What is ‘frugal chic’ – 5 habits to save you money

‘Frugal chic’ is one of the newest online trends, coined by former model and finance content creator Mia McGrath. The term refers to having an intentional approach to dressing, which focuses on not overspending while looking polished and elevated.

With the current cost of living crisis and more people turning to sustainable ways of shopping rather than fast fashion, we spoke with Lucy Norris, the founder of Secondhand Styling, and financial advisor at EQ investors, Zoe Brett, to unpack the trend and share their tips on how to best live a ‘frugal chic’ lifestyle to save money.

Brett explains that her definition of the term is: ‘being a bit more responsible around money and putting it to work where it’s going to be the most impactful. For example buying things to last and also to slow down with the fast-fashion movement.”

Norris adds: “It is a conscious, intentional way to pull your fashion together.”

Venture beyond your comfort zone

Norris explains that venturing beyond your comfort zone when it comes to sourcing items of clothing is key to being ‘frugal chic’. “You could go look at that charity shop that you have maybe walked past a million times but have been a little bit too afraid to actually go in,” she says.

“It could be going to a boutique and heading right to the back of the rail and looking at the sale section too. Overall, the main thing is to get out of your comfort zone and expose yourself to treasures that you may generally cast away.”

Be inspired

Norris adds a lot of the time we become really comfortable dressing a certain way. “We see things in style like a lovely three-piece set or a co-ord and think it’s great but too expensive.

“The reality is you can actually customise and restyle items you already have to make them look more expensive. That could be from tailoring or even taking off a certain button and changing it to a more elite one. Being inspired to customise is really good and you don’t have to know how to sew in order to do that.

“There’s some great influencers out there that literally take a belt off their jeans and replace it with a scarf instead,” she adds.

Reduce impulse buying

“One of the ways that people are reducing impulse buying is trying to hold off from spending for 30 days,” Brett says. “If you see a nice dress you want, you can just sit on it for 30 days and see whether or not at the end you truly want it or if it was sort of an impulse decision.

“It helps with the idea of not spending money on the things that don’t really add value to your life. Then you can save that money for things that are going to bring you genuine joy, for example a nice holiday or statement pieces for your wardrobe.”

Reset your wardrobe

“Do a detox,” Norris says. “Learn to reset your wardrobe and also sell clothes on to make room for new ones. I do a lot of resetting for other people’s wardrobes and one of the main reasons that I hear people holding on to items is because they think that one day they will fit in it or have an occasion to wear it.

“They are always thinking about the future or holding on to the past. If it’s not serving you in the present moment, then make space and actually get money for it. Then you can invest in something that you would actually be wearing right now.”

Brett adds: “You can also build a capsule wardrobe which is your own sort of style.

“There’s a good split of if you had 70% of clothing which is for your capsule wardrobe and then have a buffer of 30% where you combine more statement pieces to change up those outfits.”

Utilise other peoples clothes

“In your house there may be other people’s clothes that you could actually be using and utilising,” Norris explains.

“For example, I would definitely look for some of my husbands shirts to wear during springtime. My stepdaughter also has got some really cool little head scarves that I would use. Look beyond your own closet,” she adds.

Wear it with confidence

Norris adds: “All of this is also about feeling confident.

“When you’re feeling confident in what you’re wearing, you’re automatically looking more expensive and put together. There is a layer of actual confidence that comes from within as well.”