How To Save Money On Clothes (So You Can Use It For Other Things)

As someone who lives with multiple autoimmune diseases it is important to me to celebrate the good days in life. The key to doing that is by living a full and joyful life that involves experiencing lots of wonderful things. As someone who only makes a modest salary and doesn't have tons of disposable income, one of the ways I am able to do this is by prioritizing doing things over buying things.

There are a lot of great experiences that cost no money at all (and that is something I will share more on later), but there are other activities that do come with a price tag. For us, some of the experiences we love to do that cost money are playing in sports leagues, going to sport games, traveling, going to dinner with friends, recreational activities, etc. I would rather spend my money on fun experiences like these than on material items that don't matter as much, like clothes.

Clothing is one of the big areas where I am able to save a lot of money, and I am going to teach you some of my secrets for doing so.

Over the years I have learned the keys to finding good deals and curating a wardrobe I love so that I always have something to wear and am not spending lots of money on new clothes. I aim to create a wardrobe that is timeless and classic so the pieces I own don't go out of style every couple of years and I can easily mix and match items to create outfits with little effort. It has taken trial and error over time to really find my style and shop in a way that benefits both my wardrobe and my wallet, but with a few simple tricks it is possible to become a more frugal shopper so that you can put your money towards things that matter more.

My shopping philosophy

Even though I don't spend tons of money on clothes, I do still enjoy shopping. The way I make those two opposing realities work is by limiting how often I go shopping, being conscious of what I buy, and always looking to find good deals.

These days I rarely buy clothes new in-store unless I am looking for something specific and know where I can get it. For example, this spring I realized I didn't have many shorts that fit me so I went to J Crew to buy a couple of pairs of chino shorts. Since these are one of my favorite styles of shorts I knew they would get tons of wear and would be worth buying new to have exactly what I was looking for. I still waited to go to the store to when I knew they were having a sale so I was able to get them 50% off instead of paying full price.

This is a great example of how I was conscious about what I was buying and looked for a good deal on that item before even going shopping. By choosing a style I know I like, will wear a lot, and is well made I knew I was making a smart purchase and could justify buying the items new. Plus, since I knew where I wanted to buy the shorts I could wait until they were having a sale and go at that point to save money.

I know this type of scenario is not always a reality since there are times it can be hard to find what you are looking for or you are crunched for time and cannot wait for a sale, but practicing these sorts of tips on a regular basis will help you learn how to make better purchasing decisions and save money on shopping.

Tips for saving money on clothes

It took me years of my adult life to learn some of these lessons about shopping smart, so I hope I can save you some of that time and effort. These are skills you can carry through life and help you make good purchasing decisions in other areas besides clothes too. Understanding how and where to spend your money will help you save on things that don't matter or aren't worth it so that you can use that money for other things that are more important.

Figure out what your style (and lifestyle) are.

If you don't know what your personal style is it can be hard to make smart purchases because you will always be chasing trends, buying random pieces, and having a wardrobe full of items that are cute but don't work together. It is important to figure out what your style is so that you can select items that fit within that framework and work with the other pieces in your closet.

If you are not sure what your personal style is, now is a great time to figure that out! An easy place to start is by pulling out all of your favorite items in your closet and laying them out on the bed together. Do you see any patterns among those pieces? Is there a certain style you see repeated a lot? Colors you gravitate towards? Can you think of a term or phrase that would describe the collection in front of you?

If from here you still aren't sure what your personal style is, Pinterest is a great resource. If you don't have one already, create a style board on Pinterest and start pinning any outfits you like to it.

An easy option for finding outfits you like on Pinterest (plus giving you great ideas for how to style your own clothes!) is to type in the name of one of your favorite clothing items plus the word "outfits" in the search section. For example, if you pulled out a blue and white sweater from your closet that you love, on Pinterest type in the search bar "blue and white sweater outfits" and see what comes up. Save all of the outfits you like from that search to your Pinterest board. You can repeat this with multiple searches using different items in your closet until you have a number of different outfit pins saved on your board. Then head back to that Pinterest board and look to see if there are any common themes, styles you gravitate towards, colors your like, etc. This should help give you an idea of what your personal style is and what types of outfits you want to create for yourself. Use these pins as guides when creating outfits with your own clothes as well as helpful insight as to what items you might want to look for when you go shopping so you are buying pieces that fit your style and will work with the items you already own.

