Saving on Clothing

Don't you wish that they had coupons and Extra Care Bucks for clothing purchases? I know I do.

Everyone needs to be clothed, and clothing a family can sometimes be a costly endeavor.

However, there are some ways that you can cut your costs and still look good.

Mix and Match.
One easy way to pare down your clothing budget is to anchor your closet, or that of your spouse and children, with basic pieces. A few basic pairs of pants, jeans, shorts and skirts will stretch an otherwise limited wardrobe when you pair them with different accessories, shirts, or blazers. The truth is that most people will not remember from week to week if you wear the same thing repeatedly.

Purchase Items of Good Quality.
It is always in your best interest to be careful and purposeful in your shopping. Be careful to select products that are simple to care for, are not likely to shrink or stretch easily, and show quality of workmanship. Just be aware, that quality does not necessarily mean higher price tag.

Resist Store Sales.
I know this point seems counter-intuitive, after all, the best prices come at the sales, right? However, unless you plan carefully and already have a well defined need, the tendency to overbuy and overlook quality issues is strong. It is much easier to rationalize "one more item" when that one more item is 50% off. I am not saying that you shouldn't try to match your needs with sales, but just be careful not to let the sale paper be your reason to buy.

Repair instead of discarding.
Much of the tendency to discard instead of repair seems to be a cultural phenomenon. For many items, a replacement is so inexpensive, that it hardly seems worth the time to attempt to fix the item. Frustration with the broken or worn item can lead us to make a rash judgment and open our wallets prematurely.

Shoes with floppy soles can be repaired with shoe glue. Jeans with worn knees can be patched with funky fabric to make them fashionable and serviceable again. Long pants can be made into capris, and pants can be converted to skirts. There are so many ways to refresh your clothing that it is at least worth a try. At worst you will still have to buy a replacement, but at best you will have a newly revitalized item of clothing.

Learn to sew.
This tip goes with the one above. If you learn how to sew, or know someone who does, it can be much less difficult to keep your clothes in good repair or to convert them. Another reason that it might be worth learning to sew is that it will essentially un-limit your clothing choices. As you develop skill you will become more able to make beautiful, high quality outfits for your family.

Find a way to swap.
One reason people seek out new clothing is because they become tired of the items that they have. It is a mood booster to have something new to wear. But this does not have to cost money if you have other friends who would like to participate.

Organize a clothing swap, where a group of friends bring the clothing that they are interested in getting rid of. Invite them to bring women's, men's, teen's, and children's clothing. Once all of the clothing is assembled, let everyone "shop" for the items that they would like to take home with them.

If you have friends with children of similar ages you can pass clothing between your families as the children grow out of certain sizes.

Maternity clothing can be passed between friends as some have small children and others are in the waiting time beforehand.

Line dry your clothing.
Do you know that the lint that you get in the dryer catch is just small pieces of your clothing that has come off during the drying process?

Clothes that are exclusively dryer dried do not last as long as items that are not. The heat can cause fabric strands to become loose or break down faster. Lint can cause fabrics to wear out earlier.

You can use a traditional clothes line, strung between two poles or trees, or you can purchase a fancy drying rack like the one that is pictured.

If you cannot do an outside drying system, you can hang clothing over curtain rods, chairs, over lawn furinture, or even over a small accordioning drying rack that you can buy at the store. I especially recommend that you dry delecates on a drying rack to increase their lifespan.

Consider buying second hand.
Many of the items in my wardrobe that I complimented on the most are items that I have purchased from my local Goodwill store. If you have a few minutes to dig through the racks, you will almost always be able to find what you are looking for.

Our local Goodwill has reasonable prices, and our Salvation Army store has 50% off all of their clothing on Wednesdays. Check with your local thrift shops to find out if they have special discount days or if they mark their stock down after it has been on the rack for a certain amount of time.

I hope that you find these tips to be helpful. Please share your own tips in the comments, I would love to know how you save!



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