I would say I am a pretty frugal person. Yes I do have credit card debt, but it is from veterinarian bills for my cat. The debt wasn’t because I was let loose at a department store and lost my freakin’ mind.
So back to the whole frugality thing… I don’t spend a lot on clothes. I’ve never really been a clothes horse or a shoe fanatic. In fact, at one point, my husband owned more shoes than I did.
Did I just lose estrogen points for saying that? ;)
The fact is, although I do love clothing, I don’t love spending money on it. I love cute dresses and cardigans and flared jeans, but forking out some coin for it, makes me die a little bit inside.
Right now, what I am wearing as I type this, are articles of clothing from stores I pretty much only shop at. Pants? Old Navy. Super cute t-shirt? Target. ¾ sleeve adorable cardigan? Old Navy once again!
This thriftiness with clothing didn’t just start with the wisdom that comes from old age. *snort* I have been less inclined to spend money on clothing my whole life. It is the one streak of penny-pinching that has followed me all of my days.
I remember right before I started 6th grade, my grandmother took me school shopping for new clothes, as was our tradition. We were at Penny’s, as she liked to say, and she wanted me to get two new pairs of jeans as opposed to one pair. I tried in vain to convince her that I didn’t need two pairs of jeans, that it was a waste of money. She said if I got one pair dirty and didn’t have another pair available, what would I do then? Then she told me to “hush, now” and proceeded to purchase both pairs.
I didn’t agree, but my grandma was from Louisiana, and I knew better than to argue.
As I moved on through the ages, my frugality didn’t leave me. As a college sorority girl, you are required to purchase all sorts of clothing/dresses for this function and that function. My inner penny-pincher quietly seethed, but what was I going to do? So I forked out my money and my wallet shuddered in protest.
Once I left the bosom of college and became a full-fledged working adult, I had to purchase new clothing for my new work environment. I’m not a fan of the mall but, I went there and shopped deals and used whatever coupons I could find. The best part of my job, was that they had casual Fridays so the Monday through Thursday pieces, I could mix and match for maximum wearability.
Now as a stay-at-home mom, my wardrobe is simply what I make of it. I purposely purchase items that can sustain chasing after a 2-year-old. The loss of a $5 t-shirt to spilled grape juice…eh, who cares? A stretched out sweater? Sure, it’s fine to wear around the house. Two of my favorite shirts, I picked up at the thrift store!
Spending money on clothing is not really my thing. But books on the other hand…that’s a different story!
I am the exact same way. I barely ever buy clothes anymore and have lost a lot of interest in shopping. Sometimes I will buy something fun and random but I am spending more on milk than clothing. Funny, huh?
I’m with you! I will spend money on healthy fruits and veggies and organic things, but clothes? Meh…
If someone gave me a shit ton of money and said I HAD to spend it on clothes, I would LOVE it! I just can’t justify it myself. :( I rarely spend money on clothes now. Losing estrogen points-LOL!
Yeah, clothing shopping is a rarity for me. I’d rather spend the money on something else!
I’m not frugal with clothes but it’s a mix of reasons. First, I’m just a princess that can’t stand the feel of polyester, so if my shirts & dresses aren’t silk, I’m miserable wearing them. But secondly I feel very, very morally opposed to purchasing cheap clothing because of the way its produced. One of the main reasons all my shopping is so expensive is because I buy mostly from local designers and try to opt for handmade options.
I’m nowhere near where I want to be for this, but I do make the effort to check labels and buy clothing that is only manufactured in the US or Canada. I will not buy anything produced in Vietnam, and as a general rule I try to avoid the rest of Asia and much of Central and South America as well.
Clothing at Target, Walmart, Old Navy, etc. is artificially cheap. You pay a few dollars because someone in a sweatshop is shouldering the burden of the full cost.
Buying clothing that is ethically made is not an easy task and I think there will be times when we don’t really have a choice, but I still always think twice about opting for cheap at the expense of exploiting a third world citizen. A thrift store is an excellent option but Old Navy? Please don’t =(
I do shop at thrift stores most of the time, and quite honestly, it is a rarity that I even shop for clothes for myself. I am a stay-at-home parent and coupled with the fact that we are a one-income family, spending extra money on clothing unless it is for my daughter, is an extra expense that is usually not justified.
I do appreciate your response though Bridget, and I will take what you have said into consideration regarding the employment practices of the stores mentioned and any future clothing purchases at those stores.
That’s funny. I made a deal with Cheryl: if I clean my closet of unnecessary clothes, would she give up 25 books? She agreed. Our score: closet’s been clean for a month and those books still haven’t been donated.
That’s funny. I made a deal with Cheryl: if I clean my closet of unnecessary clothes, would she give up 25 books? She agreed. Our score: closet’s been clean for a month and those books still haven’t been donated.
Knowing me, I probably would have kept the books too ;)
I usually buy used clothing! Or I keep stuff forever….some of my favorite clothes are over ten years old. Greg has thrown away my pajama shirts before because they had so many holes in them. I totally understand!
Me too! My husband makes fun of me because one of my t-shirts is over 20 yrs old and is completely faded and threadbare. But I hold onto it cause I love it!
I used to buy clothes, but they just don’t seem so important anymore. I am not buying any clothing for myself in 2013. I think it should be no problem, even if I have to break out the old needle and thread to darn something.
Yeah, I don’t see the need for purchasing clothes this year either. I have everything I need. I love that you are doing a “no new clothes” challenge for yourself this year! :) That is awesome!
Do you spend a fortune on physical books or Kindle books? My mother in law must have over 500 books on Kindle!!
Before going down to one income, I admit purchasing books was a bit of a weakness of mine ;) But now, I utilize my library card to check out books and save money that way. I am there all the time!
Now that we both work from home it really has done wonders to our spending on clothing. Not that it was horrible before, but we learned that we really only wear the same handful of outfits so why just buy more junk. Movies, on the other had, is a different story. ;)
Totally get it! Movies are worth the money spent :)
I don’t buy a lot of clothes, but when I do, I try to buy things that will last a lifetime. I know they probably won’t but they have to be classics, that could be used for years, and good, sturdy items. I don’t mind spending a bit more to avoid going shopping a month later.
Yeah, purchasing classics makes sense. Trendy items, once they are out of style, end up shoved to the back of the closet and never worn :)
I’m a fan of my local thrift store for clothes — if I have to buy something, that is. I’d really like to get a nice-looking winter coat, but I don’t think that’s in the cards, plus the ski coat isn’t that bad, unless I’m wearing a skirt!
Thrift stores are awesome! You always find something unexpected. And I’ve had the same winter coat for years, and I will wear it until it is just a heap of fabric!
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