A lot of frugal folks won't think twice about buying used clothing, from garage sales to thrift stores, but there are some who wouldn't dream of wearing "somebody else's old clothes".
There are a couple of reasons people don't want to buy used. One is pride, often known as conceit, as in "I'm too good to wear used clothing!". These people often have an awesome array of credit cards, and often not much real money.
The other is squeamishness. "Eww... wear something that once belonged to someone I don't even know?? What if they had some awful disease..." These people also take their own sheets and towels when they travel, not wanting to use those from the motel that someone else has used before. They never rent skates, either, or swim in public swimming pools or try on clothing from retail stores before buying. (I'm joking.)
The best reason for buying used clothing is often our budgets, but that isn't the only reason. Most of us are not in such bad shape that we can't afford to buy something new now and then. It just doesn't make sense to - not when you can buy three or four somethings "new" with the same money and have a better choice!
Shopping for used clothing is not at all like shopping at a retail store, with it's racks of same style clothing in limited colors and often in limited sizes. At a used clothing store, there's not much telling what you can find! People who are unusual sizes often go to big cities to shop or shop from specialty (read "expensive") catalogs, then sell or give away their old clothing. People with lots of money (or those who just pretend to have lots of money) often buy clothing from several sources and discard "old" clothing on a regular basis.
Why not benefit from that?
Resale Store Shopping
Finding Quality Clothes
Shopping at Thrift Stores
And my own list of rules for shopping at any second hand source:
- Go often, but limit spending.
- Wear snug fitting clothing to garage sales, etc., so you can slip on a shirt or skirt over them to see if they fit.
- Pay close attention to details. Check zippers, buttons and seams. Check pockets for holes, too.
- If you can replace a zipper or whatever (and the garment is worth the expense) you may get a lower price for the asking.
- Watch for good deals on things to make things from, like sheets or full skirts for curtains, clothing, etc., shrunken sweaters (felted) for mittens, slippers and so on.
There are more, but that covers the basics. Consider the time spent shopping this way as an investment that will return you real money in savings.