The other thing to think about with personal style is what is your lifestyle. Do you work in an office or from home? Are you going to fancy dinners on the weekend or going hiking? Are you a mom chasing after little people or are you single and going on dates? These types of questions will impact the clothes you need in your wardrobe and therefore will affect your shopping. For example, my full time job is being a personal trainer and my hobbies include a lot of sports and physical activities so I need more athletic-wear and fewer outfits for professional settings. This impacts the items I buy. I can't justify owning lots of nice tops and blazers because those are not items I will wear for work or will get lots of use out of, but I do need to make sure I have plenty of comfortable athletic shorts in my closet.

Figuring out your personal style as well as the types of clothes your lifestyle requires will help you make smart clothing purchases, and eventually should help you curate a great wardrobe full of pieces you love that fit with your life so you don't need to buy new clothes all of the time.

Limit your shopping

This may sound like an obvious thought, but one of the best ways to save money on shopping is by going shopping less. Not going to the stores you like in person or even online until you really need something is an easy way to limit how much you are purchasing. Because I enjoy shopping, I try to avoid stores that I like unless I really need to go there for something because I know if I see something cute that is a good price I will be tempted to get it. If I'm not even seeing options then I won't be spending my money on things I don't need.

Be mindful of your purchases

One of the biggest tricks I have had to learn over the years with clothes shopping is to ask myself lots of questions about an item before I buy it. I am such a sucker for a good deal that I used to buy clothes from the sale sections in stores simply because an item was such a good price. I would then be cleaning out my closet a year later to find that item I purchased on sale and never wore because I didn't really like it, need it, or it didn't fit my style or lifestyle. Over time I learned what questions to ask about something before purchasing it to ensure it is something that will get worn.

The 3 questions I always ask myself when thinking about buying a new clothing item are "Do I need it?" "Will I wear it a lot?" "Do I really love it?" If I don't answer "Yes" to at least 2 of those questions then I'm not buying the item. This is where you have to be really honest with yourself and carefully assess a piece before bringing it home. If I answer yes to the questions above I then have to ask myself "Is the price worth how much use it will get?" This is another point where you might have to say goodbye to something cute because it is not worth the price tag.

Let's spend a minute breaking down the 3 questions to ask before buying an item since this is one of the most important skills to master if you want to save money when shopping. Each of the questions I ask have more follow up pieces that go with them to really make sure I carefully think through whether a piece is worth it before I spend my money on it.

Do I need it?

Is it filling a gap in my wardrobe? Is it something that has been on my list of things I am looking for? Do I already own something similar to this at home so I don't need this item?

I have a very predictable style so i often find myself gravitating towards clothes that are similar to things I already own. These questions are often where I will put an item back when I realize I don't need it and it is too similar to something I already have in my closet.

Will I wear it a lot?

Is this something I know I will gravitate towards when getting dressed? Is this a piece that can be worn multiple different ways for different activities in my life? Is it something that can be styled with clothes I already own or would I need to buy other new clothes to make an outfit with it?

With this question think through whether you can picture yourself wearing this piece of clothing often and in a lot of different ways. Can you style it with different peices in your closet and can it be worn for different activities, or is it really only appropriate for one specific thing? If this piece is really only good for one specific outfit or activity, you really need to think through whether you will wear it enough to justify spending money on it.

Do I really love it?

Is this a piece of clothing that brings me joy? Is it something I will be excited to wear? Is it something I will feel comfortable and confident in? Is it something I will wear for years to come and be happy everytime I put it on?

If an item of clothing is not a piece you are going to be excited to wear, have fun getting dressed with, or makes you feel great when you put it on, why bother getting it? Unless it is filling an important gap in your closet of something you need, there is no reason to buy something you don't love and aren't going to be excited to wear.

All of these questions help so much when deciding what is actually worth spending money on. If you can't answer yes to the questions above, then it probably isn't worth spending money on that item when it means you now will have less money for something else.

