In yesterday’s discussion about how to live frugally without looking like a loser, a few people chided me for wearing frayed clothing. MissPinkKate wrote, “Wearing a frayed sweatshirt isn’t a sign you’re frugal — it’s a sign you’re too lazy to buy cheap clothes that look nice, which can be done.” And Shirley said:
J.D., I promise I am not picking on you, really, but I laughed out loud when I read your comment that you “might” try to get rid of your ratty clothes over the next year. Come on.
You are a man who erased all your debt in three years, right? I think you can purge your ratty clothes and replace them by tasteful thrift shop finds in a couple of weeks at most. You don’t need a ton of clothes. Seriously, most of us end up wearing the same few pieces over and over again even though we tend to have closets full of clothes. You can do it, J.D.!
Even in your work-from-home state, you should be “dressing to the shoes” every day because we are all more productive when we are dressed to work. Words like “might” and “try” mean you’ve already made up your mind you are not going to do something. I know, I am guilty of using them at times just like everyone else.
“This is so true,” Kris told me. “I don’t think you have any intention of getting rid of your old clothes. I’ve tried to throw them out several times, but you always rescue them.” She’s right. For some reason, I can’t bring myself to purge my old clothes, even when they’re worn.
My favorite episode of Seinfeld (“The Marine Biologist”) begins with Jerry lamenting over the demise of his favorite shirt, Golden Boy:
“See this t-shirt?” he says to Elaine. “Six years I’ve had this t-shirt. It’s my best one. I call him Golden Boy. But see, look at the collar. It’s fraying. Golden Boy is slowly dying. Each step brings him one step closer.”
My wardrobe is filled with Golden Boys. The pajamas I’m wearing now are frayed at the waist. My socks have threadbare heels. And the sweatshirt I have on isn’t just frayed — there are holes torn into the seams.
My wardrobe hasn’t always been this run-down — when I was a spender, I bought new clothes all the time. But three years ago, as I began to take control of my money, I stopped buying clothes. Though I’ve purchased a few items since then, I’ve mostly made do with the things I already own. Now normal wear-and-tear has begun to take a toll. But somewhere in those three years, I must have moved from spender to tightwad. The idea of buying new clothes seems crazy — they’re so expensive!
Perhaps it’s time to strike a balance. I have $150 in Land’s End gift cards. There’s a good used clothing store near my home. I think it’s reasonable to purge some of the most run-down items from my wardrobe, give myself a budget, and buy a few pieces of quality clothing.
Otherwise, I run the risk of crossing the line from “frugal” to “slob”.
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Seriously, as much as I understand trying to save money AND holding on to clothes that “are still good!” I purged a couple years ago and I’ve been glad to keep purged since then. I kept many clothes I didn’t need and just kept stuffing & stuffing my drawers.
You’ll get a good feeling from the simplicity of it all when you see your nearly-empty drawers and know you only have the clothes that you really need and will wear.
Clean out those drawers!
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I’m frugal but I purchase my clothing new. The smell of thrift shops and consignment shops makes me ill. I just can’t do it.
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Here in Australia we have ‘direct factory outlets’ and its where i buy all my clothing, usually a maximum of 2 times a year. Different clothes age at different speeds.
If you start without anything and buy a whole wardrobe for $1200 you can from then on get by with $400 a year. This means that roughly every year you’ll have about 1/3 of your clothes to give to charity.
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I buy a lot of my clothes at Target. I hear the women’s section isn’t all that great, but you can generally get pretty good deals on some name-brand clothes in the men’s section. And some of the Target brands seem to be pretty high-quality, although it’s hit or miss. Other than that, I shop at factory-direct outlets. My mother lives near one so sometimes I’ll stop by when I’m visiting.
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Otherwise, I run the risk of crossing the line from “frugal” to “slob”.
Oh, it’s always such a fine line, eh?
I could use a run to the used clothing store myself.
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people always give that “dress to the shoes advice” – flylady says that, too. one of the things i *love* about working from home is working in pajama pants. and i think i write *best* when i am completely comfortable.
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I think the key is to choose your favorite golden boys. There’s nothing wrong with a frayed shirt around the house or if you’re going on a walk.
