How to stop spending money on clothes: 10 Simple Tips for Success

Will it ever be possible to learn how to stop spending money on clothes?

Forever 21 just dropped their latest haul, and all the new clothes are being talked about by influencers and even your friends.

You’re tempted to take out your credit card and go all out, but you know you need to start saving money.

So how do you do it? How can you stop spending money on clothes?

If this is your current dilemma, then no need to fret. This article was made just for you.

I’m going to help you learn how to discipline yourself from wasting money on shopping sprees and changing your spending habits.

How to not buy clothes

The quickest way to stop spending money on clothes is to go cold turkey. What you need to do is no shopping, no window shopping, no online browsing and no lusting after what other people are wearing.

How to spend less money on clothes

Understandably, it gets difficult trying to reduce the temptation to buy stuff, even when it comes to things you don’t particularly need.

We live in an era of consumerism, and unfortunately, we’ve been conditioned to attach the amount of stuff we own to things like; happiness and social status. This means the more things you own, the happier you think you should be.

Of course, this isn’t how the real world works. Only the 1% can afford to get whatever they want, and the rest of us have bills to pay.

But that doesn’t stop the pressure from setting in.

It will help if you can remember what’s important to you. Right now that’s putting your spending habits in check by spending less money on unnecessary things.

You can do this in two ways:

  • Stop spending money on things you don’t need
  • Learning to spend less money but getting the same value on non-essentials.

Although clothing isn’t unnecessary, too many clothes can be a frivolity. And it’s essential to learn where to draw the line and learn to purchase more of the necessities and less of the trendy.

Because let’s face it, whether we like it or not, trends fade out, and before you know it, everyone is emptying their bank accounts to buy what’s in vogue.

And if you ever feel left out because you’ve failed to keep up with the Joneses, think of all the money you’ve saved up from spending less on clothes and can use for more important things like paying off debt.

For me, this is especially true about buying clothes for work. Why would you want to get into debt for clothes just to go to work? You work because you need money to live, not to buy clothes for working in.

cartoon of woman holding head in hands while looking at shopping bags and wondering how to stop spending money on clothes.
Will you ever say “I hate spending money on clothes?”

How do I stop wasting money on clothes?

Disciplining yourself to stop wasting money on clothes is not going to be so simple. As a matter of fact, it’s easier said than done.

If buying clothes is an entrenched habit then you could say that superhuman strength and willpower are needed to accomplish this feat. But trust me, it is doable.

All you need to do is to make a conscious effort to stop wasting money on clothes.

How do I train myself to stop spending money?

A very simple way to train yourself to stop spending money on clothes is to stop going to places where you’ll be at risk of temptation, e.g., stores or malls.

However, if you’re a chronic shopaholic and Google won’t stop sending you ads for bags on Amazon, then try this simple trick I learned from a friend:- sleep on it.

Hopefully, by the next day, you would have weighed your options and realized that you actually don’t need that item in your closet. And just like that, the threat has been reduced.

Is it bad to spend a lot of money on clothes?

It’s not bad to spend a lot of money on clothes if you earn a lot of money and have plenty left over after covering every bill and socking money away for your retirement. Spending a lot of money on clothes when it puts you in debt is bad. Because you can’t afford to do this.

How much does the average woman spend on clothes?

According to this article, the average woman spends anything from $150 to $400 a month on clothes. That’s $1,800 to $4,800 a year. I can tell you right now this frugalista spends nothing like that on clothes! But I’ve had my moments in the past when I did. It’s very easy to do isn’t it?

cartoon images to shop how to stop spending money on clothes
How to save money on clothes and spend less

the best Ten tips for how to not buy clothes

As I mentioned earlier, it can sometimes take quite a lot of self-control to curb your spending habits. Follow these ten tips and you’ll be on your way to living a life of blissful frugality.

You will know, easily, how to spend less money on unnecessary items and clothes you know you don’t really need.

