Office Attire on shoe string budget

[travelinhobo]

For the love of god, don't buy anything new. All you're doing there is supporting exploited labor of the poor. Nothing is made in the US anymore - most everything is made in Asia, if not China, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia. These people get paid pennies compared to what your salary is and they work 6-7 days a week, more than our 40 hours a week. Do the overpaid CEOs of the world really need your financial support?

Okay, now that my speech is over, if you don't feel comfortable in what you're wearing, then get something "new". If you're jealous of how others spend, remember that most of them are probably in debt. If you aren't conforming to the dress code, your boss would probably let you know. I don't understand what the baby has to do with your clothing issue.

[lily4]

Originally Posted by TimeMachine

Hello all, I'm feeling a little stressed over my wardrobe, was hoping you frugal savy posters might have a few tips for me.
I have a closet full of clothes, probably ranging back to the 2001 timeframe, "in case I might need it" . Most everything has slowely been "worn to death". Or is cheap and shoddy / ill fitting etc.

I work in a semi-professional office place, it's obvious people have a clothing budget. I'm starting to feel weird wearing the same black tights and skirt everyday, and rotating through my shirts.

Yeah....I may need clothes . How can I figure out if it's worth it to buy clothes or if I just "want" them because I see everyone else in the office place looking polished. I would like to escape my frumpy ways but would have a fairly limited budget to do so. My shopping time is also limited as I have a baby, so is it better to spend the time picking through a thrift store and trying to cobble together a few outfits, or would it be worth it just to pick up a few new pieces at a deparment store, even though I'd pay a bit more, at least they'd be new and easy to locate on the floor.

How important is it to look "good" at an office? What about a pilled sweater? Or short pants? Or shirts getting threadbare at the elbows? Just how much wear can you get out of an item before you need to retire it?

Thredup.com has nice used clothes for really affordable prices. I have family members who shop online at that site all of the time. Some of the clothes have never been worn and some even still have tags. Others are gently used. Lots of cute clothes and if you want to look professional for work, you can easily find nice outfits for a fraction of what you would pay in a department store. Plus, you can shop from home.

[lily4]

Originally Posted by travelinhobo

For the love of god, don't buy anything new. All you're doing there is supporting exploited labor of the poor. Nothing is made in the US anymore - most everything is made in Asia, if not China, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia. These people get paid pennies compared to what your salary is and they work 6-7 days a week, more than our 40 hours a week. Do the overpaid CEOs of the world really need your financial support?.

I'm glad you mentioned this. Slave labor is the number one reason my family buys used from sites like thredup, or we find products that are made in USA, or another country that doesn't use slave labor.

[Rynldsbr]

Advice from a guy:
Looking good will help make you feel good. Especially after kids it is important to have a pick-me-up moment sometimes. A new outfit can be that moment (day) that makes you feel good. Feeling good will usually translate into smiles and better performance at work.

I work in an environment that varies from office to climbing in and under cars. Professional/casual per the handbook. I like to look good but support a houseful of kids and am the only wage earner, so I shop cheap. Find the Goodwill in a nice neighborhood, and spend a little time to cruise the racks. Don't settle, the inventory changes often enough to do a quick walk down the rack and pick something you really like.

Closeout racks at Kohls and Target are my favorites, as well as an outlet mall nearby. Kohls sells brand names reasonable and if you follow the sales/coupons with the closeout racks can find great deals. Dress shirts normally $30-40 for $4 a few weeks ago. Target sells more of their own label stuff so may be a little different look but also runs great clearance sometimes. Take a walk past the clothes when shopping for something else, doesn't need to be an all day affair.

Now, hubby needs to learns a few things. Darling wife will (A) appreciate time away and will come home refreshed when she has a little time away from junior (B) usually find it incredibly sexy when hubby spends time with junior (C) gladly negotiate to take shopping time when junior naps and hubby wants to watch football at same time. You feeling better and not stressing over this will have benefits for him too. <wink>

Just yesterday my wife left to go shopping with four teens at the outlet mall and I was left with two preschooler and she was gone for six hours. I watched football, did four loads of laundry, had nerf gun fights, wrestled, did dishes, had a tea party, made dinner, watched more football, and generally had a blast with my kids. My wife bonded with the girls, enjoyed an afternoon out away from the little ones, and was thrilled that a bunch of stuff was done while she was gone. The kids were happy to "help" (as much as preschoolers can) and I look like a hero to them and to her.

[doodlemagic]

You can do office attire fairly cheaply, most office clothes are not really branded so who really cares if you buy them at Target or Brooks Brothers, nobody can tell. I actually have some of my favorite khalkis from Walmart which cost me soemwhere between $10 and $20, same with shirts and other stuff. Also unless its summer time and I'm sweating my office clothes are generally pretty nice even after a day of wear so I cna get away with wearing a shirt 2-3 times before I really need to change or wash it. If you have shirts with patterns and stuff people can recognize the same shirt maybe but if you go with a solid color or white or light blue buttonup nobody knows the difference.

[yellowsnow]

As far as how well you need to dress, aim for the middle range. Some people dressed better than you and others worse. The uniform idea is good, basic pants/skirts and different tops and accessories. You can find almost everything you need at thrift stores but that is labor intensive on your part. Places like e-bay and ThredUp are good too. Shopping takes time and it's harder for women than men because sizes are not standard.

Time is tough with a new baby. Negotiate with your H to give both of you some time to get things done without the kid in tow. It is not at all unreasonable to want to go clothes shopping alone. Trade off!

[Mnseca]

I didn't read the whole thread, but I work in an office where a lot of the ladies are super frugal (we don't make much money). One buys all of her clothes at thrift shops - she gets dresses for 6 dollars, for example. Another gets a lot of her clothes at Ross. Both look very nice and professional all the time. I probably don't look as good as they do, and I spend a lot of money on clothes.

[lkmax]

I bought some nice black dress pants at Family Dollar -- I got a few pairs a few years ago in a bootcut style, then got a few pairs this year in a "skinny" style.

They're around $10 and hold up nicely. The pairs that I have had for a few years have really taken a beating and are just now starting to look worn, and that's only in the place where my thighs rub together. :/

They're great because they are definitely dressy enough to wear to the office and to me, don't look cheap. I actually get compliments on them a lot. Plus, since they are elastic-waisted, they can fit your post-baby tummy but should still fit when you lose a little bit of weight.

I also bought this cardigan (unavailable now, but I'm sure you can find something similar at Walmart or somewhere else inexpensive) in both black and cream:
Alexis Taylor Women's 3/4 sleeve Mesh Flyaway Cardigan: Women : Walmart.com

It's nice because it dresses up your outfit and you can buy different-colored camis (they have some for $1.90 at Forever 21 in a million colors, but I haven't bought any and can't attest to the quality, honestly. I buy my camis from the junior's section at JCPenney, and they seem to be fairly high quality) to wear underneath for different looks. Pink cami, black cardigan and black slacks one day, purple cami with cream cardigan another day, blue cami, black cardigan later in the week, etc.

I think it's nice to buy nice-quality items when you can afford it because they can last a long time, BUT when your budget is tight and you have no clothes, it can be tough to shell out $70 for one skirt.

I also think the quality has really improved over recent years at places like Walmart, while I feel that the quality has gone down at some of the more expensive places (other than the REALLY expensive brands), so...meh...the difference isn't quite as drastic as it used to be.

If I were you, I would look for stretchy skirts and slacks that can match with anything and be worn several times a week without being so noticeable. Then, pick up a few cheapie shirts.

I bet you can get started on a pretty decent wardrobe for less than you think. You just pushed out a miniature human being and work hard -- you deserve it!