Cost Cutting - Clothing
Second hand clothing and the search for quality.
There I was. Palms sweating over an open laptop, a cursor poised to hit the “buy now” button on a $500 clothing purchase, which consisted of three items(!). I took a deep breath and snapped out of whatever trance I was in. I closed the window and slammed my laptop shut. What the heck am I doing?! I’m supposed to be saving, not dropping half grand on clothing I absolutely do not need.
I had to give myself a few slaps in the face.
Yes, that’s right. I, Jill saver-of-50%-of-her-income, was about to purchase clothing for a ludicrous amount because I was feeling, what, bored? Blagh!
This very recent event illustrates that even after close to a year of living a rather uncommon frugal life, I too am susceptible to the glitter of new things. Especially when it comes to clothes.
Though I wouldn’t consider myself a “fashionista”, I find fashion and clothing such a wonderful and creative expression of how we see ourselves and how we ultimately want to be seen.
It’s fascinating and exhilarating to me that what we choose to wear has the ability to make us feel. Sometimes what we wear makes us feel relaxed or whimsical, confident or more like our true selves. I personally think clothing and fashion is a beautiful way to honor ourselves and others.
But the clothing and fashion industry, like many industries, is driven by things beyond beauty and creative expression. More “en vogue” these days is reduced quality and higher profits.
It’s true. Items are now made with such poor quality materials, pieces are designed to only get a few wears before they break down or holes appear. It’s no wonder we find ourselves grabbing for more and more and more.
A Short History Of Ludicrous Profits
From mom and pop shops to global mega-monopolies, the global clothing industry is expected to surpass $1.73 trillion in 2024. (Now that would buy a lot of waffle makers.) This mind bending number is driven by our insatiable appetite for more pants, crop tops and fashion panchos. But things haven’t always been this way.
Believe it or not, “ready made clothing” is a very recent phenomenon. Prior to the late 19th and early 20th centuries it simply didn’t exist. Before recent times, our clothing was handmade to order by local and regional seamstresses or tailors. This all changed with the advancement of technology, especially with the invention of the sewing machine in the mid-1800s.
As technology advanced in the late 19th and into the 20th century, production of clothing ramped up. Mechanization flowed further into our lives with the Henry Ford model of mass production taking hold in many industries, and the clothing industry certainly followed suit.
Dovetailing with these advancements into the 1940s and 1950a was the rise of consumerism. A wonderfully wacky concept born out of the post-war era, which equated buying things with patriotism (mainly in the states) and gratification. So buying more things - like clothing and other goods - was seen as a good thing and encouraged.
Things changed again in the 1960s and 1970s as younger people began to popularize trends with clothing being seen as a form of self expression. As a result, there was increased demand for affordable clothing. Shopping for clothes became a hobby and a means of communicating social status (aren’t we humans interesting?).
Fast forward to the mid-1990s and with increased demand fast fashion had arrived. In this new era, a manufacturer could design, create, ship and sell garments within 15 days. 15 days!! From someone’s brain to your butt - literally.
With our insatiable hunger to express ourselves, advance our social standing or just plain desire, the clothing industry embraced fast fashion and with it, lots-o-profits (1.73 trillion to be exact). This has led to a host of complications related to waste, environmental impacts, and the true cost of clothing. Suffice it to say, purchasing new clothing items is a mix bag of tricks.
The Case For Second Hand Wears
Though the glimmer of “new” is very alluring, there are many alternatives to buying fast fashion and straight off the rack apparel. I for one am a huge fan of second hand clothing. Some of my best clothing purchases have been second hand and vintage finds. It’s honestly the best kept secret when it comes to buying clothes.
And I say best kept secret because buying fast fashion pieces is so easy, many of us forget that second hand stores are literally everywhere.
And boy oh boy, the deals you can find! I have seen tops and pants, originally priced at $29.99, $39.99 or more at H&M or the like, reduced to $10 at thrift shops. Moreover, you can find lightly worn winter coats, work boots and leather jackets at reduced prices upwards of 50% or 75% off the original price.
Not all deals are as gob smacking and it definitely depends where you shop, but assuming a conservative savings of 50%, an individual spending $1000 a year on clothing can save $500 dollars. That’s a lot of cheddar.
Not only are you able to find really great deals, with barely worn pre-owned and pre-loved clothes, you can also find amazing quality pieces.
As you may have experienced first hand, the quality of new clothes has certainly deteriorated over the last few decades with the prominence of fast fashion. When you make a good find in a second hand or vintage shop, even though the piece may be older, the quality is likely far higher than newer pieces.
Buying Quality Over Quantity
And this brings us to an important component of clothing: quality matters. When attempting to save money, one thing that costs you boatloads of cash is purchasing low or poor quality items, and the same is true for clothing. The lower quality products you buy, the more often you’ll likely need to replace them.
Of course, there are stories and first hand experiences of purchasing a low quality product or piece of clothing that lasts more than a year, but let’s be honest, these examples are more an exception and not the rule.
The more we can hunt for higher quality pieces, care for them properly, and tailor them for our use - whether used or new - the more wear we’ll get out of them. And with more wear the less expensive the items ultimately become.
Not to mention, when we allow ourselves to embrace the process of hunting for a particular well made item, selecting it and then saving for it, it becomes something that we look forward to. I personally have a list of clothing items I’m planning to buy and am actively saving for. Like anything in life, anticipation is half the fun.
Buying For You
Shopping for clothes isn’t easy. But with a little planning and ingenuity, you can make sure you aren’t paying an arm and a leg for items (in the short or long term). Whatever you end up purchasing to drape yourself in, day in and day out, make sure it is something you enjoy wearing.
In the end, how we feel moving through this world makes all the difference. So wear something that makes you feel light, happy or adventurous, while keeping a few extra dollars in your pocket.
You’ve totally got this!
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For those with a dollar to spare, I’ve set up a Buy Me A Coffee account for folks to contribute to here and there. For those frugally focused, I would be incredibly grateful if you were to share my work with your networks and folks you think would enjoy my journey (via email, social media, or homing pigeon).
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