Remember that scene in Pretty Woman where Julia Roberts walks into the expensive boutique in Beverly Hills and gets snubbed? She gets snubbed because she doesn’t look like she can afford the items in that store. She also doesn’t act like she can afford those items.

People will look at what you are wearing and make conclusions about you. If you are well dressed and put together, if you have the latest clothes and shoes, people will assume that you are someone that they have to deal with respectfully. Why? Because you look like you are successful and have money. People naturally assume that successful people have money and also have more connections, more power, and more influence. So, how do you get that look when you don’t have that much money?

To look expensive, spend more on key items that make an impact. Don’t choose designs that are trendy. Choose classic, long lasting designs to stretch your dollar.

Trends will come and go, but the classic items can be used forever. If you don’t have a lot of money to spend on designer items, then choose the items that you can use more frequently and choose classic designs that will last more than one season. Ideally, your goal is to use that item for at least 3 years if not more. Plus, don’t buy expensive items that wear out easily or can only be worn once in awhile. Here is my suggested order of things to buy that will make you look expensive, but won’t break your bank:

1) Purse: A good designer purse can last you a long time. Look for the classic designs and not the latest fashionable designs that people won’t carry past 1 season. For example, at Louis Vuitton, the classic design is the one with the brown background and gold monogram. At Burberry, it is the black, tan and red pattern known as their classic check. If you don’t know which ones are classic, ask the salespeople. They can tell you which ones are their classic and timeless pieces.

2) Shoes: A few pairs of nice shoes will last you a long time. Make sure you have a great pair of office heels such as classic black pumps along with a pair of flashier evening shoes to go out in. With shoes, you don’t have to spend as much (Jimmy Choos or Manolos). Just make sure that your items are high quality so they will last long and look good. Cole Haan, Sergio Rossi, and many other designers have fantastic shoes that are not as pricey, but still look great.

3) Jewelry: Start with a nice necklace. Tiffany, Bloomingdale’s, Neiman Marcus, will all have beautiful necklaces that can be worn all the time. Look for a delicate piece on a silver or gold string, with a smaller pendant. If you can afford it, find a pendant with diamonds or some sort of stone on it. If not, a nice pendant that is not too loud, but is still distinctive works best.

4) Coat: The coat is the first thing people will see when you are walking around outside. One nice coat can last you more than 5 years. For your coat, definitely spend more and pay for quality. Make sure it is well made, tailored to fit you, and stylish and classic. If you live in a colder climate, spend more on that coat since you will be wearing it much more than those that live in warmer areas.

5) Jeans: These days, a pair of nice designer jeans is a must. The designer jeans fit better and everyone can tell from the butt and the wash that you are wearing a higher quality pair of jeans. Splurge a little on jeans, but only if they fit you well. If you don’t have enough money, buy 1 pair of nice jeans, don’t buy those casual jeans you would wear to walk your dog in. Buy a pair of darker wash jeans that you can wear to go out at night in and be “seen” in.

This list may look longer than you expected. Or, you may already have all of these items and can start buying others. Either way, make sure you are shopping smart and looking for high quality, long lasting, impactful items to add to your wardrobe. Looking good and expensive will give you that added bonus of making a stronger first impression and allow you to get what you want more easily.

What should I wear? How come I never have any cute clothes in my closet? Why don’t I have enough money to buy what I want?

You are probably always looking for something new to wear to your next event. New is fresh and fun. New means that you don’t have to worry about whether or not someone has seen you wear that outfit before. Yes, although you can re-wear your outfits, wearing something new always feels a little bit better. If you are trying to make a good impression and want something new but you can’t afford it, then consider this new service I just found – Rent the Runway.

This new website lets you choose a designer dress to rent for one tenth the price of actually buying the dress in the store. This means, you can “buy” 10 new dresses for the price of 1. Most of the time, you will run out and splurge on a new dress for a special occasion and then try to wear it to another event much later. But, if the dress is really distinctive, you will have a hard time wearing it to something else, especially if someone you know has already seen you in it. So, what to do?

To look good and save money, rent your next designer dress.

There is no better way for you to stretch your fashion budget and still wear something new each time. The service is easy: you go to their website, “shop” through the dresses, and choose the one you want. After you’ve chosen your dress, you select the dates you want to rent it for and they will mail you the dress 2 to 3 days before your event. You can then keep the dress for anywhere from 4 to 8 days. After you wear it, you mail it straight back to them in the return envelope that they provide and you don’t have to worry about the hassle of dry cleaning.

The site has some fantastic designer dresses including ones by Diane Von Furstenberg, Hervé Léger and Proenza Schouler. They are also partnering with a lot of new designers so you will find a huge selection to choose from. Don’t worry about fit because the site lets you rent 2 different sizes of the same dress if it is your first time renting from a new designer.
I’ve spoken to a few women who have started to use this service and they all love it. They love the ease of use and they love the little extras that are sent along with the dress. The dresses are delivered in a custom garment bag and they also mail you a “fit kit” which includes double-sided tape, bra strap adjusters and deodorant stain removers so you don’t have to run out and buy these little things.

