Why cheap clothes cost you too much

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

We often buy cheap clothes, forgetting that the miser pays twice. You can even calculate how much you overpay for cheap things that won't last even a year. This article contains a simple formula for the "cost of wear and tear" and other reasons to change a mountain of cheap things for a few high-quality ones.

Stick to the principle of comfort

The principle of comfort is simple: spend money on the area to which you give most of your time. For example, if you often work at a computer, first of all you need to take care of a comfortable chair and a good desktop.

This principle works great with clothing as well. Most of us spend all day in it. So, first of all, you need to make sure that it is comfortable and beautiful.

Clothing is not an investment in the literal sense of the word: it will not rise in price and you will not be able to sell it for more than you bought it (we are not talking about rarities now). It's still helpful to think of her as a down payment for your daily comfort and the assurance that you look good.

For example, it is better to have two jeans that look good and fit, make you look good, and last a very long time, than six jeans that are “okay,” but sometimes tight and sometimes press and last no more than a year.

Not everyone is ready to buy a T-shirt for 12-15 thousand rubles: it is unreasonably expensive. It seems that these things are sewn by elves from the tears of virgins, obtained on a moonlit night, otherwise where are the prices? But spending 5,000 rubles on a set of comfortable T-shirts for everyday wear is okay.

Quality clothing makes you feel good

People have a wide variety of sizes and shapes, and cheap clothes are still made for one “perfect person”, because of which I constantly have to carry jeans to the atelier after buying to cut my trousers.

Low-quality shirts, for example, look terrible on people who are not folded in a particular way. If the shirt is looser or stiffer in some place, you feel uncomfortable. And this is reflected in your body language, which is easily understood by other people (often unconsciously) and forms an attitude towards you.

Whether we like it or not, clothes are part of our personality. Your clothes show your social status and how you feel about yourself and the world. Just a couple of good things can make you feel proud of your appearance.

Spending money on quality clothing sometimes seems frivolous, but in some cases, you cannot afford to skimp on clothing. For example, when you want to get a prestigious job.

Count before you buy

Cheap clothes cost you a lot in the long run. Poorly sewn items made from low-quality materials wear out faster. You have to spend money to fix it, and then you throw it away anyway and buy a new one. Whereas you could wear quality clothes two to three times longer without any repair costs.

It's not about spending more on clothes. The point is to spend a little more on a few good things, not stuff your closet with bullshit.

Everything can be calculated. A fashion blog recommends calculating the "wear cost" using the formula:

the cost of the item + the cost of maintaining it in good condition / wear period

For example, you bought cute but expensive jeans (7,000 rubles) that have served you for five years. We consider:

7,000 rubles + 300 rubles (purchase of powder and stain remover for 5 years) / 780 days (3 days a week for 5 years) = 9, 3 rubles a day

Now let's imagine that you bought cheap jeans for 1,500 rubles. They will last you a year before they fray or rip. We consider:

1,500 rubles + 100 rubles (for detergent) + 400 rubles (cut long legs, replace a broken zipper and other similar expenses) / 156 days (3 days a week throughout the year) = 12.8 rubles a day

It turns out to be more expensive. In addition, every year you will need to go to the store again and buy new jeans, and they will look worse than expensive ones.

Of course, this formula only works for items that you intend to wear all the time. If you choose, for example, a swimsuit that you wear 10 times a year for 3-4 hours, it will be more profitable to buy the cheaper option and save money on other things.

That's why, before buying something, you need to think it over.

Expensive clothes and impulsive purchases

Cheap clothes involve impulsive purchases, which is much more dangerous for your wallet than periodic solid spending on quality items.

To spend 500 rubles here, 1,000 rubles there - it seems that these are sheer trifles. But if you add up all these expenses, you get a solid amount. Thus, you can spend a lot of money on clothes in a year, and in the end, wear only two or three things from everything you bought.

When you buy something of high quality, you know that you are spending a significant amount, which means that you think longer before you do it.

You think if you need this thing, how often you will wear it, how much you want to acquire it. You evaluate all the qualities of a thing: its color, how it sits, how it feels.

As Heather Levin explains on Money Crashers, it's good to have quality clothes in your wardrobe because you spend more money on them and that means something to you. You really think about your purchase, consider and evaluate it, rather than buying an item simply because it looked cool on a mannequin when you walked by.

How to make sure you are buying quality clothing

It is not a pity to buy an expensive thing, which is pleasant to put on and which is well-sewn, even for a substantial amount. Especially if you know you will wear it often. Unfortunately, not all expensive items are of high quality.

If you don't know how to distinguish well-tailored clothes, you need to find a starting point. Go to a store that you know sells quality items. They can be very expensive, but you don't need to buy them. It is enough to appreciate and remember the details.

Look at the seams (the more stitches per centimeter, the better). Find out what kind of fabric things are made of, remember what it feels like. Check how well buttons, buttons, etc. adhere to clothing. After you evaluate quality clothing from all sides and remember all its features, go to a store with affordable prices and choose something similar.

If you do not want to walk for a long time, pay attention to the seams. Pull the fabric at the seam in different directions: if there is free space, the item is poorly sewn and will not serve you for a long time.

Here are some more rules for buying good clothes:

1. Don't chase names … Even the most famous brands can be of poor quality.
2. Try it on before buying … This will help you test how comfortable the clothes are and how they fit you.
3. Spend more on what you wear more often … There are things you wear all the time: jeans and T-shirts, shirts and dresses. It would be rational to spend more money on these clothes than on a fantastically beautiful evening dress or a suit that you wear a couple of times in your life.
4. Spend less on things you rarely wear … Swimwear and other clothing that you only wear a few times a year can save you some money: these things are unlikely to wear out quickly.
5. Don't buy designer clothes at the end of the year … Designers present new collections in spring and autumn. At the end of the year, enterprises that produce clothes according to their sketches lower prices for products and produce trendy items of lower quality and from cheaper materials.
6. Order things at the atelier … The better a thing sits on you, the more willingly you will wear it.
7. Try to buy clothes that go with everything … When choosing clothes, think about what it can be combined with. For example, buy jeans that fit all of your T-shirts and shirts: you don't have to buy another one and you can create more looks with fewer clothes.
8. Learn to mend clothes … If your favorite thing is torn, you can always sew it up yourself or give it to the atelier. And if you get dirty on a thing, a quick reaction and knowing what is being washed with what will help to remove the stain without a trace.