Who hasn’t been hit by the recent recession? People all over the world are cutting costs in every sphere of their lives. Clothing seems to be the exception, with the need to buy different clothes for work, occasions, casual wear and so on. Note that for the savvy shopper, there’s great potential for savings in this area as well. Check out our tips on how to save money while shopping for clothes.
- Evaluate your wardrobe needs: Know what you want. Not having a specific plan and budget in mind makes it doubly hard to resist new arrivals and trends.
- Ask for discounts: If you are a store regular, make friends with checkout staff and ask a familiar face for a discount. Do this when buy one item, not when you’re buying in bulk.
- Swap gift cards: If you have a gift card for a mixer you don’t need, browse through sites such as cardavenue.com to see if you can swap it for a clothes gift card.
- Buy later: Clothes are priced high when they hit stores. The price goes down after a few weeks. Keep tabs on new arrivals at your favorite store and wait to make your purchase.
- Wait for a sale: Before you make a purchase, ask if your desired clothing item is scheduled to go on sale soon. If so, wait for the sale. Avoid purchasing on impulse.
- Watch out for shop discounts: Watch out for half-price-off and buy-one-get-one discounts. Team up with a friend, buy multiples and enjoy both kinds of discounts.
- Buy clothes on a Thursday: Weekend sales begin Thursday evenings; this is when you can still get a good selection. Don’t wait till later in the weekend.
- Buy during season end: Seasonal clothes are cheap right when the season is ending. Winter jackets are dead cheap if you buy them at the beginning of spring. Buy winter ware in April, summer wear in November and beachwear in September. Shop for classic pieces so that you won’t seem unfashionable.
- Stick to a budget: Set aside a budget for your spending. If you have a store gift card, load it up with your budgeted funds and leave credit and debit cards behind when you go shopping.
- Shop only with cash: Budget your expenditure and take only that much with you while shopping, in cash. Leave credit, debit and store credit cards at home. This method works to curb the impulse shopper in you.
- Shop at discount chains: Leave big retailers alone and target discount chains such as Target, Susie’s Deals and T.J. Maxx. These discount chains pride themselves on offering great goods at prices much lower than large retailers.
- Explore online deals: Keep abreast of what’s happening on your favorite online shopping sites. Sign up for their email newsletters for news on sales and deals and discount coupons.
- Be coupon savvy: You can spend a lot of time mining the net for coupons and studying sites that do the mining for you. Or, you can hunt for great bargains on sites such as ShopItToMe.com, on which you can select the items and the retailers you are interested in and get informed on deals and coupons.
- Resist splurging on sales: Wait for a sale if you want to buy something cheap, but don’t rush to shop at every sale. You will end up overspending way beyond your entire year’s budget. Clothes shopping, even with coupons, are just like grocery shopping with coupons. You don’t want to stock up on unwanted items just because they’re cheap.
- Don’t fall for trends: Fashions are seasonal; style should be omnipresent, while trends come and go. Don’t give trends much importance. Stick to classic, timeless pieces that will stand the test of time and fashion.
- Buy wardrobe basics in a complementary palette: Don’t blow money on fancy pieces that won’t work back with your existing wardrobe. All the money you save on buying something will be of no use if your new clothes can’t be worn with old ones. Stick to wardrobe basics in a palette that complements the colors in your existing wardrobe.
- Shop at consignment and vintage stores: The best place to buy a designer outfit for cheap is at a consignment store. Vintage stores and thrift stores stack pieces from times past. Check if these are in good condition before you buy them. Vintage clothes are back in fashion now.
- Evaluate cost options: If you have set your mind on getting a black leather winter coat, or a pair of fashionable snow boots, first evaluate the cost. Check the cost at retail stores and factory outlets and look up the same item on the internet. Compare prices, and pay the cheapest rate you can find.
- Ask yourself if you need it: Clothes shopping is an emotional outlet for many people, who buy clothes not because they need them but because it feels good. Just before you hit the checkout, ask yourself if you really need the item. If the answer is NO, put the clothes back.
- Buy only what you’ll wear: It’s so easy to get tempted by choices. Before shopping, remind yourself of the items that you are most likely to wear on a day day-to-day basis. If something doesn’t fit in with your day to day wardrobe, don’t buy it.
Marina is a freelance writer who loves to save money in every thing and co-owner of retail specialty products websites like corner etagere, contemporary hall tables, decorative room mirrors and lot more.
