Are you ready to hear one of my favorite ways that you can save time and money on your clothes?? You probably won’t be surprised by my three-word answer: AN INTENTIONAL WARDROBE!
What exactly is an intentional wardrobe? It’s simple a curated collection of clothes that coordinate with each other.
I’ve created a comprehensive online course called The Confident Closet that teaches exactly how to create your own intentional wardrobe.
You will finally feel confident and put together on the daily! You will learn how to choose clothes for your lifestyle, style preferences, and body shape and coloring. How awesome is that?!
Enrollment is only open four times a year. And it is opening again from Tuesday, May 5th – Sunday, May 10th, 2020!
Let’s Talk Money
Okay, first some money facts:
Did you know that the average woman will spend $125,000 on clothes and accessories in her lifetime?! And for women under the age of 25, that number is more likely to be over $200,000!
Broken down a bit further, that ends up being anywhere from $150-$400 spent on clothing PER MONTH. And doing the math means that women are spending anywhere from $1,800 to $4,800 per year!
So, what does all that money actually buy? According to a survey by Capital One Bank and ING Direct, the average woman ends up purchasing 3,100 different clothing items throughout her life, which include 270 pairs of shoes, 185 dresses, and 145 handbags! And 1 in 7 women report hiding new clothing and accessories purchases from their partners. Wow!
A Real Life Example
Check out this comment from a woman in response to this article on PrisonerOfClass.com:
Kathryn
I’m clearing my closet out now. You are so right on having favorite pieces one wears. It’s a shame as a women we spend so much money on clothes all because of want (like) not need. I spend so much time in my moving clothes around to fit new ones in. Needless to say when I donate my clothes many still have the price tag still on.
I have been asked by many people at the Assistance Thrift Store I donate to if I have a store because of the amount of shoes, clothes, leather purses I donate. I was happy to read this article for a wake-up call. Thanks – Hoping I can stick to a closet I can actually move on the rod.
I seriously wish I could find Kathryn and tell her exactly how she can save time and money on her clothes. I’d so love to help her get a handle on her closet and teach her how to curate her own personalized wardrobe!!
Save Money by Shopping Seasonally
With a seasonal wardrobe, shopping decreases to only THREE or FOUR times a YEAR because you are only shopping by season. No more random shopping sprees. No more purchasing items that you’ll wear for a single use. Do you really need a sweatshirt that you’ll only wear on Valentine’s Day after all???
Now, it is easy to think that the first time you create a personalized wardrobe you’ll have a LOT of pieces to buy. But I believe that the majority of your intentional wardrobe is already sitting in your closet.
You may just need a little guidance on how to cut down the clutter and find those pieces that you really love. The Confident Closet will teach you how to set a seasonal clothes budget that works for you and your family. It also covers in detail what clothing items to view as investment pieces and on which items to spend less money.
Save Money with a Targeted Shopping List
Once your wardrobe is established, saving money on clothes will get even easier. You will no longer go shopping to get “some new shirts” or even just “new clothes”!
Instead, you will be able to shop with a laser-targeted approach to find the exact item you’d like to include for your wardrobe. You won’t start out looking for “a new shirt,” instead, you’ll be on the lookout for a “plum cowl-neck tunic sweater with 3/4 length sleeves” (and no worries if you don’t know what a cowl-neck is! The Confident Closet covers that too!).
My Personal Spending Revealed
Let me give you a personal example. My personal seasonal clothes budget is $200-250, which comes in FAR below the low-end average of $1,800 for clothes spending a year.
When I switched from my fall to winter wardrobe this past November, I knew I’d like to add one new gray chunky sweater and a new navy blue hip-length coat to my wardrobe. I ended up receiving a birthday gift card that covered the cost of the new grey sweater (thanks, Mom!). That meant I purchased my navy blue faux fur coat from a deep Black Friday discount at Banana Republic with money left to spare! When I realized my black leggings from last year were looking a bit pilled and shabby, I took the extra money and purchased a pair of lovely faux-leather leggings to take their place. #winning
Make Shopping Intentional
Can you see how clothes shopping will become an intentional activity for you? Interestingly enough, almost ALL clothes shopping by women is not motivated by need, but rather by emotion.
