As someone who has always had an interest in fashion, it’s always been important for me to express myself through my clothing. In my early career, I couldn’t afford to buy high quality pieces and purchased a lot of “fast fashion” clothing. As I get older and am more aware of the environmental and social impacts of fast fashion, as well as the amount of money I have spent on clothing over my lifetime, I am trying to be much more mindful of the clothing I buy, taking into account how often I will wear it, the quality, the materials it is made from and where it was made and by whom.
Below are my 10 Tips on How to Save Money and the Environment when purchasing clothing.
1. Define Your Style
Have you ever looked through your closet and saw something with the tags on and thought “why on earth did I buy this?” We’ve all been there. I want you to think about what clothes you wear over and over again and that make you feel amazing when you look in the mirror. If you only had 10 minutes to get out the door for a dinner out, what would you pick? When you choose a profile picture, what are you wearing? That’s your go to style.
For me, that’s a nice fitting pair of jeans and a t-shirt. You can dress it up or down. If I’m going out for a nicer dinner, I’ll add a blazer, some jewelry and a nice pair of heels or boots. Or swap it out for a lace tank top and a leather jacket. So over the years, instead of buying cute dresses that I know I will never wear, I’ve invested in nice quality pieces that I will wear over and over again.
2. Invest in Higher Quality/Classic Pieces (Quality over Quantity)
I will admit, I used to buy clothing because it was on sale. I used to have a closet packed full of clothes I “kind” of liked. However, I found myself gravitating towards the same pieces – a pair of black jeans, a pair of distressed jeans, the same leather jacket, a classic white button down. Over the years, I stopped buying clothes because they were on sale and started buying fewer, high quality pieces I loved that I would wear over and over again. I stopped caring that my friends or family would see me wearing that same shirt again (in reality, they probably didn’t notice). So now it takes me a bit longer to save up money for a new piece of clothing, but it’s always worth the wait and, in the long run, I spend less overall.
3. Consignment/Second Hand
This can be time consuming; however, I’ve found some amazing pieces from local consignment shops. One time I found a navy J Crew blazer in my size (with the tags still on!) that I was considering purchasing at full price. I know not everyone has the time or the energy to shop second hand all the time; but a lot of shops now post items online. If you have some key brands you typically purchase and know your size, you can pay online and go pick them up. Not only do I shop consignment, I also take my pre-loved clothing to consignment. Over the past few years, I have made hundreds of dollars. I then take that money and invest in those higher article pieces I talked about earlier.
Note: If you live in the Calgary area, my top favourite local consignment stores are Clothing Bar Boutique (in Marda Loop), Danielle’s Consignment (on 17th Ave.) and Peacock Consignment (3 locations). Grab your friends, a coffee and make an afternoon of it!
4. Keep the Tags On
This simple trick has saved me a lot of money over the years. Here is what you need to do after purchasing an item: look at the receipt and make note of the refund date (this is the date for a full refund, NOT an exchange or store credit); add that date to your calendar and set a reminder a few days earlier to give you time to exchange it if needed; if you haven’t worn that item by that date (unless it’s for a specific event in the future), you return it. Simple! You just have to make a commitment to yourself that you will actually do that.
Hot tip: If I’ve purchased something and have already paid for it (i.e. already paid off my credit card), I will transfer that amount to a separate savings fund titled “clothing fund” and let it accumulate until I have enough to buy something really special or something else I love.
5. Don't Buy Something Just Because It Is On Sale
Let me elaborate on this one a bit. Don’t buy something just because it is on sale; however, wait for something you LOVE to go on sale. Those are two different things. Here is an example: you are looking for a new pair of jeans. You go to the Gap and find a pair on sale for $40. They fit, they look decent, they will do. However, you also go to Nordstrom and find a really nice pair of jeans you LOVE. They look great, fit perfectly, make you feel good. They cost $100. Instead of buying the “ok” pair for $40; find the $100 pair online, save it and watch it until it goes on sale. In the end, you still might end up paying a little bit more, but guaranteed you will wear them more and they won’t end up in a bag to consignment.
