Budget Dressing: How to Save Money on Clothes (10 Tips)

A man checking his phone while shopping in a clothing store. — A young man thoughtfully checks a budget app on his phone while browsing through racks of new clothes.

…How much money do you spend on clothes every year?

Every time you go to a mall or to a regular clothing shop, they’re full of people trying on clothes, asking their friends for opinions, looking at items in different sizes and colors, and doing all sorts of things that are related to shopping.

Clothes are a fun way to express your interests and truly who you are as a person, but they can be quite pricey, especially if you prefer to shop from high-end brands. Several studies have discovered that Americans spend no less than $1,700 a year on clothing and accessories.

But if you notice that you spend a lot of money and you still don’t have enough clothes to wear, we have some great tips for you. Finances are hard to handle, and shopping is such a fun activity that you can easily lose track of your cash or credit card and find yourself with a few hundred dollars less.

But no more with that, because here are our 10 best tips on how to save money on clothes!

1. Buy items that are out of season

Have you ever noticed that every summer, for instance, when people are looking for bathing suits, jeans, and tops, there are huge discounts on puffer jackets and winter coats?

That is because retailers want to sell all the clothing items they had during the season that has passed, so they put everything on clearance to completely clear the stock from their shops. You can save A LOT of money when you buy clothes if you shop off-season, so keep this in mind the next time you think you need something!

A stack of neatly folded neutral-colored basic t-shirts. — Neatly folded white, grey, and black t-shirts on a wooden shelf prove that simple, high-quality essentials are always in style.

2. Stick to basics

If you’re shopping for basics, you don’t need them to have a designer label. Basic items such as tank tops, T-shirts, polos, and loungewear are clothes that you absolutely need and that you’ll get a lot of use from, but it doesn’t mean that the ones from cheaper stores are not high-quality.

Someone photographing a dress for a resale app. — Turn your unused wardrobe into cash by taking clear, well-lit photos of your clothes using just your smartphone.

3. Sell the clothes you don’t wear

We can’t stress this enough: if you have clothes that you don’t usually wear, you should sell them! This way, you’ll make room in your closet for future purchases and also earn some money. Host a garage sale so that people can see the clothes you want to sell, and maybe they will buy them or go online on platforms such as Poshmark or Facebook Marketplace and list your clothes there.

Another thing you can do is go to a consignment shop and drop off your items there. When someone buys your clothes in the shop, you’ll receive a portion of the profits. You won’t get the full amount, but at least it’s something, and you don’t have to do a lot of work to make extra cash.

4. Look at the tag

The majority of people tend to only look at the price tag and maybe to check what fabric was used for certain clothing items, but they neglect something that’s really important: how are you supposed to clean that clothing item you plan on buying?

If you purchase a dry-clean-only silk shirt, you’ll actually spend even more money than you wanted to, given the fact that you’ll have to constantly take it to the cleaners. If you want to save some money next time you go on a shopping spree, stick to items that you can wash in the machine.

Hands sewing and repairing a denim jacket. — Give your old denim jacket a second life by sewing on unique buttons and mending worn areas with care.

5. Repurpose your old clothes

If you have a good sense of imagination and you know how to properly use a needle and thread, then you have everything that you need to completely transform the clothes that you no longer wear into something stylish that might become your new favorite clothing piece.

For instance, if you have an old pair of jeans and they don’t look as good as they used to, instead of throwing them away, you can get a pair of scissors and cut the legs off to turn them into shorts. If you’re more on the creative side of the spectrum, you can turn a basic and old shirt into a tank top and a skirt.

…There are numerous ways to repurpose your old clothes! What would you like to create?

A smartphone screen showing a discount code in a store. — Redeem digital coupons on your smartphone to score big savings while browsing through racks of stylish, colorful clothing.

6. Coupons are your besties

Who doesn’t want to save some extra money while shopping for clothes? We sure do! There are apps for literally anything nowadays, and unsurprisingly, there are plenty of good apps that can help you save some cash while you choose your new clothing items.

Yowza, for instance, is a free, location-based app that can be used on both iOS and Android, and the great thing is that it allows you to look for coupons at stores that are near you (both local merchants and chain shops).

Another app that is just as good as the one previously mentioned is called Coupon Sherpa, and you can use it when you want to search for coupons for your favorite retailers, restaurants, and so many other things.

Hands taking cash out of a wallet at a store counter. — A shopper pulls crisp hundred-dollar bills from a brown leather wallet while standing at a bright, modern store counter.

7. Pay cash

It might sound weird, but there are a lot of people who prefer to pay in cash whenever they want to save some money. That’s because the actual physical gesture of handing the money feels more real, rather than using a tiny piece of plastic, although it’s the same amount of money spent.

If you notice that you tend to spend a lot more when you only have your debit card on you, try it with cash the next time you go shopping and pay attention if there’s any difference or not!

8. Don’t go to factory outlets

It seems like there is a collective misunderstanding when it comes to clothes because the majority of people think that if they purchase clothes from factory outlets, they will actually save extra money.

These types of shops typically have items from the last season or collection that didn’t sell (usually for a reason, such as inappropriate sizing, bad fit, short-lived trend, or an unflattering color), or they carry items that were only created to be sold in outlets.

So when you see that the price tag says that it’s 50% off the suggested retail price, you should know that it’s not always true. If the outlet is the only place where that certain item can be bought, then that “sale” price is actually the one that was given in the first place.

Moreover, some experts say that clothes that are made just for outlets are typically not as high-quality as those you can purchase in a regular store, so all you’re actually paying for is the name of the brand.

A zipper being zipped up before going into a washing machine. — Zipping up a mesh laundry bag before washing protects your delicates and prevents metal teeth from snagging other clothes.

9. Keep your zippers zipped

…Did you know that keeping your zippers zipped can make your clothes last longer?

When it’s finally laundry day, before you put your clothes into the washing machine, make sure that every item that has a zipper, usually pants and hoodies, is zipped up. By doing so, the teeth of the zippers won’t get tumbling around in the washer or dryer, which means that there won’t be any ripped or pulled clothes there.

A person browsing a curated rack of vintage clothing. — Discover unique treasures and sustainable style by browsing through racks of colorful vintage clothing at a local thrift shop.

10. Go to thrift shops

If you really want to make the most of your shopping spree, you can go to a thrift store to get some amazing deals. But this won’t be such a thrilling experience, because if you find something that you really like but it’s not in your size, you’re out of luck. The majority of thrift stores don’t carry an item in several sizes, so you really need to do a lot of digging to find something suitable for you.

But if you’re lucky and you find something that looks good and also fits well, you’re not going to find a less expensive price, so you should definitely get it.

…What do you think about these 10 tips that will save you serious money next time you go shopping? Tell us in the comments down below!
…If you have trouble saving money and you need some extra tips and tricks, check this article out: Wondering If You’re Losing Money? You ARE by Throwing Away These 7 Things!