With a college student’s budget, some weeks it’s hard to just keep on top of rent and food — never mind thinking about looking cute and fashionable.

Many students do manage, though. Bargain shopping for stylish, fashionable clothing has become a favorite activity among many money-deprived students. Whether it’s at the local Value Village or the sale racks at Nordstrom, everyone can appreciate a good sale.

Just ask junior Tasha Chang. With her stylish spring jacket and colorful flats, one might think that she spent an arm and a leg to look trendy.

“One of my favorite stores to shop at is Pitaya on the Ave. They have a lot of very cute, very fashionable and very affordable clothes,” she said. “Not to mention accessories and shoes as well.”

Much to my surprise, everything at Pitaya was trendy and easy on the wallet. Nice shirts sell for as little as $10, and spring skirts and dresses start at $15.

With wardrobe staples that cost that little, money can be spent elsewhere, such as shoes or gas.

Falah Mohammed has a trick for saving money to spend on clothing: She takes the bus.

“I take the bus as much as possible, because it really does save me money that I can spend on looking fashionable,” she said.

With the U-PASS costing only $44 for the entire quarter, she’s right, as it costs me about the same amount to fill up my car with gas every two to three weeks.

Maybe if I started taking the bus more, I could spend more money in stores like Forever 21, a favorite of Mohammed’s.

With dirt-cheap prices on fashion-forward clothing and knock-offs of designer items from Marc Jacobs and Kate Moss, it’s a store most college girls cannot resist.

“I love Forever 21. It’s where I usually spend a lot of my clothing budget because you can really stretch a dollar there,” Mohammed said.

Another store in the trendy-but-cheap category is Wet Seal, which sells T-shirts, sweaters, jeans, bras and panties at inexpensive prices.

Another great place to find inexpensive clothing is at thrift stores. Value Village and Goodwill are great places to find vintage and even name-brand clothing at next-to-nothing prices.

It can be fun to experiment with new trends that are found thrift stores, and you won’t have to worry about anyone else having your clothes.

The most important thing, though, is to stick to your personal style at all times, whether you’re buying designer duds or thrift store finds.

“Make sure that what you’re buying is something that you will actually wear. Just because it’s cheap doesn’t mean that you should buy just for that reason,” Chang said. “Really think about it and make sure it’s something you will in fact wear. And don’t be afraid to look at the sale racks. That’s where I’ve found some of my favorite things.”

Make your next shopping trip more fun by looking for the best deals on some of the season’s most trendy clothing. You may just surprise yourself, for fashionista status still can be achieved on a small budget.