6. Calculate the cost per wear
This is simply taking the cost of the item and dividing it by the number of times you wear it. For example, a purse you wear every day for one year that cost you $200 is worth 55 cents per wear. This again, is why I think it’s important to purchase good quality items. If you aren’t purchasing higher quality, and you wear something daily, you may have to replace it sooner and that original item will most likely end up in a landfill. For this reason, I’m actually considering purchasing a higher end designer handbag through consignment that I know I will wear over and over again and likely it will not decrease in value. Just remember, only purchase higher quality pieces if you can afford to and if you don’t have to go into debt to purchase it.
7. Shop Your Closet (or hire a professional to do so)
This is one that I have to remind myself about. Do you ever look in your closet and think that you have nothing to wear. Sometimes you just need to think outside the box, mix and match pieces that you don’t usually wear together. I often look to fashion blogs for inspiration and then see if I can make something similar with what I already own. If you have a hard time creatively, you can also hire a professional to put together looks from your closet for you. I understand that this is an added expense; however, it may cost you less than purchasing a number of new items. Sometimes you just have to see it through someone else’s lens.
8. Look for Sustainable Materials and Ethical Practices
According to the Recycling Council of Ontario, North Americans send over 10 million tonnes of clothing to landfill every year; 95% of which could be reused or recycled. It also takes 2,650 litres of water (27 bathtubs) to procure one cotton t-shirt. These statistics are astounding and are contributing to our climate crisis. In addition, you should keep in mind where your clothes are coming from and how and from whom they were made. Do you feel good about buying a shirt that was made in a sweatshop with poor working conditions and low wages?
When it’s necessary to purchase clothing (unable to find at consignment or don’t have it in your closet already), here are some sustainable fabrics you should be looking for: recycled cotton, organic hemp, organic linen, recycled polyester, tencel, pinatex and econyl. Some fabrics you should be avoiding are: polyester, acrylic, conventional cotton, rayon and nylon. Sadly, the majority of clothing that is easily accessible is made up of non-sustainable fabrics.
I’ve been trying to be more conscious in this space when purchasing clothing. In Canada, some companies and/or brands with sustainable practices are: Levi’s, Frank & Oak, Aritzia (look for items made with Sustainable Materials) and Denim Forum (denim from Aritzia, made with organic cotton). Any other sustainable brands sold in Canada you love? Comment below!
*I do want to acknowledge here; however, that sustainable clothing typically is very expensive and I think we have a long way to go to make it accessible to everyone. I feel it’s important to not shame anyone or feel shame yourself for not being able to afford sustainable fashion brands.
9. Clothing Swap with Friends
I personally haven’t done this yet, but something I’m going to try soon. Get a few friends together one evening – make it fun! Maybe get everyone to bring an appetizer or bottle of wine. Ask each person to bring 10-20 pre-loved items; including jewelry and accessories as not everyone will be the same size. And swap items. For anything that doesn’t get swapped, commit to taking it to consignment or donating it to a local charity. I personally love Women In Need Society (WINS) that helps women get back on their feet and helping them look good when applying for jobs.
10. Unsubscribe to Accounts/Emails that Trigger Spending
Have you ever logged into Instagram and started scrolling and all of sudden you are on a clothing page entering your credit card number (or worse yet, have it auto populated)? Do you ever get a 25% off coupon and find yourself on the website looking for something to buy? Me too, we’ve all been there. I enjoy following a number of bloggers to get fashion inspiration and ideas on how to put things together from my own closet; but I am mindful of my triggers. If I’m having a bad day, I don’t allow myself to look at those sites as I know I can be an emotional spender. Or if I find something I like, I make myself wait a few days to make sure I really want it. Usually I don’t. And if you don’t have that level of discipline, send those emails to junk mail or, better yet, unsubscribe altogether. If the trigger isn’t there and you didn’t get the email in the first place, guaranteed you won’t be on that website looking for something to buy!
I hope you found these tips helpful! Not only will it save you money, but it will make you feel better knowing you are having a small impact to better the environmental future of our planet. Comment below if one resonated with you or if you have any additional tips!
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