The Budget Fashionista

So I'm new here. My closet has been way to full for a long time with clothes/shoes/accessories with great labels that were bought cheap, but that I never wear because they don't fit right. I'm trying to clean out my closet now and limit my spending to stuff I'll use. I've read the book and this forum and the basic idea I gather is: spend good money on quality timeless pieces that you'll keep through many seasons. Then, add to it some trendy, seasonal pieces that you don't spend that much money on. I have a few questions about how this works for people:
1) When you buy seasonal/trendy stuff - how much is enough? Is this where a budget comes in? You just buy stuff for the season until you run out of money?
2) Along the same lines - how does everone exercise self-control? Is this another budget thing? I've seen several items online this week that were GREAT deals and that I love…but do I REALLY need them? Probably not. Would I use them? Maybe. I held back from purchasing…but it's killing me! But how many pairs of black shoes do I need??
3) When the season's over and the trends are done…what do you do with all that seasonal stuff??? I wan't to keep my closet in order from now on and I don't want to have stuff I'll never wear again (or that I think I might so I keep around like a pack-rat) sitting around. My thought is to sell stuff on eBay (of course, that doesn't always work), but does anyone else do something different?
Thanks for the advice!

I give most of my clothes away to family and then Goodwill. And no don't buy clothes until you're out of money. Instead of buying things you don't need, save that money for great staple pieces that you will always need. Just because its a great deal does not mean that you necessarily need it. I know its easier said than done but you will thank yourself later.

Christal, you are on the money! I recently started cleaning out my closet, giving away clothing to my sister's tenant who has three young girls. Replacing some not all with essential pieces that I know I'll always use and love and I don't always buy because it's a good deal. If that was the case I would be flat broke : (

Deals are great! Sometimes it feels as if I cheated the system…heeheehee…but if it doesn't fit well, look good or if I don't really need it then it goes straight back to the rack. I also try to imagine what I would wear it with or were I would wear it to. Again, if I can't answer these questions back it goes…BUT this all boils down to how much cash I have and my other obligations (i.e. rent, bills, food). If I don't budget for it then all those other questions don't even matter and I refuse to use credit.

Right now I'm budgeting for a trench coat. A classic piece of outter wear that wears for years and works with just about everything. You can't go wrong with a fabulous trench coat. I can't afford a Burberry so I start searching around until I find something that is with in my budget yet not of cheap quality.

Luvadeal, it takes time, effort and lots of self control depending on your spending habits but once you find your inner Budget Fashionista it will be a breeze.

Good luck! : )

I second Brandy's post about having things altered. It's also helpful to think in terms of "cost per wear" when you're shopping (someone mentioned this on another post on this site recently—I don't remember which thread it was). In other words, you basically divide the price by the number of times you think you'll wear the piece. That's a better way to compare bargains than just price alone or percentage off of the original price.

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I second Brandy's post about having things altered. It's also helpful to think in terms of "cost per wear" when you're shopping (someone mentioned this on another post on this site recently—I don't remember which thread it was). In other words, you basically divide the price by the number of times you think you'll wear the piece. That's a better way to compare bargains than just price alone or percentage off of the original price.

BostonMagnolia, good point about thinking in terms of cost-per-wear. I remember reading that in the book and thinking that was a good way to think about it. Also, I tend to only shop petites - I never really considered I could buy something I love and just have it hemmed!! That opens up a whole new world!

Brandy, it's good to know that just because something becomes trendy one season, doesn't mean I have to give it up when the season ends or when the trend ends! I tend to be pretty conservative with my choices and I've continued to wear things, but I wasn't sure if that was the "right" thing to do. I don't want someone to look at me and say "ugh, that was so last season"!

You ladies are all too good with the donations! I'm going to try and get some of my money back on my stuff so I can put it toward new stuff!!

I just recently cleaned out my closet (we were moving into a house and I didn’t want to bring alot of things that I don’t use) and I use the old “if you haven’t wore it in a year get rid of it”.  There were some things that I could not get rid of I guess because I hope that I can eventually wear it again.  I like the idea of going shopping to replace also.  Though I do have to save to do that because I don’t use credit to buy clothes… Anyhow, this is what I just recently did.

i give my clothes to charity. it’s better than having it sit in my closet to gather dust. ^^

I try to give some clothes away to charity, some to friends and relatives and of course my little sister get a lot. Somehow I am still tight for space.

i either give it away or my mom donated old clothes to an organization but i still have a lot of clothes i dont wear sitting in my closet lol…every time i try to part with a piece i ask myself wat if i want to wear it again and then i end up keeping it lol

My clothing style is more classic/casual, so I tend to stick with classic pieces anyway.

I’ve written several posts here about cost-per-wear, and it applies. Don’t waste your money on anything that you won’t wear a lot. Naturally, your best bet is to stick with classics and trendy classics that you’ll wear many times. But adding a few trendy pieces every so often doesn’t have to kill you or your budget. The key is to stick with the things that work for you. If bright pink is a trendy color, and it looks great on you, then stock up, because you’ll wear it long after the trend is over.

By the way, accessories are a great way to get a few trends in without breaking the bank. You can always get costume jewelry, belts, scarves, and other things for very little money and work the trends there.

Ahh, the clothes budget.  You need a budget and a list.  The budget is the amount you can afford to spend on clothes each week or month.  The list is what you make after you go thru your closet and get rid of the stuff that just won’t work.  If you have to use some of the budget for alterations, do so.  Then look at what you have.  Do you need any pieces to make an outfit (e.g., you have a great pair of trousers and nothing to go with them)?  Do you need pieces for work?  A new belt?  A fabulous pair of jeans?  Professional khakis for casual Fridays?  Make a list; prioritize.  Next figure out which items you might spend more serious money on (such as the trenchcoat mentioned in an earlier post).  That might mean you’ll put aside some or all of your clothes budget towards reaching that goal.  Some of the “trendier” items might be included in your list as well…for instance, if you spend lots of your time in jeans and tops, you can look for less expensive tops that include trends in colors and patterns.  As you pick off items on your list, you will have a little more discretion in your budget for those fun and fabulous bargains you find.