diving headfirst into a life of debt. There are more brands than ever out there, all offering goods at a range of prices. Figure out what it is exactly that a brand is doing that makes you covet its gear, and then do some legwork to figure out if there's another brand doing something similar that is below the radar and offering like-minded clothing for less. If a brand is charging high prices as a reflection of the time and craft that goes into the piece, you probably won't find a substitute for its quality. But when you see something that registers as a must-cop, it pays to take a step back and analyze if you're hoping to buy a piece because of the brand or because of the garment. If it's the latter, you can almost definitely find something similar at a much friendlier price.

It might be tough to exercise a serious amount of willpower, but realize now that you don't really need all those sneaker releases and fall/winter drops that are coming up in the coming weeks. If you're trying to step it up this fall and winter without spending rent money, do your homework and look at the best lookbooks and collections that have been floating around for a minute now. Decide what is integral to your rotation, and don't stray (too far) from what you settle on. Like anything else, just be smart with your cash by having a plan and picking and choose wisely.

Keeping up with trends doesn't always mean you have to constantly cop the latest releases and most-coveted pieces. If you already have a well-stocked wardrobe, there's a good chance you can put some of the latest trends together without spending a dime. Sometimes it's more about tweaking what you already own and playing around to come up with something dope, as opposed to buying what everyone else is hyping up. If you look beyond brand names and deconstruct a trend to its key components, then you're in a good position to make it happen without dropping serious coin.

Fast fashion definitely has its travails and methods that should make you hesitate to fully stock your wardrobe with goods from the ubiquitous institution. However, if you're into high-fashion and menswear, but don't necessarily have the financials in order to scoop up gear from these worlds, fash fashion collaborations are your best friend. In the past few years, we've seen more and more of these partnerships that bring a serious element of designer skills at wallet-friendly prices. This fall, the Alexander Wang x H&M collaboration is sure to be a serious hit, and Gap's upcoming capsule collections with GQ's Best New Menswear Designers in America features some of menswear's most sought-after designers, particularly John Elliot + Co. and En Noir. Again, these collabs offer the best of both worlds: designer goods at fast fashion prices.

Retailers are stocking goods for the fall/winter season, which means they have to get rid of spring/summer inventory. There are definitely deals to be had at the moment, and now's your chance to pounce upon some of the pieces you wanted a few months ago but sadly realized were out of your price range. Clothing that is still in stock is being slashed down to at least 50 percent off, if not more. And if you cop wisely and don't chase trends, you can wear the right gear well into the fall and winter, as well as next spring and summer.

Whenever you’re trying to stay stylish without breaking the bank, it’s a good rule of thumb to always stick with versatile pieces. If you can’t help yourself and the urge to cop new gear overcomes the reality of your brokeness, at least make sure to scoop up some something that can be worn in multiple ways and pairs well with other pieces in your wardrobe. Always keep versatility in mind when you're looking to make a purchase to get as much wear out of the item as possible. A dope varsity jacket, quality sweatshirt, clean sneakers, and other adaptable pieces will definitely make heavy appearances this fall. Copping a bold print shirt or a loud pair of floral pants is great, but how many times are you actually going to wear these things?

Investing in basics no longer means copping a five-pack of white T-shirts that will eventually turn into rags (though there's absolutely nothing wrong with that). These days, so many labels are putting out high-quality basics that run the spectrum in price, so you can put together a dope, minimal, and comfortable look without splurging on household names. Having your basics game down solidly means you have a strong and consistent foundation to build upon, and if you pick and choose wisely, every new purchase will integrate seamlessly into your already-existing wardrobe.

Developing a personal uniform might be difficult at first, but once you find a set of garments that goes well together and you feel like you can take over the world every time you put on this particular combo, you're about to save an assload of money while maintaining a consistent fresh code. By coming up with a uniform that you feel comfortable and next-level in every day, you remove any need to purchase most of the gear you might have otherwise copped. If you do need to re-up on a certain item, you already know what the price is gonna be, which makes budgeting and planning that much easier.

Macklemore and smelly hipsters may have deaded thrift and vintage stores in your mind, but they're still a valuable resource where you can come up on some dope gear for next-to-nothing. Heading over to your local thrift and vintage store and searching through endless piles of clothing takes a bit of work, sure, so just remember that it's well worth it when you scoop up a gem for pennies on the dollar of its original cost. Here's another perk: your latest purchase is probably one of one, and will definitely showcase your extensive knowledge and style that can't be contained by time. But the best part of stocking up on rare, cheap finds is that you can splurge on grail items that you'll wear until the day you die and donate your wardrobe to a thrift store so some young buck can start styling.

Yes, we all know how tempting it is to buy clothes on the day they're released, but sometimes it really pays off to be patient and play the waiting game. Since many retailers are always thinking at least one season ahead, the first mark downs on fall/winter clothing typically occur in late November around Black Friday and the start of the holiday shopping season. Plus, at this point we're actually in or about to experience the throes of winter, so what you cop on sale will actually get some burn in the rotation instead of gathering dust in your closet waiting for the mercury to drop.