Take inventory of what you have and what needs to be relaced. Check your local thrift stores, discount stores (Ross, TJ Max, etc), and use the gift card to slowly replace the not so golden boys.
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three things: 1) I think that hanging on to clothes may be a particular subset of hoarding complex. clothes are a really personal set of items, so discarding them can be like giving away or rejecting a part of yourself.
2) acquiring new clothes can be really painful. My husband is smaller than most American males (5’8″ and under 140 lbs) and finds it really hard to shop for clothes and while, sure, things can be tailored, he finds the whole experience of shopping completely unappealing. And I’m sure I speak for many women who ends up buying shoes and hats because after a few hours of trying things on that don’t look good on me, it’s a relief to find something that fits!
3) So, I do have an expensive hobby of using mail order. I find that the Sierra Trading Company catalogs are a good source for brand name discounted clothes and shoes, but even then, I send things back after trying them on…
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Now into my 5th year of being a SAHM and having just given birth to my third daughter, my wardrobe was rediculous. Nothing fit anymore (and I mean virtually -nothing) I just went and spent a fair chunk of money on new (brand name) clothes. I don’t have any debt and the money was there. I also went to factory outlets for this shopping spree. Basically I live 2 hours drive from decent shopping – but there’s no such thing as “cheap” shopping there either – we had to go 1000km for this trip.
But you know what? I now have 7 new outfits, and 7 old outfits, they all fit, all look good on me (which makes me feel good about myself) I “work” from home, but just getting dressed in good casual clothes makes me feel better. I can answer the door, run out to the shops/pick up the hubby/swimming/dancing/school/daycare at a moments notice and not stress about what people are thinking of me.
And the best part of buying all these clothes together? They ALL mix and match. I have 14 bottoms and 14 tops, and any top can go with any bottom.
But even though I normally buy cheaper clothes a bit more regularly (every couple of months or so) I’ve had NO desire to even look at new clothes. My favourite online shop has 25% off this weekend and I haven’t even gone to look. My wardrobe is now one area of my life/budget I don’t need to think about.
While we were there we also did hubby’s and the kids wardrobes. There’s no clothes needed now for probably a year or two.
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Ha, to me it’s all about the image you want to project. I want to project that I don’t care about what brand of clothes or how nice my clothes are, because… I don’t. Comfortable and clean are most important. I also like be-friending people who are the same way.
This is outside of work, of course… But like Red said, you work from home! Do what you like. You can look nice frugally, or you can look “relaxed” frugally.
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If you wait for the end-of-season sales, buying new clothes at certain stores is even less expensive than used clothing at thrift shops. For instance, I recently bought a pair of new cargo-style jeans at K-mart for .39 cents. Admittedly that is my best bargain in a long while, but I also got a new down jacket at the same time for 7.00. It’s been a heck of a long time since I’ve paid more than 5.00 for a new shirt. Best stores I’ve found for end of season bargains: K-mart, Kohls, Target(occasionally).
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Celina – those Lands End shirts lasted 65 wearings each. I don’t know but that doesn’t seem like a lot to me. I got a pair of Eastland shoes and they lasted me 9 years, wearing them about every other day, so your 2 years again doesn’t seem like a lot. But your overall point of spending a little more for quality clothing that lasts longer is a good one.
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Interesting exchange. I’m still waiting for somebody to post a good reason for wearing so-called “nice” clothes. I can see the point if we’re talking clean, but beyond that I’ve never understood dress codes and fashion police. If you want to, sure – go for it but count me among the slobs
. A few years ago, I used to work as a PC tech for a local company and the dress code was shirt and tie, no jeans, no sneakers. Tell me I was working more efficiently crawling around under peoples’ desks running cables and choking on my tie. No, I was sweating bullets and ruining a lot of “good clothes”. All part of the game, I guess. These days I’m the one sitting at the desk that PC techs have to crawl under. I wear whatever I feel like wearing – as long as it’s clean and gets the job done, why should anybody care?
