How to not buy a new wardrobe every few months?

I'm trying to lose more than just a few pounds. My goal is 100. I need clothing advice from people who have been there or are going through it!! What are some tips for clothes that last through as many size changes as possible so that I'm not buying a whole new wardrobe every few months?!?
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Replies

  • jcmartin0313
    jcmartin0313 Posts: 574 Member
    There is none. I have lost 117 pounds and replaced clothes a few times. Just buy the basics until you get where you want to be. Downside of extreme weight loss.
  • peaceinside
    peaceinside Posts: 272
    I haven't found an answer, I've lost about 70 now and had to shop every couple of months...Goodwill and thrifting is the only way to do it. In fact I thought I was done around 60 pounds and bought new clothes and I'm still losing. I'm gonna have to go again!! It's hard but part of the deal! And more than worth it!!!!!
    Peace! :flowerforyou:
  • McLifterPants
    McLifterPants Posts: 457 Member
    I didn't have as much to lose, but I found that you can wear dresses longer than pants when you lose weight. Just belt them when they get loose!
  • gwyn48
    gwyn48 Posts: 23 Member
    This probably isn't for everyone, but I know how to sew and have used that to my advantage.

    I identified about 10 pairs of work pants that I have taken in. I adjusted them so they were slightly tight. For me, I lost 50lbs, but only went down 2 sizes. I have also identified a few work shirts and taken them in. The ones selected are clothes that can work through all seasons.

    To help me stay motivated, I did splurge and bought 2 nice, stylish jeans for going out. I will probably continue to do this, since jeans are something I really don't want to alter.

    The other thing I do is I shop at the high end department stores or their "outlet" stores at the end of season and can pick up alot of basics for under $10. I have been leaning towards the new stretch microfibers, since they will shrink with me.

    I have scored alot of great sales on those clearance racks. In total, I have probably spent about $100 on new clothes for 50 lbs lost. I expect these clothes to last through another 25 lb loss, which should put me back into winter.
  • _Punjab
    _Punjab Posts: 67
    I didn't have as much to lose, but I found that you can wear dresses longer than pants when you lose weight. Just belt them when they get loose!

    This is actually what I was thinking I was going to do. Go out and buy some cheap dresses to wear every day and belt them as they get too large. It works out well that it's summer right now!!
  • _Punjab
    _Punjab Posts: 67
    There is none. I have lost 117 pounds and replaced clothes a few times. Just buy the basics until you get where you want to be. Downside of extreme weight loss.

    it s te downside =/ bt also kind of the fun side!!!
  • _Punjab
    _Punjab Posts: 67
    I haven't found an answer, I've lost about 70 now and had to shop every couple of months...Goodwill and thrifting is the only way to do it. In fact I thought I was done around 60 pounds and bought new clothes and I'm still losing. I'm gonna have to go again!! It's hard but part of the deal! And more than worth it!!!!!
    Peace! :flowerforyou:

    Congrats on the 60 pounds!!! And I guess that having to buy new clothes every few months because theyre too big is better than because theyre too small
  • _Punjab
    _Punjab Posts: 67
    This probably isn't for everyone, but I know how to sew and have used that to my advantage.

    I identified about 10 pairs of work pants that I have taken in. I adjusted them so they were slightly tight. For me, I lost 50lbs, but only went down 2 sizes. I have also identified a few work shirts and taken them in. The ones selected are clothes that can work through all seasons.

    To help me stay motivated, I did splurge and bought 2 nice, stylish jeans for going out. I will probably continue to do this, since jeans are something I really don't want to alter.

    The other thing I do is I shop at the high end department stores or their "outlet" stores at the end of season and can pick up alot of basics for under $10. I have been leaning towards the new stretch microfibers, since they will shrink with me.

    I have scored alot of great sales on those clearance racks. In total, I have probably spent about $100 on new clothes for 50 lbs lost. I expect these clothes to last through another 25 lb loss, which should put me back into winter.

