Stop buying cheap clothes

[GettingStuffed]

For years I've been in the financial situation that means only cheap clothes have been possible. I'm now in the position to pay more, but not huge sums. However I'm mentally stuck in the how much ? State of mind if I see something over what I'm used to paying.

How do I get out of this mindset?

Get out of the mindset by taking the leap to buying better quality clothes. When you are used to having well fitted clothes in natural fibres, that last you won't want to go back.

Go to the sale section of eg Next and m and s! Happy medium!!!

I would start by buying 1 quality t shirt to replace an old t shirt. Then slowly replace poorer quality with better quality every time something needs to be replaced. Will take a while but you’ll slowly build up a better quality wardrobe.
One in one out, so you don’t end up buying things you don’t need and having a huge wardrobe of items you don’t wear. All the clothes in your wardrobe should be worn and not there just in case you might wear them at some stage.
Think about each purchase. If you are spending more money it has to serve a purpose in your wardrobe and be worn and liked by you. Think about the colour and the quality of the material.
Take your time. Keep it simple and spend your money wisely. You’ll make mistakes but less so as you progress. It’s actually quite freeing.

Vinted.

Don't go by price, go by quality. Lots of expensive brands are producing garments in shitty synthetic fabrics, and paying more for them doesn't make them any less nasty.

This. A lot of my wardrobe staples come from M&S and Uniqlo. Not much over £50, but full of cotton/merino/linen stuff that has lasted really well.

It's not so much about the price but the overall quality and materials used. So pay attention to the way the item is constructed (it should be as beautiful on the inside as it's on the outside!) Invest in good materials and blends, and avoid acrylics when possible. You will start seeing a pattern of shops that are better and others that are worse.
I think when you start appreciating and noticing quality, you won't mind paying a little bit more. Also, because you won't need to shop as much because your clothes will last longer and will fit better!

It's not about cheap. Vinted, Ebay and other second hand might be cheap but is 200 times more sustainable than Shein and Primark.

I am not some mad fashion guru so don't care about what is in fashion particularly. For me it's all about stuff which goes with other stuff - so I mean a pair of plain black trousers you can wear with umpteen other tops you probably already have, so that's a good buy. A bad buy would be something high fashion which you're not going to want to wear and keep wearing for months, or a weirdly coloured top which you can't wear with multiple things, or similar.

Agree you need to look for nicely made things using decent natural fabrics.

I bought loads of clothes from Lands End for two decades. But now so many of their clothes are either artificial fibres or a mix of those and natural fibres I can't be bothered to read the descriptions. It used to be almost all natural - cotton, lunen, silk, various wools.

I agree with previous posts. Gradually buy quality that is well made. Plenty of more expensive brands are still crap quality. A decent wool jumper will last years, same with T-shirts and dresses. And they often fit better if they are lined and darted in the right places. Vinted is a good place to start, or head for sales for a bargain.

You don't really need to get out of your current mindset on costs.

Spend the same amount on something better quality from Vinted/ charity shop instead of buying something new from Primark or a supermarket.

Think of cost per wear. A pair of boots or coat that was costly , but is worn 100 times a year works out better value than cheap items that fall apart when they're only worn a few times

I'd far rather buy excellent condition 2nd hand items from Vinted etc which are premium brands, than brand new cheap stuff. Will last longer and will hold value if you wish to sell it on again. Far more sustainable too, the world has too many clothes in it!

There is a lot of bullshit about it too. "We use recycled fabrics" means "You will pay over the odds for polyester" or "These jeans contain 2% recycled cotton, and the rest is nylon".

"Made with Lenzing Ecovera" means "made of thin cheap looking viscose which will hold all smells tenaciously".

You really have to ignore the brand and the price tag and look very carefully at the materials label, the laundry instructions, and the quality to sight and touch.

Work out what your clothes budget is each month. Then make a long term plan of how you want to spend it. Eg. one really nice pair of boots this winter, lovely coat next winter etc.

Unless you get a moth infestation 😭

I'm all about the natural fibres but I lost a lot of clothes and blankets in the bad moth times.

I buy good quality brands often new without tags from Vinted always natural fibres
The only thing I buy brand new is my Jeans as I have very short legs, but I wear jeans daily and rotate them
Obviously pants and socks but I have bought tagged bras from Vinted.

With or without I meant

Why does it have to be one or the other?
Sounds like you are in a great position where you can spend £3 or £30 on a t-shirt....so just buy what you like!

It's hard because a lot of expensive clothes are shit quality, or seem ok until you wash them.

Gant 100% lambswool jumpers from Vinted.

This! I’ve moved away from a few brands because when I’ve washed them they’ve shrunk horribly. A few times I’ve returned clothes because of it.
My husband always liked Superdry T-shirts and they shrunk so badly his tummy poked out the bottom after one wash!

For decent wool jumpers I go to hobbs. They last years and stay in shape.
I’ve also taken to buying smarter tailored trousers in reiss. Expensive, but again hold their shape and look lovely on. I have 2 pairs both have lasts over 5 years and still going strong.

Have you tried Community Clothing for basics and jeans, all made in the UK and often in factories that produce higher end ranges. I have a pair of their jeans and tempted by their knitwear.

Can anybody suggest anything Hobbs quality but a bit more on trend please?