Chop That Wardrobe Budget!

Photo by Sean's Camera

Lately we've been thinking about how much moola we used to spend on clothing. Everytime we shelled-out $30 for a t-shirt, or $150-200 for jeans we couldn't help but feel anxious for weeks. We tried so hard to justify the cost but we just couldn't cope with basically flushing that money down the toilet. Think about it, an extra $200 toward the mortgage IS money better spent!

So with that, we've come up with a quick list of stores that offer some fantastic basics that won't have you compromising on style or quality.

• Old Navy - Solid inexpensive t-shirts (approx. $10-12) - think about pairing them with blazers in your wardrobe.
• American Eagle - wonderful jeans (approx. $50), scarves and belts ($15-25) - they have various fits and washes... don't knock it till you've tried a pair on! We've actually stopped buying expensive designer jeans because we like these better. Now we can afford about 3-4 pairs for what we were previously spending on one. We also realized that buying one pair for now and waiting for new washes or styles gave us more variety in our wardrobe. American Eagle also has a loyalty program. We recommend joining their Facebook page for information on sales and discounts.
  
• Mexx - when they have a sale... it's a serious sale. 
• Club Monaco - for evening wear or special occasions. Investing in their basics will prep your wardrobe for further mixing an matching - ultimately saving $ in the future.

With all these savings, we've been finding ourselves making more incremental payments toward the principle of our mortgage. Really we have the best of both worlds now - money in the bank and a healthy wardrobe. 

Please share your favorite shopping spots with us!