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Guys, about the dryer thing: you can put clothes in the dryer for a few minutes, then take them out, and hang them up on a hanger to air dry. That will keep them new longer and the few minutes in the dryer gets most of the wrinkles out. If you have a home dryer and turn it off early, it will save electricity, save on wear and tear on your applicance, and is good for the environment. Right now, I have to go to the apartment laundry room so I put in my wearing clothes on delicate for a few minutes, then take them out and replace them with my sheets and towels on the heavy dryer setting. (When I put my money in, it will go for the full hour, you can’t stop it, so this is how I keep from running an empty dryer for 40 minutes or so.) What few wrinkles are still in my clothes, I can spray out either with spray starch or a generic version of that wrinkle rid stuff that comes in the plastic spray pump bottle(I get it at the dollar store, it’s cheaper). My friend Allison uses the wrinkle rid stuff but she waters it down and says it works just as well as full strength.You can also put a clothes rack over your bathroom door and hang a couple of garments in there when you take a steamy shower and the steam will help de-wrinkle them.Finally, when you go shopping, a cotton blend will wrinkle less and shrink less than anything that is 100% cotton. One advantage of second hand clothes from thrift shops and garage sales: they’ve already been washed and shrunk so you know they will stay that particular size (try it on or hold it up against you so you know it will fit — size labels are often wrong.)
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You “dressed to the shoes” people would be proud. I have a big day ahead today, mostly working from home. I have a phone interview, I have to finish an e-book, I have to do my taxes, etc. To get myself in the right frame of mind, after I finished working out, I showered, and put on my best non-ratty clothes. I almost look respectable!
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I am one of those people who has just a few favorite outfits and then wears them to death. I do go shopping at thrift stores, but often I will be looking for something specific and can’t find it. Even if I find stuff it’s not what I’m looking for and not sure I want to get a bunch of extra stuff filling up my closet space (very limited). I really like Land’s end. The stuff is not exactly cutting edge, but it’s well made and I know my size, so it’s my go to place when I need to fill in a hole in my wardrobe. Thrift and TJ maxx are good when you are bored with your wardrobe and want something new, and are open with trying something different, not if have a list of something very specific you are looking for.
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I always look like a semi-bum too. I think it just comes from being Gen-X. New clothes from Banana Republic don’t look cool to me. Concert t-shirts do and I’ll wear them till they fall apart, go figure.
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I’ve used ebay! And very successfully I might add (for clothes and shoes). Here are my tips:
The best deals out there are from other people just like you who are cleaning out their closets. Their clothes don’t fit, or they’ve overspend and need some cash. I hardly ever buy from ebay businesses… they mark up so high that it’s hardly a deal.
Buy brands that you already own/have owned… that way you know that the size will fit you.
Or, ask them to take measurements, and use that to try and guage the fit. People who sell from smoke free homes will usually mention it, but it never hurts to ask either.
Good luck!!
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There are 2 tricks to buying clothes in a frugal manner:
1. Spend a lot of money up front, but only classic styles (i.e.: those that don’t go out of style) made out of high quality materials. While the initial cost here is very high, you are buying high quality, classic clothing that will last and serve you well for years to come (so long as you don’t gain or lose a lot of weight but, even then, you can usually get the clothes tailored for cheaper than “re-buying” the same item in your new size).
2. Go to thrift stores. Try your best to go for high quality, classic items. But, even doing this, odds are that you’ll have to replace the clothes sooner than if you’d bought them new, so the long-term costs might not be much lower. Then again, you can often find things in thrift stores that have obviously never been worn before.
I would recommend doing something that seems contrary to frugal living: throw out ALL of your ratty old clothes. You might not be left with much, but by forcing yourself to buy new clothes, and to spend money on them, you will carefully select the clothes that you think are of the best quality, and that will last you the longest so that you won’t have to spend money on clothes again for a few years. Whether you buy a few new items, or a slightly larger selection of quality used items, it will be worth it in the long run.
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My line of business (real estate) requires that I dress well. I put my my business wardrobe together several years ago and it was not cheap. Shoes are $400/pair, suits $1200, and shirts $160/each tailored.
While it may seem expensive (it is relative to some of the prices noted here), the quality is unsurpassed and the fit to off-the-rack has no comparison. For me, this was money well spent.
As a corollary to this, my colleague purchased similar shoes and shirts, Alden and Brooks Brothers, respectively, about 12 years ago. He still wears the shoes (they’ve been refurbished twice) and shirts on a daily basis. That sounds like a wise use of the money.
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Land’s End gift cards?! They’re a frugal dream: the Overstocks section of the Land’s End site dresses my kids almost as cheaply as used clothes.
