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Judging the Price of Clothing How to Use Your Clothing Budget Wisely   by Nikki Willhite I think a famous comedienne said it best when he said "There is a sucker born every minute."  It is ridiculous how much some pieces of clothing cost. I can’t believe people actually pay those prices. There is, obviously, a difference in quality between pieces of clothing. There is a point, however, when quality is met, and then the price is inflated, often just because of the label in the garment, or the store it is being sold in. You should buy your clothes like you buy your food. How much you are willing to pay for it should be determined or related to the amount of wear it will receive similar to servings per box. The more times you wear a garment, the cheaper it is. For example, if you live in a cold climate, your winter coat is probably worn every day. Not only is it one of the most functional pieces of clothing that you own, it almost becomes your signature piece, as some people will never see you in anything but that coat! This is an example of an item you would want to buy the best you could afford. If you have special needs, like problems with your feet or legs, you would want to buy the highest quality shoes you can afford. On the other hand, if you are going to a dressy social event, and want a new dress, you may end up wearing that dress only once or twice. Figure out how much it might cost you each time you wear it. Do you really want to pay that much? Is there another way to dress up that won’t cost so much? If you have a slim black skirt there are many dressy blouses you could add to look more formal. So, how do you figure out how much a garment is worth? Obviously you can’t just assign an arbitrary figure to how much you want to pay for something. You have to look around and see what things are selling for. Even if you don’t plan on purchasing garments at some of the higher priced department stores, walk through them occasionally to see what they are selling, check the quality, and the prices. As I’ve been doing more comparison shopping lately, I’ve been very surprised by some of the things I’ve seen. I’ve seen the exact same garments sold at both bargain stores and higher quality mall stores. I’ve found many cheaply made garments at the higher priced store, and some very good quality merchandise in the lowest priced stores. I think a lot of this is due to the inexpensive garments that are coming in from overseas, where labor is so inexpensive. When we went in to buy a windsock last week for our home at a small local store, I asked the owner why the big, fancy ones were half the price of the smaller, less ornate ones. The only difference, he said, was that the inexpensive ones were imported. Think what you may on this subject, it is a factor to consider in buying clothes. Know your quality, be familiar with prices, prioritize you needs, stick to the classics, and buy it on sale. About the Author: Nikki Willhite, mother of 3 and an interior design graduate, has been writing and publishing articles on the topic of frugal living for over a decade. Visit her at www.frugalhappyfamilies.com - where you will find hundreds of frugal living tips and articles. Frugal Happy Families- more than just money!  Article first published at www.allthingsfrugal.com

 

 

 

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