Maintaining Your Wardrobe on a Budget

Just about every working person needs a good wardrobe. However, clothing is expensive - even if you're not on a budget. Two holiday seasons ago I ventured into Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping and I got such great deals I did it again the following year. Last July I started reminding myself that there were going to be really good sales and I just had to hold off until November. It was tough remembering that I wanted to wait, but it paid off.

This post isn't about Thanksgiving weekend shopping, though. Believe it or not, I still have a plethora of articles salvaged from that now defunct web site we need not name that are still languishing in obscurity waiting to see the light of day once again. It happens; life gets in your way and the things you most want to do like write or create often get swept by the wayside or pushed to the back burner.

Standing in front a full closet trying to make a decision is an occasional challenge we all face. Sometimes the problem is an unexpected event to attend, a sudden change in weather, or the realization that your favorite go to outfit is now missing an essential piece that you forgot had outlived it's function. In any case, we all love to get good deals on clothing whether we're on a budget or not.

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Personal Development topics
Originally published as How to Have a Nice Wardrobe on a Budget
6/2009

Wardrobe on a Budget

Standing before a closet full of clothes and having nothing to wear is a common enough occurrence in the average woman's life. It isn't that there aren't any (or enough) actual clothes available to choose from, it is really that at that very moment there is nothing suitable enough to wear or exciting or interesting enough that fits the current mood or occasion.

Maybe the problem is that the majority of the clothing in the closet is just too old and outdated or maybe the clothes have seen more than their fair share of wear and tear and just need to be replaced. Maybe the items no longer fit due to weight gain or even better, weight loss. Maybe the clothes are too trendy for the times and no longer reflect the person their owner has become.

In an instance where the closet isn't full at all less items to choose from means less options for getting dressed, more wear and tear and most importantly less shelf life, especially for favorite items. The more something is worn the more it is laundered and the sooner it will begin to fade, shrink and show signs of wear.

For every woman (or even some men) who has stood before the closet feeling less than enthused about the clothing choices before her (or him) it would seem the ideal solution would be to simply go out and get a complete new wardrobe. Simple yes, but not easy; if grabbing your keys and heading for the mall isn't an available option, building the ideal wardrobe that makes you look and feel good is going to be challenging.

Having a nice wardrobe, even a big wardrobe with lots of choices, doesn't necessarily require a huge budget. Clothing bargains abound and can be found quite easily. With a little budgeting and planning an entire new wardrobe can easily be built in a short time.

To get your nice new wardrobe going start by sorting through your closet and looking at what still works for you and what doesn't and start your shopping by looking for pieces to coordinate what you already have. Those great two dollar pants you found on the clearance rack do you no good if they spend six months in the back of your closet so be sure to shop smart not just cheap.

Shopping for clearance items online saves time and gas because you can narrow your searches to only show items in your size and price range. Search the clearance sections at large retailers such as Target and Walmart for bargains and add them to a wish list so you can get back to them later. Give yourself a budget of $5 or $10 and choose an item or two every couple of weeks after setting aside the money you need for bills and living expenses.

Walmart in particular is a great online source for practical and functional dressy casual clothing on clearance that can do double duty in your work wardrobe as well as your party wardrobe. Many items have 97 cent shipping and some can be shipped to your nearest Walmart store where you can pick them up in person and save a significant amount of money just by eliminating shipping charges.

When shopping clearance sales it is important to always stick to basic colors that go with everything and conservative styles that are not likely to go out of fashion quickly. You can always add more color and flare to an outfit with the right accessories.

You should also consider thrift stores when revamping your wardrobe. The clothes are usually priced pretty cheap ($5 for a dress or pair of pants) and often the stores hold sales where everything will be half price. This is particularly great for anyone with children as kids grow out of their clothing quickly and the clothing is often still in very good condition.

Another way to give your wardrobe a nice little boost on a budget is to shop your own closet and recycle the items that are in good condition that you hardly wear anymore. Consider dyeing light colored clothing, opening pants and making skirts from them, adding embroidery, applique or other embellishments to give clothing an entire new look.