Family Issues

Clothes take a big bite out of our budget and you can’t go without clothes. There are fields or industries that demand professionals to be well-dressed.  But being “well-dressed” need not mean tailor-made suits.  In fact, the budget that you spend for clothes can be reduced and the money you save can be used to pay debts.  Here are some ways to accomplish this.

Think of elegance, not fashion.  It means that you avoid fad.  That layered long skirts that dominate the department stores right now might be the subject of snickers a year from now.  While the “kikay” image would bring you second glances, the “cool, elegant” aura will bring you respect and admiration.  And so, when buying clothes, ask yourself this question:  “Would you be proud wearing this cut of dress three years from now?”

Mix and match.  While buying “terno” sounds like good fashion sense, the real clothing guru can pair two pieces of clothing items and come out with a chic look.  Instead of buying nine “terno” clothes to wear in nine days, buy three blouses and three skirts that could be used in nine different combinations.  These can also be paired with the ones that you already have at home.

Choose low-maintenance clothes.  Whenever you buy clothing items, check the tag for washing instructions.  If it says, “must be dry cleaned”, forget it.  Dry cleaning is expensive and may not be necessary.  Find clothes that you can easily wash at home.  Whenever possible, choose clothes made by textiles that need no ironing too.  This way, you can also reduce your electricity bill.

Go for big bargains.  Many stores announce “sales” every 15th and 30th of the month, coinciding with the time when people receive their wages and are quite willing to spend.  But this does not mean that you must buy a clothing item at this time.  You must not go into the habit of buying a new dress every payday.  The big bargain happens during holidays and festivals and when the store is having an “all must go” sale.  Also, avoid clothes attached to cloth hangers.  Instead, choose clothes that have been piled (sometimes not neatly) on wooden racks, because they tend to have lower prices.  This would seem “undignified”, but think of it as a challenge.  Those people discovering gold did not think about posture.  Be intent on finding that “treasure” from among the piled clothes.

Inspect quality.  Some clothes that are priced very low may have some defects on them.  Evaluate your situation.  Can you fix the defect, like a loose thread?  If you know how, then go for it.  If not, you may end up buying clothes that you would be ashamed to wear.  That means wasted money.

Tags: buying clothes, family, fashion, shopping, budget