Cheaper clothes usually mean cheaper material and bad resistance. But quality doesn’t have to be expensive. You can find secondhand quality clothing items in special stores or online. Just don't use the quality excuse to spend even more on stuff you don’t need.

Going for quality

Spend time researching how different items are supposed to fit. Because one of the reasons we jump into buying new stuff is that nothing from out closets seem to fit right.

Knowing your fit

Don't buy clothes for a fantasy you. Because you may end up with a huge wardrobe with nothing to wear. Take into account how you spend your daily life, how many similar items you already have and the time of the year (warm, cold) when making new purchases.

Buy for reality

It helps to understand the basics of clothing care. Your clothing pieces come with complicated symbols that explain exactly how they must be washed. And avoid the dryer.

Take care of your stuff

<div>
<a href="https://kinja.com/kristinwong"><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw=="> </a> <figure><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw=="> 
</figure> You spend hours trying on clothes, you spend hundreds (maybe more!) buying those clothes, then you open your closet and, lo and behold, you see nothing worth wearing. It's a common dilemma and a financially wasteful one, too.
Here are some common traps we fall into when we shop and how to get more bang for your buck.
<h3>Go for quality</h3>
Fast fashion is tempting, but cheaper clothes usually mean cheaper material and construction.
Over at , writer Kaila Tyner compares the way we approach fashion to the way we approach food:
<blockquote>
Much of the cheap clothing we consume in droves is like our fast food diets-high in calories (quantity) but low in nutrition (quality). We are a culture that buys a lot of junk. Think about your own wardrobe-consider how many items of clothing you own and how often you wear each of those items. My guess is that most of us wear about 20% of our clothing 80% of the time. That is a lot of wasted space and wasted money.
</blockquote>
These fast pieces also wear out quickly. So when you open your closet doors and look at them, you skip them because they're faded, worn out, or just dated.
To combat the trend, crunch the numbers. Look at your annual spending on clothing, add up how much of that goes toward fast fashion, then focus that budget on <a href="https://lifehacker.com/cheap-clothes-are-too-expensive-buy-quality-instead-1751019637">fewer, higher quality pieces</a>.
<a href="https://lifehacker.com/cheap-clothes-are-too-expensive-buy-quality-instead-1751019637"><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw=="> </a> 
Tyner suggests:
<blockquote>
The average American household has a median annual income of approximately $50,000. If it spends 3% of their income on clothing, they'll have $1,500 a year, or $125 per month to spend. Instead of buying five fast-fashion, low-quality items costing $25 each, they could invest in one or two quality items at a higher price point ($125 or $63 respectively).
</blockquote>
There are a couple of caveats to this.
First, quality items are expensive, and not all of us can stomach spending $200 on a pair of pants, even if it does last us ten times as long as a $20 pair. Quality doesn't have to be expensive. You can find secondhand quality clothing items at consignment stores or even on eBay. It takes a little more digging, but you likely spend a lot of time digging for fast fashion, anyway, so save some time and money and buy better, fewer pieces you'll actually wear.
Second, don't use <a href="https://twocents.lifehacker.com/sometimes-an-investment-piece-is-just-a-waste-of-mone-1788721263">"I buy quality!" as a justification</a> to spend even more on stuff you don't need, which is a tempting alternative. Part of the appeal of fast fashion is that it allows us to indulge our shopping impulse for cheap. If you're always giving into that impulse and you're buying quality, your clothing budget will add up fast.
<a href="https://twocents.lifehacker.com/sometimes-an-investment-piece-is-just-a-waste-of-mone-1788721263"><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw=="> </a> 
<h3>Know your fit </h3>
One of the main reasons I can never find anything to wear in my closet is that nothing seems to fit right. Sure, I can get that pair of pants on my body, but once it's on, it looks sloppy. As personal stylist <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SqjNyfmOOM&amp;t=329s&amp;ab_channel=LaurenMessiah">Lauren Messiah says,</a> "just because you can get it on doesn't mean it fits."
Invest some time in researching how different items are supposed to fit. Here are some guides to help you get started: 
You can also work with a tailor. A good tailor will explain to you how your clothing is supposed to look on you, then customize your items accordingly. In fact, consider <a href="https://lifehacker.com/take-your-existing-wardrobe-to-a-tailor-before-shopping-1791647702">taking your existing wardrobe to a tailor</a> before shopping for new clothes. If you can never find anything to wear, you might just need to tailor your clothes so they're wearable. One trick for finding a<a href="https://lifehacker.com/three-ways-to-make-sure-you-pick-a-good-tailor-1791444786"> good tailor</a>: give them a test run. Have them alter an item of clothing that's not super expensive, then make sure the seams line up and the item fits well.
<h3>Buy for reality</h3>
It took me a long time to admit I'm just not a person who wears heels. At 5'2", I feel like I should be that person, but I'd rather be short and comfortable. Did that stop me from buying many, many heels for years, though? Of course not. I love the idea of being the kind of girl who wears stilettos to dinner, but until I become that girl, I have to buy for reality.
As former Get Rich Slowly contributor April Dykman <a href="http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2009/10/06/how-to-stop-buying-clothes-you-never-wear/">pointed out</a>, if most of your clothing items support the life you fantasize about rather than the life you actually live, chances are, you'll have a huge wardrobe with nothing to wear. This isn't to say I should never own a pair of heels, but they certainly shouldn't make up the majority of my shoe wardrobe.
Consider the following when making a purchase: how you spend your day-to-day; how many similar items you already have; and what the climate is like where you live. (If you live in Arizona, you probably don't need a million coats, despite how nice they look on you.)
<h3>Take care of your stuff </h3>
Finally, maybe you have nothing to wear because all of the stuff you love to wear is destroyed. Maybe moth holes keep appearing on favorite sweaters, or maybe you keep shrinking your tops, or maybe you're just too lazy to iron the shirt you want to wear.
<a href="https://lifehacker.com/three-ways-to-make-sure-you-pick-a-good-tailor-1791444786"><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw=="> </a> 
It helps to understand the basics of clothing care, which seems simple-toss your clothes in the washer and press the button, right?-but there's a little more nuance to it than that.
For one, your clothing pieces come with complicated symbols that explain exactly how they must be washed. Learn to decipher those symbols ( <a href="http://lifehacker.com/learn-all-those-complicated-laundry-instructions-with-t-5987106">this handy chart can help</a>).
If possible, avoid the dryer. One <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/08/990831080157.htm">study presented</a> to the American Chemical Society found that drying cotton garments repeatedly caused the clothing to crack. This caused pilling and reduced the garment's fabric strength by 25 percent or more. At the very least, you definitely want to keep <a href="http://jezebel.com/the-great-bra-washing-extravaganza-509259173">delicates, like bras</a>, out of the dryer.
"A closet full of clothes and nothing to wear" is a common problem, and ultimately, the solution comes down to a little more awareness. Most of us don't give our wardrobes much thought.
We shop when we feel like spending money. If it looks good, we buy it, and then we shove it in our closet with a bunch of other lackluster pieces. If you find yourself spending way too much on stuff you never use, though, it might make sense to give your purchases a little more thought.
The post was originally published on September 28, 2017. It was updated on March 11, 2020 by Lisa Rowan. Updates include: checked links for accuracy; updated formatting to reflect current style; changed feature image; consolidated advice from Tyner, Messiah, and Dykman. </div>

