I am not all that into clothing and fashion. I approach it as a practical necessity, but
to have the latest and greatest trending setting outfit is definitely of no
interest to me. Neither is shopping for
clothes. It is really not at all
something I enjoy a whole lot. What I do
enjoy however is acquiring the clothing we need on a very small budget. Accomplishing that gets me all fired up!
You all know by now, if you've followed my blog for any length of
time, that I keep a pretty minimal wardrobe. I basically have my work clothes and my
weekend wear. A lot of my work clothes
pull double duty as weekend wear as well.
I have enough underwear for each day of the week and the same with socks
and bras. A few pair of pajamas for the
winter and a couple summer nighties pretty much sums it all up.
My shoes |
Shoes are minimal too. I
have snow boots, work shoes, dress shoes, two pair of walking/workout shoes and
two pair of summer slip on sandals. I
also keep an old pair of sneakers for working in the yard. I'm not a big accessorizer so not much there,
but I do have three purses, a leather jacket, my good winter coat and a
lightweight Boise State fleece jacket that was given to me. Oh, and my Raiders stadium jacket that is
super warm and waterproof. And way too
big for me, but I love it!
I use a lot of different methods to obtain clothing for myself and
my girls. Thrift stores are a biggie
whenever we want something in particular and we usuallycam find it.
Lately I've wanted to expand my workout attire and I found exactly what I was looking for at Goodwill for
a fraction of the cost of a brand new pair of leggings at the store. I also prowl clearance racks, find sales and
use store coupons, and try to pay for most of what I buy with gift cards I get
by cashing in my credit card rewards points.
My girls get a lot of hand me downs from friends which helps a ton as
well. I even find good deals for clothes
on eBay, especially for myself.
My last thrift store haul for workout wear |
I don't have a lot of time to spend shopping or perusing online
for deals as this can be a huge time suck so I keep that to a minimum as well. The biggest thing that saves me money is that
I don't shop just to shop. I wait until
I have a need then go out and get that item or items and call it good. I am also careful with the clothes that I
have, launder them carefully, repair or mend items when they need it, polish my
shoes, etc. Our clothes last a really
long time and since none of us really cares about the latest fashion we feel
pretty stylish with what we have.
I always try to buy the best quality I can afford at the time. I'm even willing to wait and save up for a
while to get a better quality item, like my Clarks shoes I wear to work. Going cheap to save money really doesn't save
you in the long run so I do try to keep that in mind when I choose something to
buy.
$1 Clearance items! |
I keep a list of items we need or want. We take inventory of what we have and make
mindful decisions about what to purchase.
We come up with a plan and we stick to it. For us it works. And it saves a lot of my $$.
I find that I am in a stage where my style is my style, and I stick to it. I almost ALWAYS wear denim skirts and t-shirts, leggings underneath in the winter, with boots or sandals. Workout wear is a skort and t-shirt. By and large, most of my clothing is thrifted.
ReplyDeleteI do splurge on good shoes (wish I could wear Clark's, but my feet are too wide), good leather belts, good outerwear and undergarments. (I have found the coats and belts and thrift shops in the past.) I also splurge on a certain brand of nightgown--I can only sleep in short, white, sleeveless, 100% cotton nightgowns. I almost always get a new nightgown for Christmas.
I agree with you about buying cheap--it doesn't save you money. Moreover, the fashion industry is notorious for child labor/bad environmental practices. I don't want to support those, so I try to consider the source of my clothing.
Me too Meg. I like what I wear, it serves my purpose and that is all we need. :)
DeleteMy wardrobe has never been minimal mainly because I keep things forever and will refashion them whenever styles change. I am in a pickle right now though. Thanks to keto everything in my spring summer wardrobe is toast but I am not finished with this journey. I want to get a bare bones wardrobe that will get me through the summer with the least investment. Since it get so incredibly hot here for such an extended time and I refuse to wear shorts anywhere but at home, I think I am going to make a few flowing skirts, buy a few tee shirts and call it good. Mom has a huge fabric stash and can no longer sew and I think I can help shrink it.
ReplyDeleteIt is a good pickle to be in Anne. Sounds like you've got a great plan though.
DeleteI so need to overhaul my wardrobe to “nicer” everyday wear. I work part time at the Y so we have a uniform. I have too many t shirts and not enough nice tops
ReplyDeleteI think we feel better and do better when we dress nicer. I thinned down my T-shirt collection quite a bit and find I wear my nicer tops most days now. Have a fabulous day Lee Ann.
Delete