1. Unsubscribe and delete apps

Deleting your Amazon and other online shopping apps will probably make a lot of sense. Out of sight, out of mind, right? But what about other apps that allow ads?

Of course, they should go too because one minute you’re playing candy crush, the next minute you’re being redirected to eBay.

As drastic as this might seem, it’s completely necessary, especially if you’re still a novice at curbing your spending habits.

Over time, you’ll have a stronger grip on your finances and will be able to see an ad and look the other way.

2. Do not use auto-fill

And we’re not talking about your passwords because it’s probably in everyone’s best interest to auto-fill that.

I hate trying to remember where I wrote down that password for a website I haven’t used in ages. Auto-fill is my friend when it comes to passwords!

No, we’re talking about your credit cards or debit cards.

As a matter of fact, it’s important that you clear your credit card details from all online shops.

This is because the harder it is to purchase an item, the less likely you are to have an interest in buying it.

The process is fairly simple to do. All you need to do to delete your credit card details from the server is:

  • Go to the website of that specific store
  • Sign in
  • Click on your account
  • Click payment options
  • And then delete

Now you’ve successfully deleted your credit card information.

Related post: What To Do When Credit Card Debt Becomes A Problem

cartoon images of 2 women doing too much online shopping to show how to spend less money on clothes
Know how to spend less money on clothes by reducing online shopping time

3. Always look for a discount

This goes without saying and something that frugal people always do. Especially if what you’re buying is essential such as clothes for work, then always look for that same outfit at a discount price.

Clearance sales are your best friend, you can get some pretty stellar deals during the sales period.

You might even find out that a particular piece of clothing that was retailing at $20 just the previous week could be going for $10 that current week.

All it takes for you to save that extra $10 is to wait an extra week.

For things that cost $100 or more, who not go one step further and employ the 30 day rule? It’s saved us more money than I can remember.

4. Don’t shop during your lunch hour or on your way home

If you’ve been a reader for a while, you may remember my post on how to stop spending money on unnecessary stuff where I talked about emotional shoppers.

I get it, I know it, work is stressful, and the economy is not doing anybody any favors right now.

Going home from work is probably not the best time to do some shopping, in fact it could be one of the worst.

Especially if you just had a bad day and you need some cheering up.

You might end up spending money you don’t have to buy clothes you don’t need, and the gratification is momentary because you’ll end up beating yourself up because of all that money you spent.

The same thing goes when you’re on a lunch break. No great financial decision was made on an empty stomach!

So avoiding places where you’re most likely going to spend money on clothes or anything else you don’t need for that matter is in your best interest.

5. Complete a wardrobe inventory

Sometimes, we like to excuse our excessive spending on clothes with sentences like; “it will be a staple piece in my closet,” and then end up buying a sweater you’ll never use. I’m sure it’s not just me!

That’s why taking a thorough inventory of the clothes you have in your closet is important.

Even though it might be a tedious chore, it will pay off in the long run. All you need to do is to take out all the clothes in your wardrobe and put them back one by one.

Doing this will make you aware of everything you have in your closet. That way, you won’t end up buying the same piece of clothing twice or buying an item you’ll never wear.

Plus, when you take inventory of your wardrobe, you might even find some nice pieces you can either resell or donate to charity. Or maybe even start wearing yourself!

6. Give yourself a wardrobe budget

Sometimes, all you need to do to curb your spending is to give yourself limitations or restrictions.

Why don’t you try putting yourself on a strict wardrobe budget?

You still get to go shopping and save money at the same time.

Your budget could be $50 every other month or some other small sum. Now you’re economical and joining the ranks of the super frugal!

cartoon of woman surrounded by shopping sitting atop a mobile phone to show how to stop spending money on clothes
Learn how to stop spending money on unnecessary things

7. Try a three-month new clothes ban challenge

Another great way to stop spending money on clothes is to try a three-month new clothes ban challenge.