The only down side I’ve seen is that they currently have a waiting list to become a member. Better sign up now ladies, before the list gets too long!

Savvy Shout Out – Big thanks for this great money and fashion tip from a savvy fashionista in New York!

Bills seem to never end. Cell phone, cable, water, electricity, etc. – if you live somewhere, you are paying them. Add up the bills you pay every month and you will find that more than half of your paycheck goes to paying the bills. But, once in awhile, you’ll hear someone tell you about this great deal they scored with their cable company or their cell phone. So, why aren’t you getting that fantastic deal? You aren’t asking for it!

Don’t make “Full Price” your first name. Always ask and negotiate your bills.

Take time to call the companies and directly ask for a lower rate. Yup, it’s that easy sometimes to lower your bills. Find the customer care phone number on the bill, pick up the phone, dial the number, ask for a supervisor or manager, and then start negotiating. For those of you who hate negotiating, don’t. Just say a simple statement “ I need your help. My rates are too high and I need them to be lower or I may have to cancel my services.” Surprisingly, even this simple statement has a high rate of success. If you love to negotiate, then definitely do more, push more, and try every angle.

Don’t know how to negotiate?  Here are a few suggested angles for you to take:
Sympathy angle: “I just lost my job. “ “I don’t have any money.” “ I am a student.” People like to help people that are worse off than them. Appeal to people’s sympathetic sides. (Even if this isn’t you, gaining someone’s sympathy helps them get on your side – something you want when you are negotiating.)

Aggressive angle: Some people just need to be bullied. Be assertive. Tell them they have to give you a discount. Threaten to switch companies. Sometimes, because companies don’t want to lose your business, they will make sure you are happy and give you what you want.

Nice & Sweet angle: Sometimes, you just have to be nice to someone and they will give you what you want. Start off with asking them how their day is going. See how they are doing. Then, explain the situation and ask them to help you.

Smart angle: Taking a few minutes to do some research on the internet can pay off. People are always talking about the latest deals they received. Places like fatwallet.com, slickdeals.net, and other forums specific to that company have plenty of discussion threads regarding recent deals that people have gotten. If you find those deals or promotions, you can point them out to the customer care agents and ask to receive the same or something similar.

Here are bills that you should always try to negotiate:
1) Credit card fee and surcharges because you forgot to pay on time
2) Monthly cable bill
3) Monthly internet bill
4) Cell phone rate and additional charges
5) Magazine & newspaper subscription
6) Gym membership and monthly fee

Finally, if they say no the first time, try calling again in a few days. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of talking to the right person at the right time. Everyone has their bad days and this includes the customer service agents. If you talk to them on a good day or talk to a nicer one, you never know what extra perks they can give you. If you want to be rich, learn how to ask and negotiate your bills down.

I know we have all heard this, but studies show that rich people use coupons 80% of the time while those that are not rich use them only 20% of the time. Now, sit back and think about it. If you spent just $2000 on clothes a year, but received 10% off, then you would have saved $200.  That’s a new pair of designer jeans or a pair of fantastic heels or even one third of a nice designer bag. That’s why rich people have all of that nice stuff! Not just because they have more money than you, but because they know how to get more out of every dollar they spend. So, if you want to be rich and you buy anything (and I know you do), make sure you use coupons. One of the easiest things to do is to get an online discount.

The biggest mistake I see people make these days is shopping online and NOT using or even searching for a coupon.   Finding a discount when shopping online takes less than 5 minutes. So, for 5 minutes of work, you could save a few hundred to a few thousand dollars a year.

How to do it:

There are 3 easy ways to get a discount online and all of them take less than 5 minutes:

1. Google + coupon code. The top 5 results will almost always give you some sort of coupon code. If nothing comes up, most likely there isn’t anything at that time.

2. Search coupon websites for a discount:   fatwallet.com,  retailmenot.com, bensbargains.net are 3 of the best.

3. Best & Easiest Thing To Do:    Sign up to get cash back on places like fatwallet.com, ebates.com, or igive.com. Go to the site, create an account, then, find the store you want to shop at and click through on their “cash back” link to go to the online store and make your purchases. These sites will automatically track what you’ve bought and give you a percent back (via check or paypal) because you’ve clicked through on their link to buy. These places pretty much cover all of the most popular stores on the internet. Fatwallet.com seems to cover more stores online. Plus, the stores show additional deals you can get in addition to the cash back so you aren’t only getting money back, but you are also getting extra discounts. It takes 5 minutes to sign up and after that, you can go every time you want to buy something online.

If you aren’t saving money every time you shop online, you aren’t acting like a rich person, but one that is poor.