You’ve probably heard the term “retail therapy.” This is the practice of dealing with personal problems and frustrations by purchasing things, most often clothes and accessories.
Check out this infographic from Shenomics:
Creating an intentional wardrobe makes a huge difference in overcoming the need for “retail therapy”! You will have a personalized plan for what to buy and when.
Because you know that the pieces to purchase will emphasize the best about your body and compliment your coloring, you will be pickier about what you choose to buy.
You will be able to resist throwing that trendy Target top into your cart just because you feel like you need an emotional boost. Trust me, it is so worth it to learn how to save time and money on your clothes.
Let’s Talk Time
Now let’s talk a little bit about something even more valuable than money: T – I – M – E !!!
I know I don’t need to go on and on about a mama’s need for more time in her day! No matter the ages and stages of our kids, we often have calendars packed full of appointments, practices, errands, obligations, responsibilities, and to-dos.
A 2016 poll of men AND women conducted in the UK by retail giant Marks and Spencer revealed that people spend an average of 17 minutes per day deciding what to wear! Whoa!
Now, I think it’s not too much of a stretch to say that if we were looking at women only, that number could be even higher. But as it is, that means the average person spends 4 entire DAYS per year just deciding what clothes to wear!
Let me just ask you: What could you do with 17 extra minutes per day?!? You could read 3 more stories to your 4-year-old, you could play a short board game with your 7-year-old, write and mail an overdue thank you note, clean a bathroom, declutter a drawer or two … or just make yourself a cup of tea and sit down for 15 minutes for goodness sake!
Save Time by Avoiding Closet Rage
In addition, creating an intentional wardrobe will definitely keep you from avoiding the time-wasting “Closet Rage” that 62% of women experience.
You know what I mean. It’s that, “WHAT the heck do I wear?! Nothing fits!!! I can’t stand any of my clothes!!” There’s no doubt what a big time-waster (and confidence destroyer!) this one can be!
Believe me, I know. Before I created my first intentional wardrobe, I would often try on outfit after outfit as the clothes would pile up on my closet floor. I remember the frustration of not being able to make a decision and get down on myself for the time I knew I’d wasted. Ugh.
Related post: 7 Reasons Why Getting Dressed is Worth the Effort
Save Time with an Intentional Wardrobe
With a personalized wardrobe, you will spend almost zero time deciding what to wear every day. Because you will have a coordinated closet that follows a specific color palette, you will be able to quickly grab any top and bottom without much thought at all. And 9 times out of 10, they will look lovely together!
I literally have thought about challenging myself by selecting my clothes blindfolded every morning and then sharing my results. I’m not quite that crazy … yet!
Okay, friend, please know that I am so excited to help you save money and time on your clothes! The knowledge really is worth the investment.
To get more info about enrollment (and a discount!) for the The Confident Closet, click on the button below!
Related article: The 15 Best Things about the Capsule Wardrobe Collaboration
27 thoughts on “The BIG Secret to Save Time and Money on Your Clothes”
Never heard of a capsule wardrobe before! It sounds very interesting. I’ll be signing up for The Capsule Wardrobe Collaboration 🙂
Awesome, Jen! It really is a game changer!! Can’t wait to have you in the course!
I love this. I’ve got a semi-capsule wardrobe that is gradually getting pared down as I get farther from postpartum and my body settles back into it’s new size/shape. It saves me so much time and money!
That’s so awesome, Stephanie! Waiting until your body settles into a new shape is a very smart idea – so often, we are tempted to rush out and buy all the things before we get to that point.
I’m getting a lot better at pairing down my wardrobe. Until I get it to a place where I absolutely don’t want to let anything go I follow a one in/one out rule. For every new item in, one goes out. I also scan through my closet every few months and pull things I thought I would wear but haven’t. I wouldn’t say I have a capsule wardrobe, but in the last year or so my closet has decreased by about half.
