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A couple of years ago, I read an article from Business Insider about Barack Obama and Mark Zuckerberg wearing practically the same clothes everyday because they have bigger things to worry about than making decisions about clothes. There was also another article about Matilda Kahl, an art director, who wears the exact same shirt and pants to work. She says it saves her time and energy that she could put towards making creative decisions.
Wearing the same clothes everyday resonated with me because, even though I don’t wear the same thing everyday, I’ve been sticking to the same set of outfits to work, church, and home. I’m not a morning person and I’m usually rushing to work so I hate stressing over what top matches what skirt or pants in the morning. By having the same set of outfits to choose from, I don’t spend more than 5 minutes figuring out what to wear.
On the other hand, when I was in college, I used to go shopping every week and bought a lot of clothes and random items that I sometimes never used. I loved going to sales and getting what I thought were good deals. I also had Old Navy and Macy’s credit cards, which I used online and in-store, but eventually paid down and closed.
In the last few years, as we’ve been fixing our finances, I’ve become more picky about what I buy for our family. I have specific guidelines for us when we go shopping for clothes:
- Try not to spend more than $10-15 for any one item of clothing except for shoes because it depends on the shoes we need to replace.
- The clothing should have at least more than one use: church, work, casual, etc.
- It has to be relatively wrinkle free (I suck at ironing!), sturdy (no dry-cleaning, hand washing only, etc) and fits well (I do sit test: If I sit down and the dress or skirt doesn’t cover my knees, I don’t buy it.)
- Just because it is cheap, it does not mean we should buy it. (Side note: we once found a pair of size 11 dress shoes at Aldo for $3. It was way too big for my husband but we bought it for a friend of ours who we knew he could use it.)
- For my clothing: It has to be modest. This is due to my own personal style. I want dresses at the knee or longer. I avoid cleavage and visibly see-through clothing. I also don’t wear tight-fitting clothing, clothes with visible brands, and I don’t generally don’t get anything sleeveless.
These rules help me save money on clothes not just by sticking to a budget but also by buying only what we need, what we truly want to wear, and what fits right.
I am also trying (trying so hard!) to be more of a minimalist so, every few months, I look at our closet to see what clothes and items we aren’t using or have outgrown to donate, give away, or sell.
Check out my closet on Poshmark! If you use my code cherryl808, you can save $10!
When I have time, I drop my donations off at Savers where I can get a discount card for donating. I usually get about 20-30% off my next purchase. While there, I briefly look at their racks. I usually look for dresses for me and button up shirts for my husband.
I have found a couple of nice dresses and shirts for both of us that are under $10 and the discount from our donations lowers our cost even more. I know a lot of people say that they can’t find anything when they thrift shop because it’s really a hit or miss. However, I don’t come to Savers expecting to find anything and I spend no more than 30 minutes looking around. If I find something, it’s usually a great find.
If I don’t, then it’s ok. I can use the discount card later. I know some people might find it gross to shop here but, if you look closely, you can find clothes with the tags still on and some that barely look used. I also make sure to wash our clothes after purchasing. I just love that we are recycling clothes and helping the environment by doing this.
My go-to store for clothing is Ross because this is where I can meet most of my shopping parameters. I try to look for pink price stickers because this usually means that the price was reduced. I’ve found a skirt for $2, several flats between $2-$8, and dresses under $10.
Just because Ross is a cheap place to buy clothes, it doesn’t mean that they lack in quality. A lot of my clothing and shoes have lasted for several years without fade or tear. Most recently, I’ve been shopping for clothes via Facebook marketplace. I found a bunch of new (with tags!) or gently used Lularoe dresses for $5-8!
The funny thing is my favorite place to get clothes from is from my sister. I inherit hand-me-up’s (she’s my little sister!) dresses, tops, shoes, etc from her about once a year. We are about the same size and she has an amazing style, so I get excited when she says she has clothes to give me that she doesn’t use.
I was actually inspired to write this post because I had so many people asking me where I got all of my dresses, and I’m proud to say I got it from her. Because my nephews are a couple of years older than my son, she also sends me a lot of their old clothes and shoes. This has saved me a lot of money since my son outgrows his clothes every couple of months!
We do buy clothes for my son, mostly for special occasions at church, but the bulk of his clothing are hand-me-downs. Once he outgrows them, I try to give them to friends who are expecting or who have babies younger than my son, sell it on Rhea Lana, or donate it.
I eventually want to learn how to sew so I make our clothes fit better and fix our favorite pieces without paying for alterations. I can do basic sewing, but you don’t want to look under the clothes or you’ll see my ugly patchwork! In addition, there are a couple of pieces of clothing that I’ve held onto for years that haven’t fit but I can’t let go.
If you are like me, it will take you some time to clean up your closet, let go of your favorite unused clothing, and fix your shopping habits but it is definitely worth the savings in time, energy, and money.
How do you de-stress your closet and save money on clothes?
