How to Save Money on Clothes (15 Clever Tips)

Save Money While Still Looking and Feeling Good

While I totally support spending money on clothes in order to treat yourself every now and then, being a full-time fashionista can become an expensive hobby very quickly. But, I’ve got good news: looking good doesn’t have to drain your bank account!

If you learn how to save money on clothes using the 15 simple tips and tricks below, you’ll be able to keep looking good while cutting your spending a TON! I’ll even show you how you can wear some really unique outfits without having to purchase them yourself.

15 Ways to Save Money on Clothes

1. Shop at Thrift Stores

Thrift stores are a great place to find cheap secondhand clothing. Sometimes you can even find brand new clothes with the tags still on if you search hard enough and shop at the right stores!

2. Use Discount Giftcards

Gift cards are one of the most popular gifts given during the holidays and for birthdays, but a lot of people never use them. So what do they do with their unused gift cards? They sell them! And better yet, they sell them at a discount.

So, for example, you might be able to find a $50 gift card for your favorite clothing store through a discount gift card website for only $40. That means you’re instantly saving 20% on your purchase at that store! Plus, you can combine gift cards with other promotions for the chance to save even more.

3. Try Used Clothing Apps

If you’d rather stay home and shop instead of going to thrift stores, there are several great used clothing apps that make it super easy to find second-hand clothes. I actually think they might be better than thrift stores just because they’re so simple to use and you don’t have to search through piles of clothes to find what you need.

Here are a few popular used clothing apps you can check out:

• Depop
• Poshmark
• ThredUP

4. Rent Clothes for Special Occasions

Renting clothes is still a pretty new thing and I haven’t tried it myself but it seems like a neat idea! Instead of spending hundreds of dollars on a unique outfit for a special occasion you can rent something for much cheaper, wear it out once, and then return it to the owner. This allows you to wear things you’d never plan on purchasing yourself!

A couple of the most popular clothes rental apps are Rent the Runway and Tulerie so be sure to check those out! You can probably find other clothes rental services in your area as well just by Googling “clothes rental”.

5. Clean Out Your Closet

While you’re not technically saving money by selling clothes you never wear, you’re definitely saving space and you’re at least getting a bit of money back in your pocket. If you want to really do a thorough clothing purge, follow the Marie Kondo method:

1. Throw all your clothes on your bed (Everything!)
2. Take each piece of clothing one by one, and only keep something if you really love it

Make sure to donate, sell or upcycle the clothes you don’t plan on keeping!

6. Upcycle Old Clothes

If donating or selling something from your wardrobe isn’t an option, try upcycling it into something new! All it takes is a bit of time and some skill with a needle and thread.

Here are some ideas to get your creative juices flowing:

• 5 Extremely Creative Ways to Upcycle An Old Sweater
• How to Recycle Old Jeans (+15 Easy Craft Ideas)
• 6 Cool Ideas to Refashion Men’s Shirts!

7. Use the Dollar Rule

The dollar rule is simple: Before you buy something, ask yourself if you’ll wear it as many times as it’s worth in dollars. So for example, if it costs, let’s say $40, ask yourself if you’ll wear that thing at least 40 times. If the answer is no, it might not be worth buying.

8. Buy the Basics

Having a ton of fancy unique clothing in your closet is a lot of fun, but it’s not very practical. Instead, try to fill most of your wardrobe with basic designs and colors. By having more basic pieces in your closet, you’ll be able to mix and match more and you’ll save a lot of money as brand names cost way more than generic clothes.

9. Do a Clothes Swap

Another way to be able to wear something fresh and new feeling without spending a ton of money is to do a clothing swap with a friend or a group of friends. You could either trade clothes completely or just borrow something for a special occasion.

10. Take Care of What You Have

Taking proper care of your current wardrobe is key to spending less money on clothes. The longer you can keep your current clothes in good condition, the longer you can go without having to buy something new!

If you’re not sure how to take care of your clothes so that they last longer, check out this post from Money Crashers for some great tips.

11. Learn to Do Simple Fixes Yourself

No matter how well you take care of your clothes, you will inevitably have to deal with missing buttons, tears, loose threads, and other problems eventually. Learning how to repair these problems on your own can extend the life of your clothing and save you a lot of money in the long run.

12. Make a Shopping List

In our how to spend less money on food post, we listed this same point because it’s super effective no matter what you’re shopping for. So, if you need a new shirt for work and some pairs of socks, put that down on your list and stick to it when you’re at the store.

13. Get Cash Back Online

While buying second-hand is a great way to save money on clothes, you can also save on brand new clothes by using cashback sites. For example, Rakuten offers cash back at thousands of different stores like JCPenny, Macy’s, Nike, and more. All you have to do is shop through the cashback website for easy savings.

14. Don’t Buy It Just Because It’s On Sale

Sales happen all the time. However, just because something is on sale doesn’t mean it’s a good deal. If you buy something that you weren’t planning to buy/don’t need in the first place just because it’s on sale, you’ve wasted your money.

Also, a lot of sales are actually just gimmicks to trick you into thinking you’re getting a deal which is why you should treat all sale prices like regular prices. Don’t decide to purchase a $70 shirt just because it’s “on-sale” from $140, purchase a $70 shirt because you really like it, you need it, and you believe it’s worth the price.

15. Shop Out of Season

If you’re buying bikinis right before summertime, you’re doing it wrong! Buying any clothing while it’s in season or about to be in season is when it’s at its highest price. If you just wait until it’s going out of season, you’ll snag yourself a much better deal.

So, for example, if you need a new winter jacket, wait until summer to buy it. If you need a new bikini, wait until winter to buy it. It will feel weird, but the savings will feel great.

Conclusion

If you follow the tips above you should be able to keep your clothing budget in check while still looking as good as ever! You might even be able to put a little bit of extra cash in your pocket by selling some old clothes you don’t wear anymore.

What do you do to save money on clothes? Share your tips in the comments!

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