Living at NYU can turn your life into a series of #whitegirlproblems. Remember, though: Not everyone – including yourself – can afford to live in this big city. There are many ways to save money besides living off $1 pizza. An easy way to start saving money by “shopping in your closet,” a phrase that means sorting through your closet and finding new outfits that you may not have tried out before.

When you’re often from place to place, maintaining a neat closet space can be difficult for a student in college. Instead of becoming overwhelmed by your closet, give your wardrobe a makeover. If you have the money to buy new clothes every day, good for you. But if you’re a broke college student like we are, then embrace our dos and don’ts of shopping in your own closet.

DO ask for help!

It’s OK to ask your friends for fashion advice. The people who know you the best will be able to help you identify what kind of fashion style you have. Recognizing this will allow you to know what to look for in the future when buying new clothes.

DON’T become disorganized!

The best way to get started on shopping your closet is knowing what you have in your closet. Most of the time, we forget we have certain clothes. Your closet should ideally be organized in two ways: by type and by color.

This task can seem daunting and overwhelming at first, but once you have your closet organized this way, it will become much easier to locate pieces. Arrange colors by transitioning from dark to light, or use the rainbow spectrum.

DO it yourself!

We all have those clothes that we know we will never wear, so why don’t we take the opportunity to turn them into something we will wear? The most common and modern example of this is turning a t-shirt into a tank top. If you have ripped jeans, turn them into shorts. Do you have a ton of vintage clothing, but the style is outdated and unappealing? Find a way to pair it with something modern such as black jeans or a stylish scarf.  The possibilities are endless, so go crazy and be creative.

DON’T become too attached to your clothes!

We understand that saying goodbye to your clothing is difficult, but you don’t need everything in your closet. Think of all the money that you’ll make from selling clothes. You may not get full price for what it’s worth, but consignment shops are always taking items. Cutting down on what you have makes it easier to stay organized for the future.

DO buy key pieces!

Key pieces are articles of clothing that have versatility. The easiest way to start building key pieces is to look at your closet and evaluate your own style. For example, if you discover that you mostly wear blue, don’t buy a red cardigan, or you’ll limit how often you can wear that piece. Find and buy clothes that fit with the aesthetic of your closet. Go for solid colors and try your best to avoid too many patterns.

Your closet should have at least five key pieces. The benefit of having these key pieces is that you can easily create new outfits without the hassle of trying to avoid matching too much or clashing. If you don’t have any key pieces, don’t stress over it. Key pieces are easy to find in stores, but make sure to budget yourself.

DON’T be scared to be androgynous!

If you are bored with the pieces in your closet but don’t want to spend any more money on new clothes, raid your friends’ closets. Girls, go find your boyfriend and gay best friend and check out their closets as well. Androgynous style is trendy and you never know what you may find (i.e. vests, t-shirts). Don’t be scared to mix it up and try something that isn’t typically your style.

DO have fun!

Embrace your clothes. Find your own style within your clothes. Once you sort them, look at them and find what inspires you. Mix and match. Play with different colors and see what works and what doesn’t.

Save your money for the next sample sale, because your closet might be the cure to your what-to-wear blues!

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