12 Ways to Save on Clothing Costs
June 10, 2009 by Jennifer Chait
Filed under clothes
Shop sales at discount outlets before hitting the sales at major department stores and clothing boutiques. Of course clothing at discount stores are cheaper to begin with so sale wise, you’ll do way better.- Shop at Good Will, second-hand stores, school or church thrift sales, garage sales, and other secondhand clothing outlets. Little kids clothes are especially good deals used because usually they’re worn very little. I’ve seen entire wardrobes of never worn baby outfits at garage sales. Another good buy used are items you’ll only wear once – wedding attire, Halloween costumes, holiday kids clothing, and so on.
- Pay more for major items. For example, winter boots or coats or a workplace suit. Choose quality over price for items like these that you’ll use over and over – sometimes many seasons over, because it’s worth it to not have to buy another. Keep in mind though, you can find these items on sale too, especially if you shop well ahead of time, for example buy a new winter coat at the end of the season in spring.
- Always shop for clothing out of season. Swimsuits in fall, spring dresses in summer, and so on. If you need something that’s in season during the season wait for a holiday. All seasons have major holidays and all stores hold holiday sales, for example Christmas, Labor Day, and back-to-school (not so much a holiday but you get it).
- Wash your clothing right. Always read the tags to see how you should wash an item before you just toss it in. Hang as much clothing as you can, because that alone makes items last so much longer.
- Don’t buy clothing that requires special care unless it’s absolutely necessary. Dry cleaning bills pump your clothing costs up considerably.
- Learn to sew. I’m not saying you need to sew your whole wardrobe, although that can save you money too, but if you’re tossing stuff because you can’t fix a simple button, zipper, or hem, it’s a huge waste of cash.
- Avoid wearing heels when driving because it puts more pressure on your shoes and can cause a break. Simply carry a pair of flat shoes in the car.
- Travel – IF you happen to live in a smaller town, it can be worth the cost of gar to drive to your closet bigger city to shop the deals and sales.
- Always wash lingerie in one, a smooth basin to avoid snags, or in a safe lingerie bag on gentle, and always air dry. If you do wash your bras in the washer always hook them to avoid snagging other clothing items.
- Grab some dye to perk up clothing that’s stained, dull, or otherwise boring to you. You’d be surprised how one simple dye job can make a shirt look brand new.
- Most importantly, only buy what you need. 20 pairs of anything is excessive. If you must buy new items that are purely want based, not a clothing necessity, consider selling a few current items you don’t wear to a consignment shop to balance the cost.
Share your clothes saving tips in the comments.
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I have to say, I have really gotten the sewing bug. I made a cute pair of maternity shorts that should have cost me less than $10 but ended up costing me $20. Sewing and material is not cheap anymore. Not to mention the time it takes. So it really depends on what you are sewing and how good you are at it.
I don’t know how to read a pattern and I usually just wing it so my mistakes are costly. But I have made several baby quilts as gifts, curtains for my new baby’s room, and now a pair of maternity shorts. I’m sure the next pair will be cheaper now that I have a pattern HAHA!
I have 5 kids and have found that the best way to save on clothing is by purchasing all shoes and pants through the sears kidvantage program. If they wear them out before they out grow them, sears will give you new ones. And “wearing something out” is subjective so I usually return every two months or so and get all new stuff – unless its still in great shape.
Also, I look for great sales at Old Navy, Gap Kids, Gymboree and Childrens Place. Since these are “in demand” brands I can sell them on ebay once we’re done with them and recoup most or all of my cost.
Kids look good and it costs the same or less as thrift store shopping =)
I get most of my kids clothes from my friends and neighbors. They give me bags of their kids outgrown clothes and in return I offer my sewing skills. So if they ever need a zipper fixed, buttons sewn on, pants hemmed, etc. they can just call me up and I do these things for them. After I’m done with the kids clothes I pass them on again, either to people I know or for free on Craigslist or Freecycle. I’ve started doing an informal “stork exchange,” too, where people can drop off gently used baby stuff and I distribute it for free to other people in town or on Freecycle and Craigslist. I’ve got quite a network going now.
Your stork exchange could turn very profitable if you wanted it to. We have a biannual clothing exchange of sorts that is very profitable for the owners. If you want more info, I could get it for you.
Thanks. I’ve thought about it and other people have said I can make money at it, but I’d rather keep it all not-for-profit and informal.
Great tips. We also look for items — especially bigger-ticket items — at Costco. Good quality for low cost. My husband got a three-part parka — the kind that is a hooded parka, a fleece vest, or a lighter weatherproof coat, or all put together — for about $60 last year. We also shop there for socks & undies.