Fashion blogger who never spends more than $150 on outfit

To glance through many fashion bloggers’ Instagram profiles, you would be forgiven for feeling disheartened.

Between the designer clothing labels and lavish shoes, hardly anything they wear is affordable – and so unattainable for many of us with a normal budget.

However, Tina Abeysekara is different. 

The 32-year-old Sydney-based blogger behind Trash to Treasured boasts close to 50,000 followers – all of whom tune in to her posts to see which budget label and how little she has spent next.

Here, FEMAIL spoke to the thrifty Tina behind Trash to Treasured – to find out her shopping secrets.

She shared the secrets of how you can spend thriftily but well on the high street (pictured wearing $45 H&M wedges and a $25 dress from Target)

According to Tina, she is a huge fan of shops like Kmart, Target and Glassons, as well as online stores including Boohoo and ASOS (pictured wearing TK Maxx, entire outfit is under $150)

Tina recommends holding out for the sales, when you can get your hands on fantastic bargains – such as this dress from Boohoo, which she got for $26 with 40 per cent off (pictured)

According to Tina – who has blogged on fashion for the past five years – she has always been into bargain hunting:

‘I’ve always loved dressing up and shopping since I was a kid,’ Tina told FEMAIL.

‘But it was only when I started university and found myself a poor university student that I started bargain hunting and looking for budget outfits.’

When one of Tina’s friends told her to post one of her high street outfits on the Internet after she’d bought it, she unwittingly planted the idea for what is Trash to Treasured today.

‘After I posted the picture and saw the reaction, it all sort of launched from there,’ Tina said. 

‘I started a blog and Instagram page together, detailing my outfits and the things I’d bought from regular high street stores.’  

The 32-year-old blogger has always had an interest in fashion – however, it was only when a friend recommended she publish details of her outfits that she started her blog, Trash to Treasured

Tina said she heads into the shops a few times a week to see what various high street stores are selling (pictured wearing Kohko Clothing)

Speaking about her favourite retail haunts, Tina said there are many places she hits up on a three times weekly basis to what they’re offering.

H&M, Target and Kmart are some of her top shops – but the 32-year-old also loves on-trend cheap options such as Glassons, Bardot and online outlets including Boohoo.

‘Most of my shopping I do on my lunch breaks,’ Tina said.

‘I work next door to a big Westfield, so two or three times a week I’ll go there to check out what’s new.’

When it comes to shopping, Tina has a few tips – she recommends knowing your size as well as what suits you in various shops; then you can be more adventurous (pictured in Boohoo)

She also recommends investing in classic colour palettes, which will always look expensive, and then adding details and trend-focused pieces which cost very little

So how can you track down a bargain should you want to start dressing thriftily?

Tina advises knowing what size you are in different shops, knowing how the high street stores work and holding out for the sales.

‘When it comes to Kmart and Target, they have 50 to 60 per cent of their stock all year round – and you’ll never find much good,’ she said.

‘But it’s all about heading straight to the front section, where they’ll put the newer, more fashion-focused items which are replaced roughly once every three weeks.’

Tina also recommends checking out a few different stores from the same shop:

‘I think it pays to go to different places if you have the time,’ she said.

The 32-year-old believes you shouldn’t necessarily trust how something looks online:

‘I’ve had lots of people message me to say a certain Kmart item didn’t look as good in online as it does in the flesh,’ she explained.

‘So you need to be prepared for that.’

The 32-year-old believes you shouldn’t necessarily trust how something looks online – many people have messaged her saying this about high street pieces (pictured in Grid the Label)

She recommends subscribing to newsletters, so you can know when certain stores are about to have sales or new stock dropped in 

‘You don’t have to buy into every trend or print that comes out,’ she said. ‘And you certainly don’t need to throw money at it,’ she added

Tina now has around 50,000 followers of her blog, Trash to Treasured, which she regularly updates with her buys

Tina is also a fan of shopping in the majority for the ‘classic colour palettes’ – cream, black, grey, brown and navy – and then adding a ‘pop of colour’ via something that is trending that season:

‘I think classic colour palettes make things look more expensive than they really are,’ she said. 

‘Then, you can get little embellishments – like gold details on handbags and high heels – they’re what make people think something cost more than it did.’

Tina also holds off to shop certain items until they’re in the sale:

‘I’ve noticed that when Zara change the floor plan, it’s often because they’re about to have a sale,’ she said. ‘You can save precious dollars by hanging out for this.’

Lastly, Tina said you can become more ‘adventurous’ with your shopping when you know your body shape and what suits you:

‘You don’t have to buy into every trend or print that comes out,’ she said. ‘And you certainly don’t need to throw money at it.

‘When stars were big recently, that’s the sort of time when I’ll head to somewhere like Glassons. So I can get my hands on something that’s in fashion without spending $200.’ 

To read more from Tina Abeysekara, you can visit Trash to Treasured here. You can also follow her on Instagram here.