    Unfortunately, I can't sew, but the clearance racks at outlets are really great for basics!!!
  • lostwisdom
    lostwisdom Posts: 73 Member
    "Fortunately" I'm a bit of a hoarder, so I still have clothes now that I wore when I was a size 16, and 14 (am now a 18-20), but I have found the longest lasting items of clothing in terms of what I can wear through various weights are:

    -elasticated skirts, depending on where you live I would recommend Primark or Forever21 as they are proper cheap, and do stretch both ways!
    -cardigans! buy a size too small and wear them open whilst losing the weight, and then done up when you've dropped a size!
    -accessories! it's pretty obvious, but if you can only have a small wardrobe due to continued weight loss, mix it up with bangles, necklaces, and adjustable rings!

    also I'd say the biggest thing is to go for cheap and cheerful before you hit your target weight!
  • Trutra
    Trutra Posts: 131 Member
    Well, I was wondering myself until last week, since I really cant afford to buy new clothes . My jeans are falling off me, I bought a belt and now need to put a couple of extra holes into it. The pants I bought for my nephew's baptism in May are also loose. However, last Sunday I was looking for a shirt I needed to wear to our college graduation, and decided to clear out my cupboard, lol. I managed to get rid of two bin bags of old clothes, but also find clothes in quite a few smaller sizes, which should last me for at least 6 months. Some I had actually forgotten that I had. That will put me into December, and I plan on asking my family to give me gift cards for Christmas/my birthday so I can buy clothes.
    Will probably buy elasticated pants etc so that they last longer.
    My other plan is to visit my sisters house as I lose weight, and scrounge from her. She has a 4 bedroomed house and ever cupboard is full of her clothes, many brand new, and in sizes from overweight to underweight. She has 35 paris of trainers! I could take a lifetime of clothes and she wouldnt even notice, ha ha.

    Edited to add: I would ask her, lol, wouldnt just take them.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
    I haven't found a way to avoid it, so I just shop the clearance rack.

    If you need dress clothes for work, check out Coldwatercreek.com - the outlet section. You can get shirts for less than $10 and jackets for under $20 sometimes. The prices in the regular section are outrageous, but the clearance section is nice!

    Kohls has great clearance prices too - and TJMaxx. And there's always resale shops.

    The trick is to buy basics and neutral colors you can mix and match. Then, buy some cute, bright jewlery (which will fit no matter what size you are!) to spruce it up. You can buy new clothes at your goal weight and still have the jewelry to accessorize with.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    Thrift stores, clearance racks and wearing clothes that will still look ok if they're a little baggy. I only lost 25-30-ish, but I haven't had many shirts that got too big, and a quite a few of my old shorts and jeans are wearable if I put on a belt.

    Some basic sewing skills - or a tailor - can make a big difference, too. A few little darts in the waist can make droopy jeans fit again. Taking in the side seems of a skirt a half an inch will make it fit better, too.
  • SpazzyMal
    SpazzyMal Posts: 276 Member
    Elastic skirts and dresses with a belt, as some have mentioned, are probably a good bet.
    Maybe try to find shirts that would still look good if they were intentionally loose when you lose weight, so you can throw a tank on underneath them.
    Also try to find clothes you can modify easily. Not necessarily sew, but there's plenty of stuff you can do with a pair of scissors and/or a ribbon if you get inventive.
  • celebrity328
    celebrity328 Posts: 377 Member
    Maybe go to a tailor and get pants taken in is an idea I think its 7 bucks to have it done here. You can walk around with bigger shirts longer then pants falling off :D!

    Also I go to thrift stores when they have 50% off on everything. I got 7 pairs of pants ranging from size 16,14,12 just because $2 for a pair of jeans Im going to wear maybe 3 months is a killing :)

    I also picked out about 10 shirts that range from a tad tight to I cant get in this if my life depended on it. I got about 20 items in all and spent $30 bucks :)!

