Today, more and more women are looking for trendy and affordable spring fashions. Since most of us now pay attention to every penny we spend, we need to take a closer look at our fashion budgets. I know that I am. I still buy fashion magazines to keep up with the latest fashions, but I only look at them. I can no longer afford $300 shoes or a $450 handbag.

What I look for are fashion trends that I can bring to stores like Target, TJ Maxx, Kohl’s, Sears, and JC Penney. I can’t afford to shop at Nordstrom anymore, but I don’t have to look like it. Some of the spring fashion trends are very easy to find in more affordable stores. One of my favorite spring fashion trends is the safari. What I really enjoy about this look is that khaki shirts go great with jeans and khaki pants can be paired with a nice shirt and jacket and are perfect for work. I saw a Michael Kors safari-inspired top and belt for $170. I was able to find the perfect khaki shirt at Sears, and a safari-inspired canvas and leather belt at TJ Maxx. It cost me less than $45 for both.

Another spring fashion trend is metallics. Here is a great idea for you. Some of their safari fabrics can combine perfectly with metallics. Don’t forget to check out sites like J.Crew. I found a fantastic metallic shirt there for under $80. It is a cotton shirt with metallic threads. It is comfortable and will be long lasting. It’s also just a hint of glam that works well in my work wardrobe, too.

When I think of spring fashion, I usually think of pastels. It doesn’t seem like pastels are in style this spring. What is in fashion is black and white in geometries, horizontal and vertical prints as well as polka dots. The best part is that black and white never goes out of style. This is an easy trend to replicate. Every woman has black pants or a black skirt in her wardrobe. It’s easy to pair a geometric shirt with any of these for an updated look. Once again, this look works for both work and your casual wardrobe.

One way I’ve saved a lot of money on fashion is by shopping for end-of-season sales. Not just in my local stores, but also on high-end fashion sites online. Buying classic styles means I can wear them season to season and year to year. Well-chosen pieces that you take care of can last you for years. That means I have more money to buy some trendy pieces to help me look up to date.

Just the other day I was looking at another fashion magazine that had an article on how to save money on fashion. For some reason, they were still showing $1400 shoes, a $1500 dress, and a $1995 hat. Obviously, they still haven’t gotten the message that most American women don’t shop like that anymore. We are much smarter. We’re shopping for fashion smart and discovering that we don’t have to have the latest designer fashions to look fashionable.

I believe that our current economy can work in our favor. We’re going to see more and more affordable fashion clothing options as designers realize we can’t buy their clothes at exorbitant prices, and lower-priced design houses offering affordable fashion clothing thrive.