A Different Kind Of Hangover

If (like me) you’ve awoken from the silly season slumber with a spending hangover bigger than a night on the turps, it’s time to dial down the dollars. And rather than lamenting the fact that you have no summer wares or money to buy them with, here are five of the best cheap buys to help get you through the heat – and bring you to next payday.

January 30, 2013

So. Christmas is over (I know because Easter eggs now fill the shelves), the sales racks have all been cleared, and along with it – any spare cash that was sitting in your once-much-healthier bank account. I’m going to stop beating around the bush: I’m broke. Anyone else? In retrospect, I realise they don’t call it the silly season for nothing (although, if it moonlighted as the spending season, I wouldn’t be surprised). Along with the physical exhaustion that comes after the festivities are just a distant champagne-scented memory, the spending hangover comes as quite a shock. Apparently over those few weeks, I morphed into a long-lost relative of some oil magnate: cabs home from work (because who can be bothered with the train?), endless cocktails to replace the house carafes and grocery shopping exclusively at the gourmet deli next to Woolies. As well as an Alexander Wang sale purchase. And by “sale”, I really mean a buy made during sale-season: the kicks my deluded brain tricked me into falling in love with were (of course) the only ones in the store not on markdown.

So if (like me) you’ve awoken from the silly season slumber with a spending hangover bigger than a night on the turps, it’s time to dial down the dollars. And rather than lamenting the fact that you have no summer wares or money to buy them with, here are five of the best cheap buys to help get you through the heat – and bring you to next payday.
 
A beach dress: $12.48, Asos, asos.com/au. Or something to throw over your underwear when you arrive home from work a sweating mess.

Short-sleeved chambray shirt: $7.50, Cocolàtte, cocolatte.com.au. Autumn, winter and spring see you thrash your long-sleeved version – so for almost the price of an ice-cold Boost juice, you can now wear one in summer, too.

A pair of swimmers: £12, Boohoo, boohoo.com. It’s summer – so a swimsuit is a no-brainer. But the easiest way to make a cheapie look more exxy than it is? Buy it in black.

Short summer skirt: $10, i.d.s, idsfashion.com.au. The answer all those loose, flowy and slightly-too-long tops are looking for.

Printed sunnies: $22.95, Minkpink from the iconic.com.au. While the fun leopard print lightens up any ensemble, it’s still cool enough to carry you through to winter.

Ellie Packer, features writer.