New clothes

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jellyxbelly85
jellyxbelly85 Posts: 27
in Health and Weight Loss
Just curious about approximately how much time it took for you to need to by new clothes? I'm on a tight budget right now and I really have to plan ahead for expenses and I don't particularly want to end up with literally nothing that will stay up lol

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  • SteampunkSongbird
    SteampunkSongbird Posts: 826 Member
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    I'm worried about this too, as I'm always on a budget, lol. Should I continue to successfully lose weight, I plan to buy a couple of cheap belts to pull in tops at the waist to save having to get rid of them. Do you know anyone who can sew? I'll be asking my sewing-wiz mum to take in some things for me, anything I have that's in good condition that I don't want to lose will get the same treatment. If you can find someone you know to do that for you, maybe trade them for something you can do for them, it's far better than getting things professionally altered, which can cost a lot. If you're not able to do that, I suggest charity shops/thrift stores, people get rid of some fantastic items that will cost you a fraction of what you'd pay in the shop. Or, have a swap party! Have a group of female friends round to your house and ask them all to bring 2 or 3 clothing items they no longer want, then everyone tries on and swaps, you can get yourself a couple of nice things that way (and chances are your friends might have a similar style to you as well.)
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    Really just depends on your body. The average is 10 lbs per size - but I've lost 50 and not even close to losing a size. I'd love to buy new clothes.

    If you are losing quickly Thrift Shops can be a good source of transition clothes. Or like mentioned above - clothing swap with your friends is a great idea.
  • zeal26
    zeal26 Posts: 602 Member
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    I think this is very individual. I've lost 25lb and VERY much need new tops. I'm down to a UK size 10 on top (and unlikely to go much lower since all my weight comes off my waist and stomach really) so this past week I've started buying sweaters, hoodies, dress and t shirts. I've bought them all from sales but I tend to do that anyway.

    Jeans are a different story altogether! I've bought one pair of jeans since January (when I started losing weight). They're not looking so great any more, very baggy when they used to be skin tight, and going further up my stomach every morning I put them on. But I don't want to buy any more just yet. The ones that fit me fit me so well that they'll start getting super lose after just another 5-10lb, and the next size down doesn't close on me yet! So it's a waiting game but I'd rather not waste money.
  • SharonNehring
    SharonNehring Posts: 535 Member
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    I've been losing since December and just today went shopping for pants again, for the third time. Tops are much easier since wearing them big is pretty normal and they don't fall down when you least expect it. LOL I've had to replace under garments and shoes as well. (I never thought my feet would get smaller.)

    How often you'll need to shop depends upon how quickly you lose and from where. I've lost the most from my waist, hips and upper thighs so that's why pants have been a problem. I've learnt to buy pants that feel a bit tighter than I'd normally wear so I can wear them longer. Skirts are very forgiving and are easy to alter too.

    Check out consignment shops and places such as Goodwill or Super Savers. If you or someone you know can sew, simple alterations will broaden your options. I use the double stick tape you iron in to hem pants without sewing. For jackets that button, you can simply move the buttons over in a double-breasted suit style to take in the middle.

    Check out the clearance racks at Walmart and JCPenney too. I've gotten tops for $1-4, pants for $5.
  • Pusarah
    Pusarah Posts: 124 Member
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    I agree, everyone will be different especially depending on how much you have to lose. Ive gone down 4 sizes and I was buying clothes from normal stores but I've found a few things at good will and value village that are cost effective and look brand new. $9 for jeans in comparison to another pair I bought for $60 and they didn't last me very long at all.

    It's great to be able to buy new clothes, but if you have a long transition might be an idea to seek out some stores you may not have thought about shopping before, you never know what you'll find! :)
  • cheripugh1
    cheripugh1 Posts: 357 Member
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    Start buying now... buy a size or two smaller, normally you can lose a size and still wear what you have so I'd go 2 or 3 sizes smaller since you have a ways to go and a tight budget.

