Why do I buy nice clothes but never wear them?

[Uhohmummy]

I’m stuck in a rut - I’ve got a wardrobe full of nice clothes but throw on the same tatty joggers and baggy sweatshirt every day. I seem to have got into a mentality of saving everything “for best” and can’t be bothered to make an effort. This would be fine if I was happy with how I look but I’m really not. I think my biggest mistake is buying smart/going out clothes when actually I have 3 young kids and work part time in a casual job. My youngest is now 3 though so I feel like I can make more of an effort - but I don’t.
Not sure what I’m asking here but it’s probably:

1. How can I get back into the habit of making an effort and feeling good about how I look?
2. Can anyone recommend any pieces for putting together a nice (not scruffy) casual wardrobe?

You need to think hair / make up as well. Nice hair , bit of make up , ditch the joggers and your good to go !

I got into this rut. I got out of it by allowing myself to spend more on nicer stuff that was "just" for everyday. Because that's what I wear 90% of the time anyway. I've got lovely smart shoes I've worn once in three years, because there's nowhere to wear them. So I've bought some decent flat biker boots, which get loads of wear, go with anything, and are still going strong, instead of the usual cheap stuff that falls apart. Natural fibre jumpers, ditto. Have recently discovered that buying one cashmere sweater in the sale is better value than two cheap jumpers that don't really do anything for me. Had to go up a couple of sizes to get the look I wanted. I've tried hush joggers, they looked great when new, but a couple of washes and they are like rags. Got some great jeans from them though.

One radical idea is to get rid of your joggers. You don't have to throw them away, you can put them away in a difficult to access location.

This way you will have no choice but to wear the "stylish" clothes.

i did a 'wear all your wardrobe' phase. so each day i had to wear something different from my wardrobe (I dont think it was the whole outfit as that would have meant too much washing). I did this till i had worn everything within reason....so maybe not my very poshes dresses.

this also helped me find some things i'd overlooked and others that were just horrid that i got rid of