Good morning! Who doesn’t love a good sale? I love it when American Eagle does BOGO on their shorts or jeans, and am crazy about Express offering 50% off of anything! Don’t even get me started on how much I love the deals in the Target dollar spot! LOL! And right now, there is a TON of “Nordstrom Anniversary Sale” hype to BUY BUY BUY and I know that can be a major turn off. Let me explain:
I started my fashion Instagram account @teacherfashionista back in 2013 (read more here) when having a carefully curated feed or even making any money off of your photos and content was pretty much non-existent. Instagram was just a community. A place to share your everyday outfit, be the girl next door headed off to work or weekend fun, encourage someone who had an rough day, and a friendly place to get fresh ideas for clothes already in your closet, or hear about a fun sale deal someone else shared.
Fast forward to today, and the blogging world is so vast! I feel so blessed to have my little “corner” of the internet where, as a teacher, I can share outfit inspiration, budget shopping, brands I love, parts of my life, and more. I love it even more when there’s encouragement from others, and when I know I’ve done my best to do the same in return… Community.
Comparison is real. Instagram has really changed. I struggle at times trying to make connections, working to make my account following grow, wishing I could take photos that would generate a thousand likes, and create significant content or collaborations like blogger “X”. Then I stop, remember why I started and what the community means to me, and the “noise” and numbers fade. What do I appreciate the most? Interactions! Friends! (I’ve been so fortunate to meet quite a few of my Instagram friends in real-life!) Inspiration! Real Life! And yes, even the deals and discount codes influencers share, too. 🙂
Image via Pinterest
In all the hype of a good deal or a mega sale, I never want to be someone who is pushing for you to buy what you don’t need. Am I going to shop the sale? YES! I enjoy browsing any sale, and use the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale as a way to add to my “back to school” wardrobe. Is the Anniversary Sale a good way to make money as an influencer? It absolutely can be! I have been so fortunate to be apart of Reward Style the past number of years which is a platform to make a small commission when someone clicks through the shopable links on my blog or shops from my photos in the LiketoKnow.it APP. But, is that a reason to push a big sale? I don’t think so. I’m not an expert on this sale by any means, just a regular shopper (and teacher!) like many of you. I want to be an inspiration, not a sales rep.
All that to say, my sister encouraged me to go for it. I’m shopping the Anniversary Sale anyway, why not share some budget-friendly pieces, and share my finds? I love her – she’s one of my biggest encouragers in this world of Instagram and blogging apart from my husband!
So, Nordstrom’s big Anniversary Sale starts TOMORROW, July 12th (for Nordstrom card holders)! I am excited to shop for a few things, and if you don’t have the Nordstrom card, you can browse the sale tomorrow and then shop when public access starts Friday, July 20th.
I love that Nordstrom offers amazing customer service plus free shipping & free returns – because we all change our mind now and then.
Feel free to come back here tomorrow when you’re ready to browse! I am going to put together my annual “Favorites under $50” from the sale, and I’ll share what I got, too.
Here’s a few of the things I got last year and loved!
Have you ever felt pressure on social media? I have a feeling I’m not alone whether you’re a blogger on Instagram or a mom/teacher/wife on Facebook. I would enjoy hearing your own thoughts – leave me a comment and I’d love to be an encouragement to you! Also – let me know what you find if you’re shopping the Anniversary Sale! Can’t wait to share more tomorrow!
XO
4 Comments on “A Big Sale, Instagram, and Finding Community”
I love this post! So real and honest!! You’re a breath of fresh air in the blogging world where people are often pushed to feel like they need things they don’t! I appreciate (and my friends that follow you say this, too) how you inspire fresh ideas for things we already have hanging in our closet, and find us good deals on steals and dupes! (I’m so glad you’re going to cover the Nordstrom sale and look forward to seeing your finds!) And also the things you share from the heart are always uplifting and encouraging! Thank you for all you do and the ways you contribute so positively to this community!
This made my day!! Thank you SO much for being so sweet:) Glad I can inspire – it’s a goal!
Thank you for being so real. I have been deleting many of the bloggers that I follow because they simply “don’t match” my teacher salary. $200 for a face serum.? Who can afford that? Anyways, thanks for been honest and not trying to push so much that sale that I can’t afford.
Even I struggle with that! It can be very hard. One of the biggest things I try to do is stick to the bloggers who mimic my style and budget and that helps – so I get what you’re saying! I appreciate your kind words, and the fact you came to read my blog. Makes my day!