Times have been tough financially lately. Many of us have been effected by redundancy or loss of overtime or just plain straight forward pay cuts. This means that when we do spend money on our wardrobe, it has to be value for money.

It is important not to confuse value for money with “cheap”. What is the difference you may ask? Let me explain. The average woman in the Uk wears 20% of her wardrobe 80% of the time. She also spends a thousand pounds a year on clothes and only wears two hundred pounds worth, on a regular basis. I am sure you can relate to this. Lets think of your wardrobe. Are there articles of clothes in there with the labels still on and never been worn. Maybe you have lots that you have worn once and avoid going back to, but not sure why? These items are very expensive buys for you. What you need to look at is the “true cost” or “cost per wear”. This is worked out by taking the cost you paid for the article and dividing it by the times you wear it. So lets say you buy a top in the sale at ten pounds and wear it once. The “cost per wear” is ten pounds. On the other hand if you buy a top at a hundred pounds and wear it once a week for a year, the “cost per wear” is two pounds. You. also have to take into account that the top looks good, feels good and works as hard as you do.

It is very important that you buy the correct clothes in colours that suit and styles that flatter. The most common downfalls to avoid when buying clothes are: don’t buy because you are attracted by a sale, don’t buy because you see someone else wearing it and don’t let fashion dominate your purchase.

Go shopping alone when the shops are quiet, give yourself plenty of time. Most of all go shopping with a shopping list. Have a good look at your wardrobe and decide where the gaps are. There is no point in random buying, that will just add to the unused clutter you already have.

Happy shopping!