The Frugal Way to be Stylish

By: Martin Lukac
Submitted: 2007-01-17 16:17:39
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It is easy to think that it takes a lot of money to have style. But the fact is that it doesn't take much at all. It just takes some wise choices and a few tricks of the frugal lifestyle.

When it comes to fashion, the world seems to think that high-end labels are the only way to go. However, there are many very stylish people out there that would never be seen dead with a large logo plastered across their front or backside. There are choices you can make very frugally that will make your wardrobe stylish and affordable.

Start by assessing your lifestyle. If you are a stay-at-home mom, why would you have a closet full of suits that you will never wear? I understand this because I love dress clothes. But the fact is that I rarely get to wear them. Buy items that you will wear frequently. Yes, you do need to invest in some nice dress clothes for special occasions, but if you prefer to dress down at home, you need to focus on this area of your wardrobe.

Now, here's the messy part. You need to take every item of clothing out of your closets and drawers. I do this once a year. Make stacks according to what the item is. Put t-shirts together, put slacks together, put jeans together and so on. As you go through your clothing, keep a large box nearby for items that you don't wear, never wear and wear but look awful in.

As you hang your clothing back up in your closet -- in an organized fashion --and fold into your drawers, take notice of what you have and what you don't have. You can even make a list of things that you notice you might need. If you are down to three pairs of nice blue jeans, you might need three more pairs if you wear jeans quite often. Only you know exactly what is missing in your wardrobe. A good hint is that you search through the dirty clothes for an item or that you have to wash every other day so that you have it to wear. That probably means you need a new one.

When it comes to clothing, you have to become ultra-critical now. You can no longer buy a shirt because it is on sale. It has to fit into your wardrobe. The best way to get a lot of versatility and wear out of your clothing is to have styles and colors that compliment each other. Pick these items for the majority of your wardrobe. Then pick just one or two really trendy pieces.

The idea is that you will wear everything you buy. If you buy a shirt for six dollars and never wear it, you didn't save a thing. You wasted six dollars. That doesn't mean you can't shop sales. You should try to buy all of your clothing off of the sales. Why pay full price for something that will be marked down next week? There are some exceptions to this rule, but most of the time the sale is the way to go.

Start a clothing trade night. Every six months or so, my friends and I bring all of our "don't wants" to a trading party. You go through each other's piles and take the items that flatter you and you will wear. This is great because you try things on for each other and get an honest opinion about it. And it is free. Whatever is left over can either be donated to charity, go in a group yard sale for a girl's night out or be used for scrap quilts and craft projects.

Find a style that fits you and build upon it. For example, I like clean and comfortable lines. I wear a ton of long sleeve white t-shirts (which are fairly inexpensive), dark straight jeans, yoga pants and simple sweaters. I know that I can't go wrong with these items. I also know that when white shirts are on sale, I should pick up a couple. When sweaters go on sale at the end of winter, I buy for next year.

Plan ahead and try clothes on before you take them home. Don't buy anything that isn't perfect for you. If you have the slightest doubt that you will wear it, don't take it home.

You can be stylish and frugal at the same time. I have two closets full of clothes that have all been bought on the extra dollars that are found in the laundry and saved on groceries. It doesn't matter how little you spend, it is how wisely you spend it.

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