Thoughts & Thrift for Thursday | The N Sale

Fashionistas and savvy shoppers...are you ready? It is time for Nordstrom's Anniversary sale and literally EVERY blogger will be talking about this because we all have our fave items and we all love the amazing deals. Every year (well really just since last year) I write a little post helping you to navigate the sale based on what works for me.

First, what is the N sale? It’s basically the biggest sale of the year. The #NSale allows you to shop for fall and winter items on sale before the seasons even get here. So basically, the sale allows you to shop the best of the upcoming seasons at some serious sale prices!

Next, the sale opened today but only to Nordstrom card holders first. It only takes about 5 minutes to get the credit or debit card and voila, you have early access. If that's not something you are interested in pursuing, don't worry, the sale opens to everyone on July 22. The sale lasts in total for about 3 weeks but you need to act fast to get the good stuff. The selection of products is huge (as it covers men, women, juniors, kids, shoes, bags, etc...) and the discounts are as big as up to 40% off.

Lastly; what to buy and how to navigate the sale with five simple steps...

[ONE]

Lump your shopping into groups. First make two lists, one of what you (and people in your family) need and then one of what they want. This will make shopping online easier so you know exactly what to search for (the needs always come first so you don't miss out), and this will also help you stay focused if you are actually going into a store. Next lump your wants/needs into their own categories...i.e. staples, seasonal/current trends, and items that always sell out first. I separate shoes/handbags from the rest since these are not only separate from the apparel online but also in the actual stores.

[TWO]

Shop for staples. These are the items that you could wear/buy all year round; jeans, tees, work clothes, basic flats, nude pumps, boots, wedges, etc... These are the best to rack up on during the sale because you know you will get the most use out of them.

[THREE]

Seasonal trends. These are the things that you might only wear once (off the shoulder top), or that you saw someone else wearing and really want to explore it on you (culotte jumpsuit). These items will most likely be on your "want" list as opposed to your "need" list (unless of course you've planned an entire outfit around said item) and therefore will probably be put on the back burner until all your other shopping is done.

[FOUR]

Most popular items. This is guaranteed to be anything Tory Burch, all types of knee high boots & booties, Kendra Scott jewelry, Chloe handbags, etc... Most people wait an entire year just for this sale to buy these things. Act Fast!

[FIVE]

Admittedly I usually only shop for jeans (if I even need them, which is rare since mine last for so long), trendy outerwear, shoes and accessories during this sale. My favorite v-neck basic tees come from either Target or J.Crew, and everything else I shop on an as needed basis. So with that being said...here are my faces from this year's Anniversary Sale.