    Hit yard sales, thrift stores and sales, many stores like even Macy's put on clearance and they are cut super low, go in once a week and just check the racks! You can often get things like a $30 item for $3 so go and watch for things you like!
  • LessthanKris
    LessthanKris Posts: 607 Member
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    I started my recent journey in August and just went at the beginning of May because we were going on vacation. I lost over 30 lbs and before vacation I just used belts and luckily had some jeans from when I was smaller. I still have another 16 I want to lose and hope that I will not have to buy anything else until those pounds are gone.
  • earthsember
    earthsember Posts: 435 Member
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    Tons of great ideas above :)
    Organizing a clothing swap with friends of all different sizes is useful, or checking craigslist, local buy/sell/trade groups on facebook, thrift shops, consignment stores, etc.
    I've found maxi skirts and t shirts are great for casual wear :) They tend to look good through several sizes :) A lot of it depends on how much you have to lose, the plus sizes tend to fit for longer, while smaller sizes will change more frequently (so it would take longer to go from a 20 to an 18, than it would to go from 10 to 8), but all of this is also dependent on brand, elasticity of the clothing, etc
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    As I was transitioning sizes, belts were very helpful, and thrift stores are a great place to find clothes on the cheap! I had some great name brand jeans that I picked up for a few bucks and wore for a few months.
  • lorigrocks
    lorigrocks Posts: 123 Member
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    I always shop at the outlet Stores in my area there is a Bluenotes Outlet which is my favorite store and nothing in the store is more than $10.00! So I buy jeans for $10.00, shorts for $5.00, tops anywhere from $2.00 to $10.00 and the bonus for me is they have alot more variety in my size now that I lost weight! I went from a size 11/12 pants to a size 7 and I used to buy hoodies and tops in size Large or Xtra Large...now buy Small or Medium. So I now have clothes in all different sizes so I did a big clean up this weekend and am going to sell some of the good stuff and give the rest to goodwill. It is also amazing what you can find at the goodwill stores...sometimes you really have to look but so worth the time and effort :-)
  • natrtaylor
    natrtaylor Posts: 11 Member
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    Like everyone said, I think it's very individual and probably depends a lot on how tall you are (if you lose 10 lbs and are short, it's comparable to someone who is tall who lost 50 lbs? just a guess). A great option would be an exchange store like this place called Buffalo Exchange where you can bring in your things that don't fit anymore and are still in good condition, and you can trade them in for items that are of similar price!
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,943 Member
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    Just curious about approximately how much time it took for you to need to by new clothes? I'm on a tight budget right now and I really have to plan ahead for expenses and I don't particularly want to end up with literally nothing that will stay up lol
    Mine is an interesting journey because my goal was to lose 33 pounds to get back into my old clothes. Well, I did that but, being that weight loss is not linear and sometimes has a personality of its own, I have lost ten more pounds, meaning that my old clothes are now a bit baggy on me. This weekend I found a bag sale at a Hospice thrift shop and came home with about $175 or more in quality clothes in my size for $5.00.

    It took me about 5 to 6 months to get back into my old clothes. I still war them but they are a big big, and now I've got some new clothe pretty cheaply.

    Thrift stores are places you might want to check out in the interim until you reach your goal weight.
  • dsb188
    dsb188 Posts: 121 Member
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    Its weight because I lost 43 pounds and I'm down one size. I figure since I'm still losing I am going to buy some cheap clothes and once I hit my goal I can go completely nuts.
  • FarmallMom71
    FarmallMom71 Posts: 49 Member
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    I love thrift shopping for that very reason.... goodwill, salvation army, thrift... I know this size is just temporary. Better to pay a few dollars for pants than get carried away and spend a fortune on clothes that are temporary. No shame in being thrifty.:wink:
  • pusheen12
    pusheen12 Posts: 192 Member
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    Just wear your clothes big for as long as possible. For me, it was app. 15lbs. lost for every size. A thrift shop or hand me downs from others are the cheapest places for smaller sizes. I have found some good deals on pants in the clearance sections at Ross. and even Costco. Buy them tight if you are still losing to get the most longevity out of them. Just buy a few neutrals like tan and black pants to get by with. I personally LOVE buying smaller sizes and have to resist. Perhaps ebay would be good for an inexpensive lot of clothes, but I have never done this.
  • pusheen12
    pusheen12 Posts: 192 Member
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    p.s. You could also take some items in at the side seams if you sew.
  • Sobus76
    Sobus76 Posts: 242 Member
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    It's been a pain the *kitten* for me, i've lost about 5 pants sizes and 2-3 shirt sizes in the last 8 months and cant wear anything i had and donated it all (about 7 garbage bags from my closet), hopefully the clothes i just bought for summer will last through the summer.
  • shaynepoole
    shaynepoole Posts: 493 Member
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    it depends on how much you are losing how close you are to goal

    I went down a lot of sizes and had to do 2 purges of my closets, but the second one was a lot smaller -- and I will need to do a third when I can get up the energy to go through my clothes yet again

    (to give you an idea, I started at a size 26/28 and am now down to about a 4/6 in pants and shirts went from a 5x to a medium)

    I've either shopped clearance racks, really good sales, goodwill/consignment shops when I needed stuff to wear- I had to do a work trip when I was around a 16 - Last month, I gave all of those clothes to my cousin and she gave me her old size 8-10 clothes, which most I can still get away with

    So if you have friends/family members you can do a clothes swap with, that would be the best and the most economical option. I don't know any woman really who doesn't have at least 3-4 different sizes of clothing at home.

    good luck

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