<p>I’m going back to school this fall, but over the summer I’ve realized that my wardrobe is really quite terrible. While I’m not in dire need of new clothing (I have a TON of clothes, but no nice ones), I do feel a little embarrassed to go out in public wearing ratty tees, jeans and hoodies. I know that this is typical college attire, but I’m graduating next year and really need to start dressing more presentably. I’ve made a list of things that I need/want and have to decided to shop exclusively at thrift shops and resale stores. I’ve estimated the cost at around $200, but still feel immense guilt about spending money on clothes whenever I actually do have things to wear. Unfortunately, I live pretty much completely on student loans and grants, and so buying a new wardrobe feels irresponsible and frivolous.
Do you think that dressing nicely is important enough to compromise my budget and revamp my wardrobe? Should I feel as guilty as I do about this?</p>
<p>It’s okay to want to get new clothes, and look more presentable, but a total revamp is uncalled for. Trust me, even in all your wardrobe’s ratty glory, there are some gems in there.<br>
Keep all of your most-worn clothes, even if they’re tattered and faded, as long as you still wear them outside the house, because they’ll be used a lot. Throw out what hasn’t been used in 1+ yrs. Throw out anything you find uncomfortable or restricting, even if it’s cute. Honestly look at your clothes. What would you wear out? What wouldn’t you? Filter through your existing clothes first, and then see what you have left.
You probably have a lot more than you expected. Now it’d be okay to decide what you want to add on. Start small. You can always add more later on. As more clothes wear out, you can get rid of them and replace them. Don’t revamp–just touch up.</p>
<p>I don’t think it’s particularly irresponsible (after all, many jobs won’t allow you to wear jeans/hoodies to work), but there’s no need to completely redo your wardrobe all at once. Buy it a little at a time instead.</p>
<p>If it helps make your decision, I don’t think anyone cares what you’re wearing. Unlike high school, in college you’re just a number. If your current wardrobe is falling apart then it’d be common sense to get new clothes. But if it’s not dire (as you say), they why spend the money?</p>
<p>As long as it’s in reasonable parameters. Don’t go on a shopping spree, etc.</p>
<p>If you are a Senior you will need to start job interviews and you will need appropriate attire. Consider it an important and appropriate investment in your future.</p>
<p>When I started looking for dress clothes for interviews, I went to my local Salvation Army. The dress clothes were soooo cheap as long as you don’t have any issues wearing second hand clothes. I got about 4 pairs of dress pants and 3-4 button down shirts for about $20. Some of the stuff still had their original tags on them- as in, they had never been worn. There is no way you should spend $200 at thrift shops o.O</p>
<p>Same as ^ but with Goodwill. I went to a store downtown in my city and I found so many ties for under $15 that would go for 4 times that in a high end or even middle ground store. Dress shirts, Blazers, Slacks, all that.</p>
<p>Not irresponsible to want to look good, but irresponsible to break the bank trying to do so.</p>
<p>i don’t think it’s irresponsible at all. if you can afford it and want to buy it then do it. i spend about $2,000-$3,000 every two months or so on clothes.</p>
<p>Oh boy here, we go…</p>
<p>Especially if you tend to wear a pretty normal, reliable size, you can accomplish this even cheaper with the aid of garage sales, though it takes more effort and digging to do so. I wear an odd size so I have trouble with dress pants, but I have seen plenty of dress shirts and pants for around a dollar or less. By the end of the day, people want to get rid of stuff so it is easier to haggle, and some people who genuinely want to get rid of their stuff will make deals like for $2 a bag. </p>
<p>Look out for rummage and bag sales too. Around where I live, some places organize them annually and you can get a bag of whatever you want for $2-5. Sometimes pickings are slim so you want to get there early.</p>
<p>Not at all! I dress in expensive clothes, and I definitely spend MUCH less than my friends who dress in regular department store clothes.</p>
<p>The trick? I shop at Good Will. I have gotten Joe’s Joe, Applebottom, and Express jeans for $3, a $300 retail cashimere sweater for $4, RL polo shirts for $3, and much, much more. I only get stuff that looks nearly new, and honestly, people probably think I spend a lot on clothes. You can’t go there looking for anything in particular, though. It’s definitely hit or miss.</p>
<p>Nothing wrong with that, but I wouldn’t say you should completely revamp your wardrobe all at once. Do it over the course of a few months to a year. I actually discovered I had this problem this summer and have started to do the same. I’m getting rid of a lot of my old clothes and plan to have all the new ones by winter break.</p>
<p>“i spend about $2,000-$3,000 every two months or so on clothes.”</p>
<p>jesus christ!</p>
<p>Definitely buy some nicer clothes for interviews, work and work functions but otherwise you don’t HAVE to revamp your wardrobe unless you really want to for some reason.</p>
<p>ME TOO. I have a lot of clothes, but I really am NOT fashionable, and I’m trying to be more well dressed. No it’s not irresponsible, why would it be? I think dressing nicely is a way of presenting yourself and giving people an impression. You don’t have to dress up daily, but for presentations, sometimes for class, for interviews, for jobs, it makes a difference to employers.</p>
<p>Thrift shops are an option, but there’s a lot of other places to get quality clothing. I’m super conservative with my money, hahah, but I also like good material. I get my clothing at TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Nordstrom Rack, other stores that have other store’s extra stock. They have a lot of brand names, and if you come at the right times you can save a lot of money. The rest of my wardrobe is from regular department/retail stores. Except I almost never buy at full price, I always wait for a sale or a coupon, or I buy it from their clearance rack. If you combine a sale discount+clearance+coupon, it can save you a lot.</p>
<p>OP reads like a ■■■■■, but this is definitely an interesting topic.</p>
<p>How I see it is that if $200 of clothes allows you to earn more than $200 more, then it’s worth it. Scale that up to any number appropriate.</p>
<p>
Wowwww! That’s a lot. Even I haven’t spent that much on clothes, and if you saw my thread on how much/what clothes to take to college, you’d know about the comments I received about having too much clothes…but I don’t spend anywhere near that! </p>
<p>
That’s pretty much how I have the clothes I do that people gave me comments about on my other thread. I buy most of it on sale. I buy some things full price but not much. 3 reasons to buy full price and not wait for a sale: You need it for something NOW, you know it’s a store that doesn’t really have sales ever, or it’s a popular item and you wear a size that will sell out fast and you have to get it before someone else does. I buy clearance when I can, but certain items I just can’t because they don’t make it to the clearance rack with a size small left. If you wear a small, there are a lot of times that you won’t see it on a clearance rack. I just experienced that a couple weeks ago with a dress I really wanted. I waited for it to go on clearance, and all they had left were the big sizes, which don’t work for me. 
So when you can buy stuff/how much you have to spend sometimes depends on your size!!!</p>
<p>Last Sunday I was searching for size smalls in a couple dresses that went on sale on Sunday, and they were out at local store locations really quickly, so much that my mom was at one location and I was at another, and we each brought home which styles we could find in a size small and then later returned which ones I didn’t want. My dad didn’t understand this when I explained that size smalls go fast and you can’t leave it there.</p>
<p>Find sales and coupons when you can, or clearance because you can get a lot for really cheap (assuming your size is still left)! Lots of stores run TONS of sales!!! Just check their websites before you go shopping and see what’s on sale. Sign up for those email things for stores you like because they often send you coupons you can print.</p>