8 Costly Shopping Habits to Break Today

Ignoring the Rule of 3

Your mother told you at one point that you should never buy something if it doesn't go with anything else in your wardrobe. She was right...sort of. Linda Lee, group vice president of Macy's by Appointment, the Macy's personal shopping service, says that in her experience, if a blouse goes with only one other item, her clients are not going to get enough wear out of it to make the purchase worthwhile.

Enter the Rule of Three. Whenever you're looking to buy an item, be it a pair of earmuffs or a pair of sandals, don't just ask yourself, "Does it go with something I own?" Instead, Lee says to ask yourself, "Can I think of at least three things I am going to wear it with?" If so, snap that up.