1. Buying cheap clothes hurts your wallet
No matter how cheap an item is, it will always end up hurting your wallet simply because you buy so many of these. I know we all do this. We see the words “Sale, 50% off, BOGO, Closeout Sale, etc.” and we automatically rush into that store and get our hands on as many clothes and accessories as we can, without realizing that you’ve eventually hoarded probably about $200 worth of “cheap on sale clothes”. Then you come home with all these clothes that you’re probably never going to wear and your wallet is as empty as that water you drank from shopping too much!
2. Buying cheap clothes takes up space in your closet
Buying a ton of clothes just because they’re cheap will end up taking space in your closet (or your drawers). Those clothes have to be placed somewhere! Not everyone can have that Kim Kardashian Walk In Closet. If you do then props to you! But if you’re like any other normal lady, then odds are, you’re the type to put Winter clothes away in boxes to make room for Spring. So don’t overwhelm your closet with so much clothing that you might not even wear. 50% of the time, if your closet is too stuffed, it’s going to give you a hard time to find anything to wear and it can also ruin the beautiful and fragile pieces of clothing you own.
3. Buying cheap clothes makes more clutter
Buying cheap clothes makes more clutter because overtime you will hoard more and more that just ends up getting stuck in your closet or drawers. Although you may think “Oh my gosh! It’s only $2!” you’re going to end up buying 10 of those same $2 shirts and just wear 2 out of the 10.
4. Buying cheap clothes DOES NOT make you more stylish or attractive
It really doesn’t ladies! It simply gives you a reason to believe you’re being more stylish when you can really look stylish and attractive without buying more clothing for less money! Instead of buying more and more cheap clothes, invest in a piece of clothing that you know you need, is trendy, has good quality, and has a good fit on you. It may be more pricey, but money don’t lie, right? Sometimes quality is better than quantity.
5. Buying cheap clothes is NOT a long-term solution
It simply feeds your habit of feeling instantly gratified. Kind of like impulse buying – when you just buy whatever you see with no particular reason. Most of the time, cheap clothes don’t last as long either. Their materials, no matter how you take care of them, will get ruined because their quality is not as great. This goes along with finding something of better quality and also finding that one special clothing that you can mix and match all season long.
6. Buying cheap clothes keeps you from experiencing once in a lifetime opportunities
If you look forward to going to the mall on that one weekend you have off, then that’s saying a lot! A clothing-buying habit can cost upwards of thousands a year or more, equivalent to a week long vacation to another country. So, instead of making your goal be waking up early on Saturday to head to the mall for their Early Bird Specials, set a goal that you can keep in your memories for the long run. Remember, every dollar you spend buying more and more pieces of clothing can sum up to a trip to Hawaii.
7. Buying cheap clothes keeps you from building relationships with the people you love
Spending time at the mall looking at clothes, waiting in lines, and travel time can cost you a first date with your future husband or wife. Even if you do decide to go to the mall with someone you like or someone you want to get to know, shopping will always third wheel. Use the free time you have to go to the movies, hang out with friends, or go grocery shopping for a dinner date at home. Moments like these are definitely not worth losing over one pair of jeans!
8. Buying cheap clothes keeps you from making a meaningful contribution to society
Buying cheap clothes means going to the mall or clothing stores to shop around for things to buy. While doing this, you’re missing out on the opportunity to make a difference in society and the world. Instead of shopping around, consuming and buying things you probably don’t need, try volunteering at your nearest shelter or community. Or even just take a look at your closet, identify the things you don’t need, and donate/sell them off to Goodwill or Plato’s Closet. Donating or volunteering will help so much more than if you were to buy things you don’t really need.
9. Buying cheap clothes is NOT sustainable
Think about it. If you were to just keep buying clothes, you won’t be gaining anything but artificial happiness. You’re using up your money, time, and resources to feed an unhealthy habit. Not to mention, consuming in this way will lead to businesses and companies producing even more sales and clothing for you to buy.
10. Buying cheap clothes hurts the environment
Nowadays, you will see people at the mall or at stores with bags filled with clothing. Whether you’re trying to stay up to trend or you’re just stress shopping, buying more and more clothes won’t just hurt your financial status, but it will also hurt the environment. Odds are these cheap clothes you keep consuming will only last you a couple months, a year at the most, and will eventually end up in the trash. “Fast Fashion” as they call it is equivalent to fast food except its for clothing. Meaning, the fashion industry keeps supplying affordable apparels to keep up with the our demand of what magazines and fashion want us to have or what we “must have.” This is what fuels us to buy more of what we want rather than what we need. Little do we know, that shirt that was so in last Summer is no longer needed for this Summer because of the “new trend” and is now probably in the landfill partly causing pollution. So, the next time you feel like taking a break because of all of the plastic or paper bags you’re carrying filled with clothes, don’t even think of the clothes because just the bags that’s holding them is made from the environment you live in.
11. Buying cheap clothes hurts the workers who make them
The fashion industry has a knack for making us feel a certain way about how we should look like and what we need to have in our lives to attain such unrealistic goals. Most of these are the types of clothes that they say are essential in our lives. We as humans don’t even realize how these clothes came to be. The “must have” trends don’t make themselves, these are real people who are behind the scenes laboring for hours and hours, some even making less than minimum wage, just to supply us with our demand for clothing. No matter how cheap a piece of clothing may be, the amount of labor an employee in the clothing industry puts in shouldn’t be taken lightly. Yes, you may also think, without us buying all these clothes, these workers wouldn’t even be working. That in its entirety is true, but it’s the same as asking yourselves, without us there wouldn’t be a need for leaders or presidents. Meaning, it’s something that has to be there because it’s a need that we just take for granted. Think about it, next time you have the urge of buying more and more cheap clothes, take a break and look at what else you need that’s more beneficial than adding another thing to your closet.