Gather Little by Little

I love clothes, especially nice clothes for work but I detest paying the high prices most major stores charge. Here are some places you can get decent clothing and not pay an arm and a leg for them:

Thrift Stores

Probably the cheapest option, thrift stores can contain some great bargains if you are willing to spend the time looking through the clothing. Clothing items can frequently be found for just a few dollars each and are often in very good if not new condition. Of course you won’t find the latest fashions there, but you will find clothing dirt cheap. Primary stores in our area are The Salvation Army and Goodwill.

Garage Sales

Another really cheap option is garage sales. Personally, I’ve found some really great deals on some great clothing at garage names. This is particularly true of baby clothes, children’s clothes and dress clothes.

Consignment Shops

Consignment shops sell items for people for a fee. Consignment shops often have some really nice clothes for very low prices. Consignment shops will frequently have newer and less used clothing. Primarily you will find children’s clothes at consignment shops.

Membership Clubs

This is one of my personal favorites. Membership clubs like Sam’s, Costco, and BJs sell both brand name clothing and clothing under their own brand name. I’ve found their brand of clothing to be very high quality for half the price of the name brand items. This is particularly true of their Jeans and button down shirts. Membership clubs will often have really good buys on name brand items as well.

Caution though. Do your homework, as frequently the name brand options aren’t cheaper than other stores.

Discount Stores

Stores like Kohls, TJ Maxx, Target, Steinmart, Ross dress for less, Marshall’s, etc are great options. They carry name brand goods at extra low prices. Note though, even though the names are on the items, the quality isn’t always the same and frequently the clothes can be items that have defects. The best option is to fine an item that has a defect nobody would ever notice. I buy a lot of my clothes this way.

Craigslist

I’ve written about Craigslist before and it is a great option for getting deals on clothing items in your local area. You can find both new and used clothing on Craigslist and if you shop around, you can find some great deals.

eBay

I’m convinced you can buy anything you could ever want on eBay, clothing included. eBay is a major online source for clothing sellers and if you search around and bid wisely, you can get some steals by purchasing on eBay. Just make sure you don’t overbid and use experienced and reputable sellers.

Seasonal Sales

Another of my favorite options is buying clothes during season changes when they are on-sale. For example, but summer clothes in the fall, and fall clothes in the spring. This is my wife’s favorite way to buy clothing. Major stores will discount their clothing at the end of each season to make room for the next seasons fashions. If you time it right, you can get some steals of top quality and name brand clothing. This is our primary technique for purchasing clothing.

You can read more about purchasing items at the right time here.

Flea Markets

Area flea markets are not only a fun way to spend the day, but they are a way to find cheap clothing. A typical flea market will have anything from real name brand clothing to “copycat” clothing that looks exactly like the real thing. Be careful though and make sure the items you are purchasing aren’t stolen.