Jennie, I love the one in/one out rule! That is genius. It sounds like you are doing a great job with being intentional with your closet, and that’s exactly what a capsule wardrobe is all about!
This is a pretty cool idea. I just recently went through my clothes and donated about a fourth of my closet. But I’m not a person that shops very often. Since becoming a mom, I’ve purchased only a few items in the past 4 years. I typically wear things for about a decade before getting rid of them. Lol. But I have discovered Stitch Fix and absolutely love it. I’ve played with different frequencies but decided that a box every other month is right for me. Sometimes I keep it all, sometimes it’s just a piec e or everything goes back.
Decluttering the closet does feel so good! I’m glad you’ve had a positive experience with Stitch Fix!
Loved the point about shopping seasonally. I do that!
Way to go, Amber! That’s awesome!
I attended a homeschooling conference last year, and one of the guest speakers was a missionary who lives in cambodia with her family. when she showed photos of herself on special occassions, we noticed she was wearing the same cute dress. In fact, at the conference, it was what she was wearing! And i realized, heck, what do we need too many clothes for when we can actually just have one for different occasions and use them appropriately. No one minds. The people at the conference didn’t mind at all.
May, I am so glad you shared this example! You are so right – we are often led to believe we always need to be consuming more. That’s what I love so much about capsule wardrobes. It’s all about learning to be intentional with what we have.
Great tips for saving money. I rarely shop for myself anymore, but I need to. It’s long overdue and I’m on a budget. So I’m bookmarking this.
Awesome, Rikki! The thing I love the most about the course is that it helps you to zero in on exactly the right pieces to add to what you already own … and making decisions from an informed standpoint keeps money from being wasted.
Great tips. I’m trying really hard to buy more quality, slightly more expensive pieces that will last longer, but it’s so hard when the tempting cheap stuff is everywhere!
Catherine, I hear you loud and clear! It does take some serious discipline to not give in to that message that we always need to be consuming more!
I am so guilty. I hide purchases from my husband for no real reason. *Guilt* I used to believe I needed a new outfit every time I went out. I shopped until I dropped.
This changed a little when I started working from home, but not really by much. Great blog. I will be back to check you out again.
Sabrina, thank you so much for your kind comment! Trust me, I know those days of hiding purchases myself. Getting to an intentional place with making clothing purchases has spilled over into other areas of my life too. Can’t wait to see you back soon!
I really loved this post! I remember trying to start a capsule wardrobe for years! Somehow believing I had to do it all at once, AKA- Buying new clothes. Now as a mom of a large family, I have narrowed down my wardrobe to include maybe 6 tops, 5 layers (vests, coats, sweaters) and 2 pairs of pants. I am really loving this! It saves so much time. I don’t have to worry If my top will look good with my pants because I made sure they do when I purchased them! It is a lifesaver!
Julia! Yes! This is awesome! Thank you for sharing how having an intentional wardrobe has been beneficial to you!!
That is unbelievable how much women spend on clothes per year. I can’t imagine. I live in a 5th wheel and have a tiny closet so I wear the same things a lot- and that means less time deciding what to wear! haha. Its great, truly. I also mostly thrift store or bargain shop. And I wear the same pair of hiking boots basically every day. The simple life- is the life!!! More money to see the world 🙂
I know – the amount and magnitude of our consumer culture is hard to believe. Being intentional about our lives really does bring freedom! And I’m with you – I’d rather see the world!
Wow! What a great post on saving on cloth! I had whole summer wardrobe for my 4 year old daughter for 35 dollars. Check my website to know how.
Thank you, Larissa! $35 is an amazing deal for a wardrobe for your daughter. I will check out your post!
There are so many good points in this post. I’m actually afraid to look at how much I spend on clothes in a year… but it might be the motivation I need to put more thought into my clothing purchases.
Thanks, Kim! It can be really eye opening to see those numbers add up!
This post, especially the info graphic was so interesting! I think it’s important to discuss the reasons why we spend money on clothes.