It's that time of year again: the Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale! As usual, here are my tips for grabbing what you want:

1| Create an account on the Lilly website and make sure ALL of your information is updated. Most importantly, make sure your credit card and shipping addresses are correct. Be sure to remove old credit cards and addresses! The website closes a few hours prior to the sale, so try to do this the night before.

2| Utilize all available equipment: computer, smartphone, tablet, etc. You'll also be able to shop via the Lilly Pulitzer app. Last After Party I shuffled between the Lilly app, my computer, and the mobile website and I found the app got me in the soonest. This may not be the case for you but it doesn't hurt to try.

3| Don't refresh the page once you're in line, otherwise you'll end up at the back of the line!

4| If you can, try to get to the website shortly before the sale begins.

5| Follow Lilly on social media! Sometimes there are sale items exclusive to various platforms (Facebook, Instagram, etc.) so be sure to check those out.

6| Shipping is free, which is always a bonus. Do be aware that shipping may take longer than usual due to the staggering amount of orders Lilly will be handling.

7| There are no returns on final sale merchandise. If you're unsure of sizing double check your measurements. As far as shoe sizing goes, I think it runs a bit smaller than true-to-size.

8| Items can change during the course of the sale. I've noticed in several sales additional items will be added towards the afternoons and evenings.

9| Prioritize what you want and make a strategy. Tote bags on the computer, scarves on the tablet. Some have found it handy to make a second account (or more) and sign in on a different account on each device. The reason I say to make a plan is this tip #9.

10| Items in your cart are not held for you. You can only be sure they're yours once you check out completely.

And again: Put everything you want in your cart and THEN checkout--especially if you're shopping in the first few hours of the sale. The moment you leave the sale you'll end up at the back of the line.

What to expect in the sale: It's always hard to say for sure, but typically it's a variety of items from the past few seasons. Since it's August, I expect to see anything from mid-winter 2015 up through beginning of this summer. You'll find lots of items that had been gifts with purchase or otherwise exclusive offers. Lilly has been flashing a few hints of what to expect in the sale and I've seen a few totes and a phone wallet/wristlet in Oh Shello.

Price-wise, expect the average savings to be anywhere from 40%-60% off original retail. Off the top of my head, I once got an overnight bag for $49 that was originally $198, a necklace that was $19 for $78, and a scarf for $34 that had been $120.

Anything in particular I'm looking for? Right now I have my eyes on things like scarves and jewelry. I really need shoes but unfortunately Lilly doesn't carry size 11. Since I binged last weekend at Lands' End I'm on a pretty tight budget at the moment so I can't get too crazy. However I think the August After Party Sale tends to be a lot better than the one in January so I may end up with something more than I expect.