You spend hours trying on clothes, you spend hundreds (maybe more!) buying those clothes, then you open your closet and, lo and behold, you see nothing worth wearing. It's a common dilemma and a financially wasteful one, too. Here are some common traps we fall into when we shop and how to get more bang for your buck.

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Society, Arts & Culture

You spend hours trying on clothes, you spend hundreds (maybe more!) buying those clothes, then you open your closet and, lo and behold, you see nothing worth wearing. It's a common dilemma and a financially wasteful one, too. Here are some common traps we fall into when we shop and how to get more bang for your buck. Fast fashion is tempting, but cheaper clothes usually mean cheaper material and construction.

Over at , writer Kaila Tyner compares the way we approach fashion to the way we approach food: Much of the cheap clothing we consume in droves is like our fast food diets-high in calories (quantity) but low in nutrition (quality). We are a culture that buys a lot of junk. Think about your own wardrobe-consider how many items of clothing you own and how often you wear each of those items. My guess is that most of us wear about 20% of our clothing 80% of the time. That is a lot of wasted space and wasted money.

Over at , writer Kaila Tyner compares the way we approach fashion to the way we approach food: These fast pieces also wear out quickly. So when you open your closet doors and look at them, you skip them because they're faded, worn out, or just dated. To combat the trend, crunch the numbers. Look at your annual spending on clothing, add up how much of that goes toward fast fashion, then focus that budget on <a href="https://lifehacker.com/cheap-clothes-are-too-expensive-buy-quality-instead-1751019637">fewer, higher quality pieces </a>. <a href="https://lifehacker.com/cheap-clothes-are-too-expensive-buy-quality-instead-1751019637"><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw=="/> </a>

Tyner suggests: The average American household has a median annual income of approximately $50,000. If it spends 3% of their income on clothing, they'll have $1,500 a year, or $125 per month to spend. Instead of buying five fast-fashion, low-quality items costing $25 each, they could invest in one or two quality items at a higher price point ($125 or $63 respectively).

