You’ve got to have clothes but you do not have to spend a huge portion of your budget on them. Even if you are a big fashion brand snob, there are a lot of ways to trim the fat off of your clothing budget. Ready to save some money and keep looking good? Here is what you have to do.
Don’t Buy Cheap Clothing
Wait, what? I know, it sounds contrary to saving money on a clothing budget but there is a lot of truth to this. What this statement means is not to buy cheap quality clothing, you can still look for deals.
Cheap quality clothing is made poorly with thin, poor material. It will wear out quickly and the seams will start coming apart almost from the get go. Where a quality shirt might last a year or even several years, you will be replacing cheap clothing in a matter of months.
In addition, most people only really use about a third of the clothing in their closet. Might as well spend a little more on good clothing and get something that will actually last.
Shop Off Season
For the best deals on clothing, buy three seasons ahead. This means that when Fall gets here, you will be shopping for your Summer clothing and when Winter gets here, you will be shopping for fall outfits.
Stores so not want to carry a huge amount of leftover inventory so when the season is over, they put all of that stuff on the clearance rack. That shirt that costs 60 dollars a month ago might be going for 10 dollars all of a sudden.
There are some huge savings to be had by shopping for clothing for the future instead of for the now.
Buy Designer Clothing Used
If you really have to have the high end labels, shop the used market. Designer clothing is well made and usually well taken care of. This means that the clothing available in the resale shop is usually in like new condition and costs a fraction of the price. You can look good without taking out a loan to pay for your wardrobe.
You can save hundreds of dollars on a wardrobe when you buy your items used and nobody has to know about it but you.
Wash In Cold Water
If you do not have to replace your clothing as often, you can save a lot of money on your clothing budget. Make the clothes you have last by sticking to the cold wash cycle.
Most people like to use hot water in the washing machine but don’t realize that it could be destroying their clothing. Hot water will make the detergent more aggressive because heat acts like a catalyst, magnifying the power of chemicals. This will cause your colors to fade faster and the fibers to wear at an accelerated pace.
Instead, use cold water to do your wash. It works almost as well and will make your clothing last a lot longer.
While you are at, pull your more delicate items out of the dryer before they are completely dry. Let them air dry the rest of the way and prevent even more wear and tear.
Skip The Occasional Wash
Another way to make that clothing last longer and save much needed money is to skip the occasional wash. Nobody wants stinky clothing but if you only wore a shirt for an hour why not just hang it back up for another use. Every wash cycle, even if you use cold water, will wear your clothing.
This is a particular good thing to do with blue jeans. Levi’s CEO even says that you should never wash your blue jeans. That is a little extreme for those of us that actually wear out jeans in the real world but wearing them two times before washing them is a good start.
Don’t Shop For Trends
Trendy clothes are just as the name suggest trends. They may be out of style in as little as 3 months. Stick to the tried and true basic fashions that will be in style for years. The good old fashioned jeans and a t-shirt will never let you down. You can always dress them up with accessories.
Avoid Outlet Stores
Most outlet stores are not a good deal. They discount prices off of the manufacturers suggested price which is always quite high. The concept of the outlet sounds great but it is really just a trap to lure you in.
A better choice is to shop discount stores like Ross or TJ Maxx. They offer real savings off of overstocks, closeouts and sometimes irregular clothing. If you need a good deal on something in season, this is usually a good choice.