(But don’t buy the red twill pants. They’re ugly at any price.)
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#58 nails it on the head. No offense JD, but you do collect comic books and collecting is a form of hoarding if it’s unchecked. You might want to ask yourself why the attachment to a material item. Frequently I find the emotional attachment to an object keeps it from getting tossed out when there is no other practical use for it. Trust me. My ‘Golden Boy’ is a TWEEDS mock turtleneck whose neck and cuffs are frayed through. I know it’s next life is in a memory quilt of some kind though…
Lands’ End OVERSTOCKS, baby! Your $150 will go quite far there. Check on Wednesdays and the rest of the week to watch the prices and inventory go down. Don’t wait too long though or the good deals will be G-O-N-E.
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New to this site but love the feedback already. Just to add to the list………my hubby got a promotion in his job recently. He went from wearing a company uniform daily to business casual. Needless to say he needed an entirely new wardrobe. Within two weeks of shopping several local thrift stores I had him completely outfitted. Often the the items still had tags attached, brands like L.L. Bean, Land’s End, Docker’s, Tommy Hilfiger, etc.
In fact we almost completely shop thrift form my family of five and it always gives me a big smile when people stop me to comment on my cute jacket or awesome necklace that I only paid a
$ 1.00 for!!!! Even my daughters get a kick out of wearing a Roxy or Aeopostle shirt or hoodie they paid a buck or two for and their school mates are paying $20.00 to $ 40.00 for the same thing. Even as teens they realize what we save in clothing budgets can create travel opportunities we might not otherwise afford.
Last year I ran into a consignment store that was closing their business and bought 3 business suits for me, and a prom dress for my daughter. Each item was only a dollar!
Our local thrift consist of Salvation Army and Goodwill. We also have one or two decent consigntment stores close by.
I also subscribe to reusing and recycling clothes into cleaning rags, crafts, etc.
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Dear Friends, Not to be contrarian, but the men I know who have the oldest shirts with wear at the neck are members of the “British Priviledged” class. They buy good shirts and literally wear them to rags. The son may be chauffered by helicopter to school every day, while the father wears shirts which are worn at neck and cuffs. The shirts are bespoke (custom tailored) and they’re expected to last forever. It’s a symbol of pride with the British upper class, the women wear the same dresses and suits for decades (with knock your eye out family diamonds), and the men never part with their shirts. These people could easily buy new, but they don’t, it’s a badge of honor for them to buy the best and wear it forever. It’s an old money look and you have to have an old money aura to pull it off. That said, it doesn’t extend to sweatshirts, cut off denims and tees. It’s a hard look to carry off if you’re not with the Brit or Boston Brahmin upper crust, but if you’re that type of man, the worn shirt gives you cache.
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Although the idea of a “disposable culture” is kind of sickening,it does have some up-sides. I’ve seen clothing in thrift stores only 4 months after they were in stores, sometimes still with their original tags attached!
Last week I picked up a brand new pair of pants from The Gap in a thrift store for only $5! In the past year, through the powers of Ebay, thrift stores and clothing swap parties with friends, I spent $75 on clothing (not including underwear) and I got loads of compliments on what I wore to work. I think you just have to shop smart.
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Maybe some of these clothes are repairable? For instance, wearing out at the seams is definately re-sewable. The question is does it take more time to fix them than they are worth?
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I volunteer at a thrift store ..we open bags of clothing ..skirts tops shoes ..Tights..The Tights go straight in the rag bag ..they are shredded and used for used for stuffing or sent to Fistula Hospital ..so throw out your tights ..especially “Thick” Black ones
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“sharp, shiny dress is merely conspicuous or wanna-be wealth. the real ‘losers’ are anyone consuming beyond what is basically necessary”
Good thing no-one’s getting all judgy there, right, Sal?
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Working from home at the computer I wear jeans and t-shirts/ or shorts & t-shirts/ or jeans and sweatshirts – depending upon the temperature! All these are clean and mended neatly, if necessary. You all should learn how to mend clothes! A needle and thread and proper washing and prompt spot removal do wonders. (But I also do have dressier casual clothes I would wear, say, to a choir rehearsal! There is a hierarchy – things start “good” and go down the scale as they age!)
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