    I just wear the clothes I have until I cant wear them anymore. The only time I have bought a brand new item in the last year was for a party and all the clothes I had were bagged for good will lol!
  • Cocochickdeleted
    Cocochickdeleted Posts: 342 Member
    Thrift stores, garage sales, friends who have clothes they are trying to get rid of, pants with drawstrings...that's all I can think of at the moment. :-)
  • MinaAriel
    MinaAriel Posts: 138 Member
    Dresses and bottoms with drawstrings have been my friend. Pretty much every shirt I own is too big now but when your bottoms are too big, you can get into trouble. LOL I've had decent luck at the Goodwill store, buying new shorts that still had the original price tags on them. Outlets are great too when combined with coupons so check online. I agree with the buying the basics and then adding a few trendy type pieces here and there. Old Navy is about 50% of my wardrobe because they are really cheap and run sales often.
  • RainaWalks
    RainaWalks Posts: 72
    i had to shop when i shed 145 pounds...some tops were not too bad...i could wear them baggy but now i have different size tops and bottoms in my wardrobe...i kept them all because i figure ...**** happens...

    it is hard on the pocket book but worth it....i could not stop looking at myself in the mirror....
  • I am loving me some EBay!
  • VelociMama
    VelociMama Posts: 3,119 Member
    I bought a lot of my clothes on consignment. I gave my old clothes to a friend here who needed them. It worked out quite nicely.

    If you prefer to buy new, JCPenney has a lot of good clothes that aren't too expensive especially if you catch the sales.
  • KatFierce
    KatFierce Posts: 252 Member
    for me its been friends mostly. I always held onto my "skinny" clothes so I had some pieces that worked as I lost. Then I had friends who were the size I just was and I swapped the my now too big stuff for their too small clothes. And when those got too big I gave them back.
    Good will/thrift stores are great
    and looking out for great sale items to buy some basics, like cheap jeans etc. I SAHM so Im home with my kids in the day and go to school at night. My kids dont care if Im in sweats, or the same jeans as yesterday
  • ickybella
    ickybella Posts: 1,438 Member
    Dresses and tunics are great, because you can add a belt on top if you need to make them a little more form-fitting. I wore a lot of leggings and tunics and I still have a couple of cotton blazers I wear, either tied at the bottom or with a belt around them.
  • hbm616
    hbm616 Posts: 377 Member
    I've started shopping at thrift and consignment stores to help bulk up my diminishing wardrobe. I've lost over 100 lbs total and went down from a 22/24 to a size 12. At first I just cinched my belt tighter, making new holes when necessary but once those clothes started looking absolutely terrible and way too big I decided to buy new stuff. I've also picked up some dresses and skirts thinking they will be ok when they are a bit too big. I also tend to wear a lot of basic tops, especially tank tops because those are cheap and can look good whether they are a little loose or a little tight. they also can be easily paired with sweatshirts/sweaters for another outfit.
    Try finding a thrift store like Buffalo Exchange where you can sell your old clothes that are too big. I think they give you more money for your stuff if you choose store credit instead of cash and then you can just recycle that cash into a new wardrobe!
  • jenmfpal
    jenmfpal Posts: 124
    Great topic! I have found stuff on clearance racks, garage sales, thrift stores and asking friends/family for hand me downs.

    I definitely think it is worth buying a few pairs of staple pants that fit well (for me it was jeans, but whatever you wear to work/socially) so that you can show off your new body as you are dropping weight so you can continue to feel motivated about your progress! I tended to buy things a little tight so that I could get a little more wear out of them.

    The best thing I did, was buy a few jeans in the "Junior" department from Kmart. They were very elastic-y and were a size 20. I've been able to shrink them (thanks to my husbands washing "skills") and keep wearing them even though I'm now wearing a size 14. They are a little long now though. Now it's a running conversation in my house at laundry time, "Do these pants need to be shrunk, or do they currently fit?" Very funny for my husband to be conscious of my wardrobe.

