As the July sale season warms up, those irresistible, price slashed bargains will soon be tempting us again.

But, if there is one sure recipe for cluttering up your home it is these misjudged, must-have sale items.

Clutter creeps into our home without us noticing it at the best of times, but sale season should have clutter alert alarm bells ringing in your ears.

How many times have you come home with bags of things you don't really need but still you convinced yourself they are such a bargain it would be crazy not to have them?

They may be a bit small, not quite the right colour, something you already have six times over but its so cheap it doesn't matter does it?

The trouble is it does matter – for a start these mistakes are very costly both financially and emotionally.

You may get a huge buzz initially from securing such a deal but eventually this wears off and the guilt of spending unnecessarily lingers.

It is far better to ensure that when you're going to the sales you know what you need and what you're looking for.

Don't get distracted. If you don't need another jumper – you don't need another jumper, no matter how cheap it is.

A great rule to remember is "one in, one out" so if you see a must have purchase, make sure you get rid of something that has seen better days when you get home.

This way you should maintain a clutter free equilibrium.

So head off to the shops with every confidence that you won't spend rashly and don't buy anything that you wouldn't normally buy at full price.

Make sure that what you do buy is simply lovely or useful and then you can really enjoy it.

Brigitte Girling, of Style2Live, can be contacted, 01379 897248, or www.style2live.co.uk