Hi everyone! I’m excited to be guest posting here while Michelle is enjoying her (much-needed!) vacay. I write over at The Happy Homeowner, a personal finance blog where I write about budgeting, saving, and spending wisely—and everything in between!
Although I haven’t done much shopping for clothes recently due to a variety of other savings goals, I want to share some of my tips and strategies for how I purchased a full wardrobe for under $500 after changing jobs/industries last year.
1. I had a realistic plan of attack. I knew I wouldn’t be able to purchase everything I wanted, but I knew that I had to try my best to purchase everything I needed. That meant shopping in a variety of stores including department stores, thrift shops, and consignment stores. I also made a list of what I hoped to purchase, and I stuck with a time frame of one day because I knew I’d lose focus or become subject to impulse buys if I gave myself too many opportunities to shop (yes, it was a fantastic Shop-a-palooza kind of day).
2. I used coupons. One of my favorite ways to save on clothing is to stack coupons on top of store sales. It’s a little-known secret, but most stores will honor expired coupons if you politely ask the manager to do so. Doing this at Kohl’s allowed me to save 30% on top of an already amazing sale. When the cashier handed me my receipt, we both were in a bit of awe when we noticed it said I had saved over $652.
3. I made “versatility” my shopping mantra. Before I even tried on an item, I quickly ran through its various uses in my head. If I couldn’t figure out at least 3 ways to wear it, it went back on the rack no matter how much I loved it.
4. I sought out the diamonds in the rough. I was not too proud to sift through the clearance sections of virtually every store I walked into. When most saw trash, I literally saw treasure as I kept my versatility mantra in mind and quickly learned how to style a few not-so-common threads I found along the way (such as a loudly printed maxi dress that I’ve worn at least 30 times by now that was marked down to $1.50 because it had been in the store since the previous spring!).
In the end, I walked away with enough clothing to stock my closet in a way that would provide me outfits for work, casual weekends, going out with the girls, etc, etc, etc. I even picked up a few new running outfits because they were on such a steep clearance and I still had money leftover in my budget. All in all, my total expenditure should have been over $3,750 if I had paid the original retail price. I’m proud to report that I spent a (whopping) $483.67 on that same haul.
How do you save money on clothing purchases?
My comment: Thanks for guest posting for me! Just so everyone knows, The Happy Homeowner is one of my favorite blogs. There’s always such great information that’s super relate-able.
As we all know, clothing is something that I’m horrible with. My closet is disgustingly packed with clothes (as are my dining room table, laundry room, guest room, and my bedroom). This is something I need to tame.
Samantha says
That is incredible!! I can't believe you saved so much money! I need to take some of your tips and incorporate them into my own shopping sprees. 🙂 Great post!
Alice @ Dont Debt says
That's amazing! I have on a pair of dress pants today that I spent about $0.17 on. They were from a yard sale and I ended up getting a bag of clothing for $1.00. None of the pieces looked like they had ever been worn.
McVal says
Good job! I will either sew something, find it at a garage sale or thrift store, or modify a thrift store item when I'm feeling particularly frugal. Otherwise, I'll check out JCP sales online.
Holly says
Wow, you did an amazing job! Great post! I save money on clothes by shopping at consignment stores, yard sales and only buying brand new when an item is on sale.
bogofdebt says
That is awesome! I will admit that I used to know people who worked for NY and Company's headquarters and they would buy me bags of clothes for $1 or so as part of a "sample sale". I loved them.
Anthony Thompson says
You've done exceptionally well with such a big savings. Your buying system worked like a charm, and you should be very proud of yourself. Great job with both your purchase, and this post.
femmefrugality says
That's so great! Jealous of your $1 bags, bogofdebt! NY&Co is one of my favorites! I love Kohl's, too. It's so easy to find a good deal. I use coupons and generally shop clearance. I'm definitely not too proud.
Live Simply- Live We says
Nice work girl! I love saving money on things like that.
Michelle says
I bet you make the clearance section look GOOD!!! I love it. How many outfits did you get?
nicoleandmaggie says
I've done this 2x… once $600 for everything I could possibly need (from underwear to shoes to pants to shirts… I'd lost a lot of weight and was starting a real job), and most recently $300 for shirts and pants. Both times I ended up at a Premium Outlets during a massive sale. Lots of Ann Taylor Loft.The problem is that both times I got a positive pregnancy test the weekend after the shopping spree. Luckily I could still wear things after the baby was born, at least the firs time around.
shopping2saving says
I love The Happy Homeowner! Great post HH 🙂 I like to buy items that I can wear to work and to work out in and to play in. Thankfully I don't switch up my clothing choices too much since I don't go out to fancy places and my work attire is super casual.
Christine says
Wow! Please teach me your ways! My parents and bank account/wallet would be so much happier!
life-accomplished.co says
That is seriously amazing!!!
smallbudgetbigdreams says
Nice work! I do a lot of shopping at TJ Maxx and Marshalls. It's harder if you're looking for a specific piece, but if I'm looking in general for tops and dresses, I can usually find something there for a fraction of the retail price. I also like DSW for shoes.
Young Professional F says
Wow that's awesome! All those savings at Kohls makes me want to shop there now – and look for coupons. 🙂
Drew {Coral Cafe} says
WOW! I can not believe you saved over $650 at Kohl's!Way to get your dollars worth!!
The Happy Homeowner says
Wow, thanks for the love, everyone! I've been a budget fashionista since I was a toddler, so I suppose it's engrained in me to always save as much as possible…haha.In terms of specific outfits, I tried to count everything last night, but I couldn't remember all of it. What I did find was 7 tank tops, 6 pairs of slacks, 2 pairs of jeans, 9 button-down work shirts, 5 cardigans, 4 running tanks, 3 sports bras, 2 pairs of running shorts, 8 dresses, 5 skirts, 7 pairs of flats, 2 pairs of sandals, 1 sweater (cashmere!), and a few random accessories. It sort of blows my mind when I write it all out like this!I'll definitely be posting follow-up tips on my blog, so please stop by to check them out/leave your good finds.
Katie says
I definitely hit up the clearance racks. I try to buy versatile clothes too. I don't think I've saved as much as you though, that's awesome.
South County Girl says
I'm starting to learn the idea of versatile…. slowly bit by bit. My only problem is that i'm kind of in between sizes right now and there isn't much I can find that's flattering.