Cutting spending on clothing or decorations

While this article focuses on shopping for clothing, these tips are also applicable to shopping for decorations or furniture.

Know Your Style

For the next two weeks, catalogue the clothes you wear and determine which you wear most frequently and why. Perhaps you like the fit or the material. Either way, start making a list of brands, materials, styles, and colors that you know you will feel good wearing. Being more aware of your comfort zone will help reduce the amount you spend on something that might have looked good in the dressing room’s forgiving lighting but in reality ends up hidden in the back of your closet.

Know Your Needs

As you catalogue your style, also start making a note of items you desperately need. You may notice yourself silently complaining that all of your socks have holes in them or that all of your jeans are uncomfortable. Make a note of the clothing items you overwear because you have no alternative. These lists will help you develop a game plan for your next shopping trip and help you reduce the amount you spend on the belts and t-shirts you didn’t really need.

Refrain from Spontaneous Shopping Trips

Instead of heading to the mall on a whim, plan specific dates or weekends when you will go shopping and make a rough outline of what you will buy during those trips. Remember, it always helps to buy season clothing in advance. For example, there are a lot of discounts around President’s Day weekend, so perhaps you plan to go shopping for Spring clothing in mid-February. Or perhaps your birthday is in late April, so you plan a shopping trip shortly after because you know you will have a little more disposable income. On top of outlining what you will buy on these trips, you can set a spending limit for each trip to help you stay on track.

These tips will help you save some money on the front end. Afterward, make sure to take good care of your clothing by following proper washing instructions or wearing undershirts to reduce the number of armpit stains. Learning how to make your own clothing or accessories is also a fun way to save money!