I have a limited budget AND I'm in the process of an extreme weight loss. I've had to replace my wardrobe once & am starting to replace that one! Even if I had a lot of money I'd be looking for bargains since my size keeps changing.
First, go through your closet & determine what needs to be tossed and what can be donated. Get rid of what needs to go! Organize what you keep & it will help you to see what your options are. Everyone does it a little differently. I like to organize by style & color. Tank tops are together and arranged from light to dark colors, same for short sleeves, long sleeves, jackets/cardigans, etc. BTW, my closet is currently less than half full & has been that way for a year, though the clothes in it have changed. I am managing pretty well with not very many clothes. lol...
I agree about consignment shops. I've bought a couple things at the consignment shop I take my too-big clothes to & love both. I plan to go jeans shopping there later this month. I hope I find some good ones. New jeans can be so expensive & they tend to stay looking good so pre-worn ones make sense. Selling what I can at consignment also helps with buying new clothes.
I stick mostly to classic basics to mix & match. Layering lightweight tops/tanks under cardigans, jackets, etc. gives more looks with less money spent. Most of my things are solid colors but I've got a few stripes & prints, too. I have noticed that they are worn less often than solids but I am very happy I have them for variety, too.
Fabrics that do not fade or pill help. Cotton tops are nice but I've found they tend to show wear quickly. Jersey knit type clothes won't fade or pill; they always look like new. Since I want to be able to sell these things when they are too big, that is another reason I shop for them. My cotton tops tend to look big & baggy faster, too. Jersey fabrics have a more flattering drape as they start to get big so I get more wear out of them before they are obviously too big.
I have become an expert clearance shopper. I'm not looking for cheaply made clothes & instead get nice quality ones that are highly discounted. This gives me more wear & also allows for resale.
Dillards & Macy's have good clearance sales with extra off but you need to get there when they have the sales. I used to be great at that but then I went for a few years not buying much of anything (working from home at the time & ended up with everything worn out like you) and am now working on getting back to watching for their sales. I signed up for their emails and that alerts me to the big clearance sales. I ignore the regular sales adds.
I look for the same type of sales from Coldwater Creek. I also took advantage of a Groupon for CWC that was offered last fall. I got two deals, spending $48 for $100 worth of gift cards. I'll be using that towards my spring/summer clothes in a few weeks. I'm hoping they will have one of their 50% off everything in the store sales son so I can get the most bang for my bucks.
Online, I have found some great deals. Admittedly there are lots of places to get great deals but too many stores might result in too many purchases so I'm happy with what I am doing online. QVC offers a Wish List & HSN has a Favorites list. The clothes I like go on those lists & I watch the prices.
HSN alerts me when there is a price drop and when something is almost sold out. Almost all of the things I buy from HSN are clearance items, usually almost sold out when purchased. I wait until I think the price is as low as it will go. Sometimes I miss out on things but I also score some fantastic deals - like a $119 G by Giuliana blazer reduced to $19 - and I actually got the very last one! The S&H is not bad either, sometimes free, usually discounted for clearance. I usually try to buy 2 items in the same day to take advantage of discounted S&H, too.
QVC does not discount as much for clearance items so I rarely buy clearance. Instead I concentrate mostly on the Lunchtime Specials. Last year I got several deeply discounted tops (most under $10) that were Lunchtime Specials. I always figure total cost though & often the addition of S&H caused me to pass on things I might have bought.
Accessories also make a difference. I went through my jewelry box, cleaned everything, reorganized, and discovered it was like buying new things! I make a point of wearing different accessories. I also picked up a great scarf for only $5 from HSN on clearance. I'm hoping to find a couple more for summer to add more looks for very little.
Blogs & Forums
