With end of summer sales and new arrivals hitting the stores all through autumn, it’s easy to get swept up in the novelty of trendy pieces and shiny new baubles. Tread carefully friends, the allure of deep summer discounts alongside the thrill of modern fall clothing can lead to buyer’s remorse and debt. I myself have fallen prey to the dual trap of buying summery staples in September at deep discounts, thinking I’ll keep them for next summer, then either forgetting or being less in love with them by the time May rolls around. I also overspent on what I thought were fall must-haves that didn’t really fit my lifestyle. To help you avoid similar regrets, here are some fall shopping tips and tricks!

First, summer is over, so stop shopping warm weather apparel. Yes, it can be hard to resist tanks, camisoles, shorts, and sundresses priced 50-70% off their original price. But, trust that, even if you have every good intention of saving them for next summer, it’s highly likely those best laid plans will be thwarted. You may gain or lose weight, the style may no longer appeal to you, you’ll forget where you stored them, etc. If you do remember where you kept them, they may have faded, or lost their drape, or have wrinkled beyond repair. So back away from the clearance rack and focus on the season ahead.

Second, start small. You don’t have to purchase an entire season’s worth of wardrobe updates at once. As mentioned above, brands now parcel out new products into drops, promising new pieces over the course of several months, which keeps customers coming back for more. So, take an inventory of your current fall/winter clothes and see what gaps you need to fill. Then schedule out when and where to buy them. This is also a prudent time to determine your overall budget and how much you’re able to spend on each piece. Fall is a great time to think of investing in your wardrobe, with heftier staples like overcoats and boots.

As you schedule out your purchases, try to align your plan with the drop in temperature. Here in early fall is the time to pick up blazers and jeans, while Black Friday sales will be a good time to get a new parka and sweater dresses for the coming winter. In the New Year, you can reassess and see what items will serve you through the rest of the winter. Or just plan to hunker down in fleece-lined leggings, hoodies, and waterproof boots.

Don’t forget accessories and beauty products. While you’re appraising your clothes, review your handbags, lipsticks, and face creams. Fall is a great time to update/upgrade your wallet. A new wallet will also force you to clean out change, receipts, and all of those miscellaneous pieces of paper you’ve been carrying for weeks, months, and sometimes years.

A change in season is an ideal time to revise your makeup look. Fall, especially with the current moody palettes of aubergine, indigo, and silver, has great potential to vamp up your beauty look and routine. I’m a big fan of pairing darker eyes with cooler lips, like a smokey eye with a mauve lip stain to kick off autumn. But, before you apply your makeup, give your skin a little love. No matter how diligent you were with SPF these past months, chances are you’ve suffered some sun damage. Even out that skin tone by adding a retinol cream into your regime as the season transitions. Using a retinol serum 2-3 times a week will slough off sun damage and minimize the appearance of fine lines.

Hopefully these pointers will help you steer clear of buyer’s remorse as you shop early fall into the winter. Just stick to your schedule and, hopefully, when you clean out your wallet, it won’t be because you’re broke, but because you have a new (and within budget) billfold.