After long, cold, dark winter days, most of us can’t wait to swap out heavy, bulky clothes for light, flowy summer clothes. However, replenishing your summer clothing can be expensive unless you shop with a plan. Use these ways to save money when buying summer clothes.
8 Ways to Save Money on Your Summer Wardrobe
If you utilize several of these strategies, you’ll save serious money on your wardrobe.
Inventory Your Closet
What summer clothes do you currently have? If you’ve been bundled up in long-sleeve shirts and sweaters for the past seven months, you may not even remember what summer clothes you have.
Remedy this situation by pulling out all of your summer clothes. Don’t be surprised if you find fifteen t-shirts and three pairs of shorts.
Inventory what you have and make a list of what you need for the season. You may be pleasantly surprised to find you only need a few new items to round out what you already have.
By taking this step first, you avoid buying unnecessary pieces like more t-shirts. Instead, you only buy what you need, saving you money.
Create a Capsule Wardrobe
You may not want to buy too much if you live in a colder climate and will only be able to wear summer clothes for a few months of the year. A perfect solution is to create a capsule wardrobe.
A capsule wardrobe is comprised of mix-and-match pieces. You might have three t-shirts, two tank tops, a skirt, two pairs of shorts, two pairs of dress pants, a dress, and three pairs of shoes in your capsule wardrobe. Most capsule wardrobes have classic clothing in neutral solid colors. Even though you may only have 11 to 15 pieces of summer clothing, because you’re mixing and matching, you can create many different outfits.
Buy Basic Pieces
As mentioned above, buying basic pieces is a great way to stretch your money. Solid colored, classic pieces don’t go out of style quickly, and you can easily mix and match them. You may create a wardrobe this year that can sustain you for the next five years if you avoid buying trendy clothes. Quality pieces don’t need to be replaced year after year. They can survive several years of regular wear before they need to be replaced.
Utilize Accessories
Sometimes all it takes to perk up your current summer wardrobe is to utilize accessories. One outfit can look different if you pair it with a light scarf or a chunky necklace. Every time you wear the outfit with a different accessory, you give it a fresh look.
If you’re utilizing a capsule wardrobe, you may want to incorporate several accessories into the rotation.
Shop Secondhand Stores
Many women quickly get bored with their clothing. Often, these women sell their clothing to secondhand stores and make a little cash to buy their new clothes.
If you haven’t tried shopping at secondhand stores, I highly recommend it. Depending on the store, you can find designer clothes at 50 percent or more off retail. Many of these clothes are only slightly used and have plenty of life left. Of course, you may need to shop a few secondhand stores to find the one that has the clothing you like; secondhand stores can vary greatly in both pricing and the clothing that they carry.
Don’t forget, when you’re looking to replace your summer clothing, you can sell the items back to the secondhand store if they’re still in good condition. You won’t make as much as you paid for the items, but you will be able to get some money back, which makes your overall clothing costs lower.
Shop Kohl’s During Kohl’s Cash Time
A favorite way I like to shop is at Kohl’s during Kohl’s Cash earning periods. For every $50 that you spend during this period, you earn $10 Kohl’s Cash. This is free money you can use during the Kohl’s Cash redemption period. I buy almost everything I need, and then I wait until the Kohl’s Cash redemption period to finish my shopping.
If you want to save even more, sign up for a Kohl’s credit card. You’ll frequently get coupons and offers specific to Kohl’s credit card holders, which can give you significant discounts. However, try not to carry a balance as Kohl’s credit card has a high interest rate.
Shop Out of Season
Another way to save is to shop out of season. This tip won’t help you this summer, but it will help you this fall. Sometime in July or August, you should see the stores start carrying fall and winter clothes. When this transition happens, it’s time to prowl the clearance racks as stores want to get rid of their leftover summer merchandise. Typically, you can find clothing for 30 to 50 percent off or even as much as 80 percent off. This is my favorite way to shop. I tuck the clothes away until next summer. Then, I have a fresh wardrobe without having to shop.
Swap with Friends
Do you have friends that are about your size? If so, one of the best ways to save money is to have a clothing swap. You bring over some of your pieces, and your friends bring over a few of their pieces, and everyone chooses the clothing they’d like. The more friends that want to join, the more clothing choices you have.
This option can also push you out of a fashion rut as your friend may have a different sense of fashion than you do. Swapping with a friend or two can help you try new styles, risk-free.
Final Thoughts
You can create a fun, chic summer wardrobe on a tight budget if you follow some or most of these simple ways to save. Buying comfortable, attractive clothes doesn’t have to land you in debt if you’re a savvy shopper.
Come back to what you love! Dollardig.com is the most reliable cash-back site on the web. Just sign up, click, shop, and get full cashback!
Read More
Need Fall Clothes? Here’s How to Host a Clothing Swap Party
How I Find Designer Clothes for Less
How to Save Money on Ironing Clothes
Melissa is a writer and virtual assistant. She earned her Master’s from Southern Illinois University, and her Bachelor’s in English from the University of Michigan. When she’s not working, you can find her homeschooling her kids, reading a good book, or cooking. She resides in Arizona where she dislikes the summer heat but loves the natural beauty of the area.