Adults aged 35-44 spend an average of $209 per month on clothing. That equates to over $2,500 a year. Think about what you could buy if you halved that number! The good news is that it’s actually not that hard to dress well on a budget.
You can spend half that amount on clothing while still purchasing everything you need (and even things you want). Follow our seven tips for dressing well on a budget to see just how easy it is to save money while shopping for clothing.
How to Save Money on Clothes While Dressing Well
1. Build Your Wardrobe in a Meaningful Way
When you want to look good without breaking the bank, you don’t necessarily have to shop at second-hand shops. The key to building a wardrobe on a budget is making well-informed and effective purchases to help build your wardrobe in a meaningful way in the long run. This includes being smart about what you’re purchasing instead of ordering three of the same shirt online just to try out the size and keeping the ones that don’t fit.
2. Only Purchase Clothing You Need
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This one’s a bit hard for most people who love a bit of retail therapy. However, the first step you’ll want to take in saving money while dressing well is to only purchase clothing you need. Make a list of what the essentials you need to get started and take inventory of your current wardrobe. If you can, sell the items you don’t need or are out of date in order to purchase newer items that fit your body well and cater to a more current style.
3. Invest in a More Expensive Staple Item
There are certain items in your wardrobe that should be considered a staple. For men, for example, this is often a good suit. A full suit can be purchased in bits, making it a more long-term investment, but should include: fitted trousers and a jacket made of the same fabric, a light-colored, well-fitted dress shirt, a matching, muted tie, and high-quality shoes. For women, this might look like a business outfit that can be layered upon or modified with a cute pair of jeans or a coat.
4. Pay with Co-Branded Credit Cards
If you’e decided on a style that works for you then you’ll likely have your go-to stores that you love to shop at. Since you’ll be purchasing most of your wardrobe from one or two stores, co-branded credit cards are a great way to build your credit while saving money and earning rewards. The Old Navy credit card, for example, earns you rewards at Old Navy, Gap, and the Banana Republic. You’ll earn 5 points for every $1 spent at Gap Inc. brands and a $5 gift card for every 500 points earned.
5. Purchase Layerable Clothing
This goes back to our point of investing in a staple item. One of the easiest ways to save money and dress well on a budget is to purchase clothing that you can mix and match throughout every season. If you invest in a high-quality pair of jeans, for example, you should get a few seasons worth of wear out of them. Purchase layerable clothing to use with those jeans, such as a top that’s cool enough for spring weather and that will look great when you throw a coat over it in the winter.
6. Keep an Eye on Seasonal Sales
If you’re smart about when you shop, you can snag brand new looks at cheap prices. The key is knowing when to shop and that includes shopping during stores’ seasonal sales. A good rule of thumb is to always be looking a season ahead or behind. Towards the end of winter, for example, you can usually find great deals on great winter coats. While you might not need it right now, it’s a good idea to purchase it 50% and save it for next winter. Likewise, summer clothing usually goes on sale around Labor Day.
7. Repair Old Clothing
You can DIY clothes to save tons on your wardrobe each year. This is especially true if you’re the parent of small children. When something rips, instead of throwing it out, DIY a solution such as patching it up or cutting it up to turn it into a different style of jeans or shorts. There are quite a few YouTube channels out there that can help you learn how to DIY clothing fixes, including Blueprint DIY and Coolirpa.
Save More with Cheese
Dressing well on a budget and saving money on clothing isn’t all about what you spend; oftentimes, it’s about how you can save more in order to afford the clothing items you want.
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