    I also like having my workout clothes fit (especially pants), I just feel better about my progress when I can see it! I think it's worth the $10 every two months. After I consider all the money I've saved from the fast food I've not been eating, I can afford the new clothes!

    Good luck!
  • VogtAndrea
    VogtAndrea Posts: 236
    I don't know what stores you have nearby for clothing but I will look in consignment shops before goodwill for dressy stuff. We have clearance or liquidation stores that I go look at if I'm away from home to a larger city. The rest I will either buy on sale or just basics with elastic waists or adjustable waists (LL Bean has pants that look good and can drop a full size without losing their look)
  • jenmfpal
    jenmfpal Posts: 124
    I also want to add, that I found it very important to buy a new bra every few months. A good one, for proper back support. Just get one in a neutral color you can wear everyday, and one for the gym. :)
  • Jenn09870
    Jenn09870 Posts: 66 Member
    I have lost 95lbs so far an have gone down from a size 24 (or more) to a size 10/12.

    Best things/most versatile pieces have been the stretch jersey knit maxi dresses. I have a few of these that fit me at my largest (they are size 2x but stretchy) and fit me tolerably well now. I am large busted and while they are a little baggy and not stretched at all, they are suitable for wearing in public.

    I buy a good deal of work out clothing and jeans from thrift stores (if you take stuff in to donate at Goodwill and ask for a receipt you can use the receipt to claim the donation on your taxes and you can use the receipt that day for either 10 or 20% off your purchase- can't remember which).

    I also splurge once every couple months and go to Burke's Outlet store and buy a new pair of Levi's for about $20. I supplement these with Goodwill jeans- I was amazed at the jeans I bought last time- my husband almost didn't believe i got them from the thrift store, they looked brand new.

    I've also listed my plus-size clothing on Craigs List and actually gave people great deals and made enough to buy a new pair of running shoes.

    There is also a store here called Ross- basically an outlet type store too- they have great prices on dresses.

    My friend says buying the new wardrobe is supposed to be the "fun part" but I have parted with so many relatively new items that i really liked and looked good in- even though I was big. I don't want to invest in new clothes until I know I'll be keeping them.

    Good Luck
  • AwesomeOne66
    AwesomeOne66 Posts: 220
    secondhand stores are my dirty little secret, ladies!!! we call them Op Shops in Australia. I go to every one I see...the ones in fancy areas are the best, great brands for next to nothing.

    the other awesome thing I do is get together with a bunch of girlfriends and have a clothes swap party. we all bring whatever we don't want, doesn't fit, was never a good choice, etc. And then everyone just takes what they want home....all the rest of the stuff gets donated to the local op shop and everyone's happy!

    Here's a tip...invite people of many shapes and sizes!!! At least you know, if you spent a few $ on something, one of your friends is going to love you for it!

    Have fun!
  • tinkermommc
    tinkermommc Posts: 558 Member
    Find a friend that's trying to lose weight that's a size or 2 smaller than you and encourage them to lose ;-) But of course then you could have my problem, I've shrunk faster than her. And to top it off I have an autistic son that pulls on loose fabric so I can't wear clothes too big for too long. Secondhand doesn't work with him, so I've been keeping to Old Navy sales/clearance. Get the stuff I absolutely need and leave the tags on until I have to wear them. I've had to exchange pants 2x because I'd lost more weight before I went to wear them and they were too big. It's a wonderful problem to have!!
  • chlorisaann
    chlorisaann Posts: 366 Member
    I didn't have as much to lose, but I found that you can wear dresses longer than pants when you lose weight. Just belt them when they get loose!

    This is actually what I was thinking I was going to do. Go out and buy some cheap dresses to wear every day and belt them as they get too large. It works out well that it's summer right now!!

    OldNavy.com!! They have some realy great cotton/poly dresses 35 and under and a sale going right now!!
  • CarleyLovesPets
    CarleyLovesPets Posts: 410 Member
    Thrift stores! :3