This would help you learn how to not buy clothes quite so often, especially if you’re new to the frugal lifestyle.

As I mentioned earlier, although it might be hard in the beginning, you can try avoiding passing by stores altogether or “sleeping on it” before making any serious financial decision.

The 1st month is the hardest, but it gets easier, honest! Get to the 3 month mark and I bet you’ll extend it further, because you can.

8. Try checking out thrift stores

There was a point in time thrifting was extremely popular and with good reason. You can get some really solid pieces from thrift stores at almost next to nothing.

Remember at the beginning of this article where we mentioned learning to spend less money but getting the same value?

Well, thrifting gives you the golden opportunity to spend less money on clothes that you might have bought full price.

I bought all my clothes for work from thrift stores/charity shops. Why pay more money to go to work? I was suited and booted every day for less than £100 a year.

9. Don’t buy for specific events

Just because it’s wedding season and you have fourteen different distant cousins getting married doesn’t mean you should go out shopping for fourteen different dresses/outfits.

This is where taking an inventory of your wardrobe will pay off, and you might find a really flattering outfit that still fits right in your wardrobe.

And you would have spent $0 getting an outfit for that event.

Alternatively, you can buy lovely outfits from the thrift stores AND wear them to more than one wedding.

10. Shop out of season

Never buy clothes when they’re in season. That’s when most retail stores see the opportunity to cash out and charge a really steep amount of money for some particular fashion items.

Instead, you can try making your purchases out of season, for example, buying your winter jackets during summer or buying a swimsuit in the fall.

This would save you a lot of money. Plus, if you take care of them, you can still get to enjoy those items when their seasons do arrive.

cartoon of 2 women surrounded by whirling money notes
Go from overspending to spending less money on unnecessary items

How to stop spending money on unnecessary things including Clothes

As hurtful as not getting to buy the latest trendy fashion item might feel like right now, you still need to save money whatever way you can.

And spending less on clothes or avoiding buying unnecessary clothes is one of the best options for you.

Hopefully, in no time, through following these simple guidelines and instructions, you’ll be cutting back, and you’ll stop spending money on clothes like a pro.

But what about other things to stop spending money on?

How to stop spending money on food?

Well, you can’t stop spending money on food completely. But you sure can cut right back if you know what you are doing. For some simple ways to cut right back on your grocery budget check out these posts:

How To Reduce Your Grocery Bill: 10 Steps To Cut Right Back

70+ Best Ways To Save Money On Groceries

How Much Should I Spend on Groceries Each Month?

How to stop spending money on fast food?

Fast food might be fast but it eats into your budget so quickly. Andd it’s not particularly healthy either is it? We look to fast food because we think we don’t have time to cook or can’t think of what to cook.

To stop spending money on fast food you need to fix those two things. If you meal plan for the week ahead then you will always know what to cook. And if you focus on quick and easy meals with say 5 ingredients or less, then time will be on your side because they take less time.

Another time saving tip is when you cook a meal, meake a double portion and pop the 2nd one in your fridge or freezer for another night. A ready made meal that only needs reheating. Faster than fast food me thinks!

How to stop spending money on unnecessary things period?

Cutting back your spending so you are spending less than you earn and saving some can be a difficult habit to get into. Especially if you’ve been used to overspending.

Goals help you refocus your mind on what is important for you financially. Long term financial goals are your dreams, hops and desires. And short term financial goals are often the stepping stones to get you there.

Start thinking about the goals you want to set, then work out the steps you need to take to achieve them. One of which will likely be spending less money.

Start taking back control of your money by grabbing your copy of the Money Saving Starter Guide today.

.

Come and follow me on Pinterest for more money saving hints and frugal tips!

Pinterest image for how to stop spending money on clothes.
Pinterest image for how to stop shopping

Last Updated on 25th October 2021 by Emma

About Emma

I'm here to help you become confident in making the best money decisions for you and your family. Frugal living has changed my life, let me help you change yours.

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.