Prioritizing Spending
This may be too broad a discussion topic vs a simple q&a one, but figured I'd post it anyways.
I'm (possibly incorrectly) assuming most folks here fall somewhere on the spectrum from middle to upper middle incomes. Clothes run the gambit from dirt cheap to comically expensive. Perhaps not true at the lower end, but at some income level this turns into a "You can have anything you want (within reason), but not everything you want" problem and I'm fortunate to count myself in that club.
I'm curious how folks prioritize in this circumstance. Buy fewer but higher-priced items? A handful of high priced pieces but go cheap on "filler" items? Focus on items you'll wear socially? Items for work? Just whatever you'll wear "most"? Pay for dress shirts, cheap out on plain T's? Vice versa? Or maybe I'm just too much of a planner and you all just buy things you like and figure it out as you go?
I realize this is all going to be very individual. I imagine it will get easier once I'm building off a solid base vs debating which ill-fitting coffee-stained thing to replace first when I know the answer is going to eventually have to be "all of them". For now though, it's a bit of a struggle and I'd love to hear how others strategized around this. Even just building a capsule wardrobe, I am sure there isn't a "right" way, but I'm interested in the variability....
25 Replies
buy shit u like and don't buy shit u don't like
don't buy shit you just kinda like if what you really want costs more money; save for the item you rly want
The unironic best answer is vibes
I don't really think there's value in railroading your options to the price brackets you can afford bc it does box out a lot of items that really are just a waste of money to splurge on
im with Stevie, buy what you like, but cheaper substitutes rarely fill the gap and you will likely end up buying the real thing latter on anyway.
so why not think on it and save for the real deal the first time
counterpoint -- cheaper substitutes are great ways to experiment and figure out if its even worth getting the real deal
Also have to keep in mind that once you get past that fast fashion/mall brand range the clothing you'll find will all be around a normalized level of "quality"
and it turns into what the brand thinks their specific design is worth
This is totaly true, i more meant if you say have tried on the piece and know you like it. going to find a cheaper replacement is probably not going to work out long term
that i can agree with. get a cheap version to see if you vibe with it, then save up to get the good/ideal version of what you really want and don't settle halfway for a semi-upgrade
I will say also, don't get caught in the trap of thinking higher price = higher "quality". While this is true when going from Shein / Temu / H&M up a step to, say, J Crew or Levis or something, it quickly reaches a point of diminishing returns where you're really paying for specific details that you personally like that only a particular brand is doing. So if there's something you like at a lower price point, awesome.
^
Ironically if you can afford pretty much everything the best advice would probably just be to ignore the price tag altogether in how you judge a piece
also differing philosophies with pieces you wont get a ton of wear out of -- spend a ton on a suit you wont wear much? or spend a little on the suit because you wont wear it much?
at some point you'll figure out what you like spending money on and what you dont. I don't like spending on basics, so my tees are Uniqlo and a good chunk of my shirts are thrifted for pennies. you'll figure it out i believe in you
it's ultimately very personal to you. I spend a good amount on scarves because theyre such a practical accessory that i use almost half the year, and also because i just love them and good ones are hard to find without spending more
If there is a constant it might be shoes, it's difficult to cheap out on those.
shoes and jackets yea
at least, weather-related jackets
but if you live somewhere where you just drive and dont walk at all, then weather-related jackets are less of a priority tbh
I am 100% sure this is where I will eventually land once I've got a stable base. I'd much rather save up an extra few hundred for a new blazer if it's what I want vs a filler. The struggle is at the start. E.g. Basically all my shirts are either stained, torn or comically ill-fitting. I do not work in a field where I can show up naked. So it's more a question of 10ish at $50 apiece or a few at a much steeper price and keep the least trashed. Just an example, but multiply by everything I own and that's where the challenge comes in. There may just be an unavoidable "WTF is he doing" period where I'm either looking hot or like a hobo on alternating days or pairing a classy dress shirt with pants that look like they came from a dumpster because I replaced all my shirts first, etc.
If you're slowly replacing stuff just go low to medium prices tbh
If you wear something to death then upgrade to pricey
Then throw in some YOLO whimsy for the inscrutable human spirit
I buy >90% of my clothes second hand, which introduces an element of the thing you think you want not necessarily being available, which honestly for me really helps in not making impulse buys based on trends
short answer is vibes + buy secondhand
long answer is i was able to figure out both what i was willing to spend and also what i needed; the former by budgeting and the latter by curating inspiration and (at least for me) taking daily fit pics.
that allowed me to see what 'holes' i had in my wardrobe to fill/what i wanted to fill and having a set budget enabled me to spend the time looking for the best possible option or how much i could spend on 'fun' things.
Thanks all. This discussion was very helpful. Sounds like "go with your gut" is a pretty cross-cutting theme. Strategies seem to vary a bit, which is expected given everyone is at different places, with different budgets, interests, etc.
Didn't post mine to start with since I deliberately wanted to hear open-ended responses vs approval/disapproval if what I'm doing but now that we've passed that point I should probably share too. I'm honestly a little all over the place....
Been on a weight loss journey so started with focus on things that won't be impacted (shoes/socks, looser-fitting outerwear) and generally going for high quality per dollar. My tastes are not very refined at this point so it really is what some alluded to above and just breaking into that "good quality" tier. Something like specific stitching pattern on a jacket I frankly dont even notice, let alone care. Maybe I will eventually, maybe not. Butt "this didn't fall apart the 2nd time I put it on" I certainly will. After that I'm striving for a mix of business/casual wear. I'm going against recommendations and really doing both a capsule with also specifically completing a few "outfits" , albeit with an eye towards buying pieces a bit more versatile. TBD how it works, but it's been interesting so far.
I will say, I generally appreciate this community. I'm not exactly sure what I was expecting but this was not it (in a good way). Particularly for a 40s dad who has literally never thought about clothes at all until maybe a month ago.
it's never too late to learn or to make a fresh start imo
from experience many things can change in tandem with weight loss or other physical changes, and it helps to keep an open mind to these changes. figuring out how you relate to clothes is a journey, but it seems like you're good with that sort of thing đź‘Ť
Appreciate that. Definitely open to many things evolving (parenthood is also good for forcing open mindedness/adaptive approaches🤣...or at least has been for me!) and actually looking forward to it. Some of you all are definitely more creative/adventurous than I ever see myself being. Work is a bit constraining since it would generally be frowned upon if I showed up looking like Elton John and I just don't see myself having a completely different work and non-work persona, but who knows? So far, I'm having vastly more fun with this than I expected to
There are tons of systems and you can make your own based on your priorities. It also depends on where you are at in your journey. If your tastes are changing a lot it can be harder to justify the more expensive stuff but cheaper stuff is often just not as good or exactly what you want.
Accept that you will make mistakes and your tastes will change.
I think the guidelines that I like the most that help with this are
- Shopping in person. Being able to try on and see something that you’re interested in takes so many items off the list for me.
- Buying less and buying mindfully. You have to buy stuff and make mistakes, but there is a balance. I’ve not yet found a case where it’s better to spend a lot. Experiment with cheaper stuff or go thrifting and invest more time. That’s more fulfilling anyway.
- give yourself the space to be impulsive, especially when starting out. Impulse buys WILL be misses more often than hits. But the hits often hit
And the misses get you closer to the hits if you’re reflecting on them
buy less, buy better would be my mantra. having a few pieces that i really really fuck with and wear regularly with different outfits has helped me figure out my style