6 Ways to Save Money on Your Wardrobe
The Glam Gals
Deborah Boland and JoJami Tyler
Deborah Boland and JoJami Tyler (The Glam Gals) are image and style experts specializing in helping women 40 plus look and feel fabulous. They are the authors of the book, The Glam Plan~ 12 Simple Steps to Take You from Frumpy to Fabulous, as well as coaches for their Tweak Your Chic™, Image make-over program. For more style tips visit fabulousafter40.
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In this economic recession saving money is on everyone’s mind. But when it comes to your wardrobe, can you cut costs without neglecting style?
The answer is, “yes”, and it’s easier than you think. Don’t worry that saving money on your wardrobe means having to give up clothes shopping. You just need to know how to spend that fashion dollar more wisely. For example:
1) Pay Cash
If you’re serious about saving money, then only pay cash. It’s so much easier to take the exact amount you want to spend out of the ATM before you go out. When the money runs out, you stop. Easy as that. Unless you are dedicated enough to bring a calculator and count up your receipts as you go along, it is difficult to pinpoint exactly how much you are spending while swiping your credit card over and over. Not to mention, even a small purchase becomes more expensive if you don’t pay that whole amount off each month. Twenty dollars here and there can really add up on a credit card, especially with 20% interest!
2) Shop alone!
As strange as it sounds, if you’re shopping with others you tend to buy more than when you’re alone.
3) Limit your Dry Cleaning
Think twice about dry-cleaning. 99% of us over-dry clean when all we really need is to get the wrinkles out by steaming them. If you don’t have a portable travel steamer (and we recommend investing in one), hang them in the bathroom when you take a hot shower and let the wrinkles fall out. Too much dry cleaning will wear out your clothing, and the idea is to keep them as long as possible!
4) Replace your Buttons
If you own a great sweater or jacket with dowdy gold buttons (or none at all), a quick trip to the craft store can get you brand new, updated buttons for less than $5. Sew them on yourself, and give your old jacket a modern, fresh look!
5) Be Your own Tailor
Tailoring is expensive, so thankfully, there are some easy things you can do at home to alter your clothing. For example, for only $2 at a fabric store, you can pick up hem tape that you iron on to fuse fabrics together. If you have a pair of dress pants that drag, this is a great way to get them off the floor! Another tip - if you’ve lost a couple pounds lately and can’t afford to take in your jacket, simply remove the buttons and sew them on a little farther out. This will make the overlap bigger, and give you less room around the waist!
4) Visit the Shoemaker
We all have a pair of very worn shoes that have either a disconnected sole or a run-down heel. Instead of donating them to the Good Will, why not take yours to the shoemaker? You can breathe new life into a favorite pair of shoes for much less than it costs to buy brand new ones!
For more ideas on where to shop, check out the newest eBook in the Tweak Your Chic™ series, CHIC ON THE CHEAP: HOW TO UPDATE YOUR WARDROBE ON A BUDGET. The eBook is available for purchase at www.fabulousafter40.com.