Shop quality over quantity

One of the keys to having a wardrobe that lasts is buying good quality items that are made well. This doesn't mean you have to shop at stores that have high price tags in order to find good quality pieces. You can find well made items for good prices at stores like TJ Maxx and Marshalls, but if you look carefully even places like Old Navy or Target can have well made items. You just have to be selective when searching to find clothes that are made from good quality materials (natural fibers like cotton, linen, or wool are best!), are sewn together well, and are styles that are more classic than trendy (something that is super "in" right now will be totally out in 2 or 3 years). If you spend a little time searching, you can find some quality pieces that will hold up well over the years no matter what price point you are looking at.

Thrift shop

Going along with the above point, one of the reasons I love thrift shopping so much is that I can find great quality pieces for amazing prices. A Ralph Lauren button down for $6? A sweater that was originally $160 for less than $10? A 100% wool men's blazer made in Italy with an $8 price tag that is also 50% off? Sign me up!

Thrift stores are the best place to find high quality items that are normally out of your price range for even lower prices than you could find at a cheap store. I know a lot of people have a hard time with thrifting so I'll quickly share a few of my secrets for finding great items.

Go to thrift stores in more affluent areas

I never liked thrifting growing up because I lived in a small town where no one had good style or nice clothes to begin with, so you could never find anything good at the thrift stores. Now I've realized you just have to go to the right stores to find good items, and usually the right stores are in nice neighborhoods. Sometimes it can be worth driving a little ways to go to a Goodwill or Salvation Army in an area where people have the money to spend on good quality clothes because then those types of clothes are also being donated.

Don't give up after one trip

It can be easy to get discouraged with thrifting if you go only once or twice and find nothing. But don't give up there! People donate clothes all of the time so it helps to go as often as you can so you are seeing more options of items. I also find that going around the turn of the season is a great time to find good pieces because people often clean out their closets right before the seasons change. Try different stores, try going at different times, and remember things come and go from thrift stores all of the time so you never know when you might hit the jack pot.

Have a list but also be open

I find keeping a running list of items I am on the hunt for at thrift stores helps me to know what section to start looking in and makes walking into a thrift shop less overwhelming. Then you can keep your eyes out for specific things, but at the same time be open to seeing what is there. I have found some of the best items when I went in looking for something totally different only to stumble upon an item that was on my thrift list and I had been looking for for ages. Sometimes you have to let the magic find you, but having specific items you are looking for gives you an idea of what section to be in instead of just getting the deer in the headlights look when you enter a store.

Shop sales

One of my other secrets for spending less money on clothes is that I almost NEVER spend full price on any item. Unless the original price is less than $10, you can bet I am waiting for a sale. Most stores regularly have sales so it's pretty easy to wait a few weeks until a sale comes around and then buy clothes then. One of the other tricks I use (that I learned from my mom!) is shopping the clearance sections in stores, especially outlet stores. Sometimes items that are now out of season will have a mark down price on top of the sale price making things often around $5 to $10. (This is where it is really important to ask yourself the questions from above about whether you need an item, if it will get a lot of wear, and if you love it instead of just buying an item because it is a great price. I've been guilty of buying something simply because it was a steal more times than I wish to admit!)

If you aren't sure when stores are having sales, sign up for their email lists so then you will get notified of any discounts or sales they have going on. I typically wait until stores are offering at least 40% off, but prefer an even higher percent off if I can hold off on getting something. Especially around the holidays stores will typically have good sales, and the change of seasons is also a good time to find sales on what is going out of season when stores switch out what is new on the store floor.

Final Thoughts

If you're anything like me, clothes shopping can be a lot of fun, but it is important to remember that if you are spending your money on clothes you now no longer have that money to use towards other things. Make it a priority to wear the clothes you already own, be mindful about what you are purchasing, and look for the best deals possible when buying items so that you can save your money for things in life that matter more. We live in such a culture of over-consumerism it is important to break that habit and really be mindful about what we are putting our money towards. I hope these tips and tricks give you some good guidance to be a more mindful shopper who doesn't have to sacrifice style in order to save money.