Tyner suggests: There are a couple of caveats to this. First, quality items are expensive, and not all of us can stomach spending $200 on a pair of pants, even if it does last us ten times as long as a $20 pair. Quality doesn't have to be expensive. You can find secondhand quality clothing items at consignment stores or even on eBay. It takes a little more digging, but you likely spend a lot of time digging for fast fashion, anyway, so save some time and money and buy better, fewer pieces you'll actually wear.

Second, don't use <a href="https://twocents.lifehacker.com/sometimes-an-investment-piece-is-just-a-waste-of-mone-1788721263">"I buy quality!" as a justification </a>to spend even more on stuff you don't need, which is a tempting alternative. Part of the appeal of fast fashion is that it allows us to indulge our shopping impulse for cheap. If you're always giving into that impulse and you're buying quality, your clothing budget will add up fast.

<a href="https://twocents.lifehacker.com/sometimes-an-investment-piece-is-just-a-waste-of-mone-1788721263"><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw=="/> </a> One of the main reasons I can never find anything to wear in my closet is that nothing seems to fit right. Sure, I can get that pair of pants on my body, but once it's on, it looks sloppy. As personal stylist <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SqjNyfmOOM&amp;t=329s&amp;ab_channel=LaurenMessiah">Lauren Messiah says, </a>"just because you can get it on doesn't mean it fits."

Invest some time in researching how different items are supposed to fit. Here are some guides to help you get started: You can also work with a tailor. A good tailor will explain to you how your clothing is supposed to look on you, then customize your items accordingly. In fact, consider <a href="https://lifehacker.com/take-your-existing-wardrobe-to-a-tailor-before-shopping-1791647702">taking your existing wardrobe to a tailor </a>before shopping for new clothes. If you can never find anything to wear, you might just need to tailor your clothes so they're wearable. One trick for finding a<a href="https://lifehacker.com/three-ways-to-make-sure-you-pick-a-good-tailor-1791444786">good tailor </a>: give them a test run. Have them alter an item of clothing that's not super expensive, then make sure the seams line up and the item fits well.

It took me a long time to admit I'm just not a person who wears heels. At 5'2", I feel like I should be that person, but I'd rather be short and comfortable. Did that stop me from buying many, many heels for years, though? Of course not. I love the idea of being the kind of girl who wears stilettos to dinner, but until I become that girl, I have to buy for reality.

As former Get Rich Slowly contributor April Dykman <a href="http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2009/10/06/how-to-stop-buying-clothes-you-never-wear/">pointed out </a>, if most of your clothing items support the life you fantasize about rather than the life you actually live, chances are, you'll have a huge wardrobe with nothing to wear. This isn't to say I should never own a pair of heels, but they certainly shouldn't make up the majority of my shoe wardrobe.

Consider the following when making a purchase: how you spend your day-to-day; how many similar items you already have; and what the climate is like where you live. (If you live in Arizona, you probably don't need a million coats, despite how nice they look on you.) Finally, maybe you have nothing to wear because all of the stuff you love to wear is destroyed. Maybe moth holes keep appearing on favorite sweaters, or maybe you keep shrinking your tops, or maybe you're just too lazy to iron the shirt you want to wear. <a href="https://lifehacker.com/three-ways-to-make-sure-you-pick-a-good-tailor-1791444786"><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw=="/> </a>

It helps to understand the basics of clothing care, which seems simple-toss your clothes in the washer and press the button, right?-but there's a little more nuance to it than that. For one, your clothing pieces come with complicated symbols that explain exactly how they must be washed. Learn to decipher those symbols ( <a href="http://lifehacker.com/learn-all-those-complicated-laundry-instructions-with-t-5987106">this handy chart can help </a>). If possible, avoid the dryer. One <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/08/990831080157.htm">study presented </a>to the American Chemical Society found that drying cotton garments repeatedly caused the clothing to crack. This caused pilling and reduced the garment's fabric strength by 25 percent or more. At the very least, you definitely want to keep <a href="http://jezebel.com/the-great-bra-washing-extravaganza-509259173">delicates, like bras </a>, out of the dryer.

"A closet full of clothes and nothing to wear" is a common problem, and ultimately, the solution comes down to a little more awareness. Most of us don't give our wardrobes much thought. We shop when we feel like spending money. If it looks good, we buy it, and then we shove it in our closet with a bunch of other lackluster pieces. If you find yourself spending way too much on stuff you never use, though, it might make sense to give your purchases a little more thought.

How to Stop Wasting Money on Clothes

Going for quality

Knowing your fit

Buy for reality

Take care of your stuff

Lilliana W.'s ideas are part of this journey:

Related collections

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