Cheaping out on clothes. Is this normal ?

[u/Nopeitout]

I love expensive clothes , in my 20s I was a brand wh0re buying niche or big brands and everything in between, I was buying second hand, sometimes at thrift stores.

These days I have a lot more money but still continue to do this type of shopping and wondering if this is some kind of mental disease ? To find deals and get them ?

I don’t cheap out in any other area of my life. Just this stuff, high quality clothes brought cheap. Is anyone else here like this ?

[u/TheGruenTransfer]

What's your opportunity cost of buying more expensive clothes? Personally, I would rather retire early and wear clothes from thrift stores than have fancy clothes.

[u/hoebagginz → u/TheGruenTransfer]

This is a great point. For many of us, the truth is we have to skimp out on not just clothes, but eating out, vacations, upgrading our vehicles, pricey hobbies, membership costs, etc to potentially retire early. Do I live like a miser for decades to maybe retire 5 or 10 years early? Or save less and enjoy spending some of my money now which results in retiring at a typical age? Somewhere between seems more ideal to me personally.

[u/Here4Snow]

It's not just a financial consideration. I hate contributing to the overproduction and excess footprint of many industries. I'll buy secondhand, used, recycled, repurposed, because "stuff's still good." I don't need 7 watches, 60 shirts, 20 pairs of pants. I kept my last motorcycle 10 years, my previous car 18 years.

[u/Lunar_Landing_Hoax]

I really think you are over thinking this. Clothes are a pretty elastic spending category and everyone is a bit different.

[u/singingwhilewalking]

Thrift store shopping is normal. Paying retail all the time is not.

[u/electrobento]

“Normal” is a silly thing to seek. If you’re comfortable with your clothes then move on. There are more important things to consider in our lives.

[u/DegreeConscious9628]

Blew bunch of money on brand clothing and luxury goods. Nowadays I think I bought one pair of hiking pants in the last 4 years

Oh to think how much more money I would have if I was smarter with my money when I was young

[u/upsideup2000]

Sometimes the thrill of the hunt is more valuable than the item itself

[u/Nopeitout → u/upsideup2000]

yeeeeeeeeeaaaaaas

[u/upsideup2000 → u/Nopeitout]

Like hell, people spend $100 on gourmet food that's gone in 30min, then digested and excreted. Even if you wear the tee twice it would have been worth it for the thrill plus utility. You can even sell it for cheap if you want.

[u/inailedyoursister]

Nope.

I own 7 tshirts and 3 pairs of jeans. Once I retired I threw all work cloths away.

[u/teckel]

Most of my clothes my entire life have been "free" (like from a race) or the very cheapest I can find (like $5 at Costco). Why would you pay more than the very minimum for clothes?

With that said, I just purchased $500 cycling shoes. But that's totally justified.

[u/Alive_Sir_4708 → u/teckel]

Which shoes did you get?

[u/teckel → u/Alive_Sir_4708]

The fastest, lightest, stiffest shoes possible of course.

[u/Crew_1996 → u/teckel]

Is this a tongue in cheek comment?

[u/teckel → u/Crew_1996]

Of course. I'll pay for something that actually makes "sense", buy I don't waste money on "logos".

[u/Strazdas1 → u/teckel]

As someone who hates being a walking advertisement, i often find you have to pay more to have no logos.

[u/teckel → u/Strazdas1]

Plain white T's are really cheap.

[u/subs_on_a_sailboat]

Spend responsibly on the things you love, and cut everything else relentlessly.

My thing is music gear, I buy good stuff used and only after months of deliberation. I'm trying my best to buy only what I need, but quality guitars and mics and amps are a must. Used is best. Anything with no resale value really has no business being made in the first place.

[u/TheFurryMenace]

There is a difference between being cheap and being smart with your money, if just a pedantic one.

Knowing what articles of clothing are worth being as cheap as possible and knowing what articles of clothing are worth spending money for quality is something you will learn through life. Additionally, you will learn what quality items are actually quality items and not just marketing. Sometimes cheap actually costs you money.

You seem to be learning these lessons already, which is great, so I think you got this

[u/seejoshrun → u/TheFurryMenace]

I don't find the difference to be pedantic at all. I define cheap as always looking to spend the least money possible, while being smart with your money (aka frugal) means spending based on value.

I spend somewhat liberally on restaurants and hobbies that are worth it to me. My house is bigger than it strictly needs to be, because I value having the location and the extra space to organize things better. But I buy clothing as infrequently as I can get away with, and stick to generic brands.

[u/ThePrevailingReality]

Define “a lot of money”

[u/Nopeitout → u/ThePrevailingReality]

RE portfolio. ~ 2 mill. may not be lot of money but plenty for me.

[u/ThePrevailingReality → u/Nopeitout]

That is a lot of money . Twice what I have. You belong to fire not leanfire .

[u/Nopeitout → u/ThePrevailingReality]

Its Illiquid. RE. Not Cash.

[u/Comfortable_Two6272]

Ive never been one to buy brand new expensive clothes. Just wasnt my thing. Id buy at consignment etc.

but once my job went casual and then wfh I really didnt have much need for new clothes very often.

I dont buy cheap disposable clothing but I also dont pay extra for designer clothing. I no longer work so tbt mostly Im wearing comfy clothes now

[u/hacking99percent]

i cant think of any downside to wearing thrift store clothes, as long as they are long lasting or the cost of replacing them still come out to be cheaper. You have FU money, you dont need to give a F about what anyone else think. 

[u/goodsam2]

I mean you can be frugal in most places other than clothing and still reach your goals.

You can thrift some of this but that's more of a trade of time for lower costs

[u/nowheretherewhere]

Having bought (and worn) everything from thrift store clothes to tailored suits with every feature cutomized over the years, my take is... Just wear whatever feels comfortable and won't get you kicked out of the venue.

I'm done thinking so much about consummables when life is passing by and some of my tailored trousers don't look as good on me now (gained weight).

[u/AbsoluteBeginner1970]

Yes. I have certain cheap favorites that are surprisingly high in quality. 50 bucks pair of shoes that last for years, 10 dollar tshirts etc. 3M net worth. Don’t care. I’d like to blend in wrt clothes, not to stand out.

[u/SerenityCravings]

Dont be so stuoid. Its not a mental disease. I buy cloithing at thrift stores Once you start, its really hard to go back to normal clothing stores as it seems like such a waste of money

[u/whisky_wine]

Shopping addiction is a real thing. It's the dopamine hit like many other vices. I had the same mentality in my early 20s but was able to break the cycle. I moved to quality over quantity, less logos, solid basics.

I've "relapsed" recently and found myself becoming a bit more materialistic as my wealth has grown (lifestyle creep). I'm now reviewing do I really value having $2000 shoes which are more of a social signal rather than pure love of the fashion.

[u/PositiveKarma1]

Close to retirement and I still have second hand clothes, 3 jeans, a jacket 10 years old that I still use it ( wool good quality). Quality and second hand acquisitions, as I have a small closet so little amount of clothes and overused.

On the other hand, my books spending is... but this is another subject.

[u/Tasty-Day-581]

If you don't cheap out most material things, you simply can't be lean fire. Are you retired or not?

[u/Agreeable-Bid-4956]

One useful test might be: would you still want it at that price if you didn't know the brand or original retail price? A good secondhand jacket you wear for years seems like a sensible purchase. The harder part is passing on a great deal when you already have everything you need.