How to save money on clothing and personal care?
Save on clothing by shopping thrift and consignment stores (70-90% off), Poshmark and ThredUp for brands, end-of-season clearance (50-75% off), and clothing swaps with friends. Cut personal care costs with store-brand toiletries (30-50% cheaper), GoodRx for prescriptions (up to 80% off), and beauty schools for $10-$20 haircuts and services. The average household spends $1,800+ yearly on apparel and $700+ on personal care, so 50% savings free $1,250+ yearly.
In This Guide:
1. Buy Clothing Secondhand and Out of Season
Thrift stores like Goodwill, Salvation Army, and local shops sell brand-name clothing 70-90% below retail, often with tags still attached. Poshmark, ThredUp, Depop, and Mercari offer curated secondhand brands 50-80% off retail. Buy winter coats in March and swimsuits in September for 50-75% off at end-of-season clearance. Sign up for retailer emails to get 15-25% off first purchase codes and shop Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and January white sales. Join Buy Nothing groups on Facebook for free clothing swaps. Host a clothing swap with 5-10 friends; everyone brings 5-10 items and leaves with new-to-them pieces. Quality secondhand staples like Levi's jeans, J.Crew button-downs, and Patagonia jackets often outlast cheap fast fashion.
- Shop Goodwill and local thrift stores first
- Set Poshmark alerts for favorite brands
- Buy winter coats in March and swimsuits in September
- Join local Buy Nothing groups on Facebook
- Host a clothing swap with 5-10 friends
- Buy Nothing groups give away hundreds of free items monthly.
2. Choose Generic Personal Care and Beauty
Store-brand toiletries at Target (Up&Up), Walmart (Equate), and CVS (Health) cost 30-50% less than name brands and are often made by the same manufacturers. A $4 Equate face wash performs nearly identically to a $12 Cetaphil. Switch to bar soap ($1-$2) instead of body wash ($5-$8) for an 80% savings. Generic drugs at Costco, Walmart, and grocery pharmacies cost $4-$10 for 90-day supplies of common generics like atorvastatin and lisinopril. Use GoodRx, SingleCare, and Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drugs for prescriptions, saving up to 80% versus uninsured retail. Beauty schools like Paul Mitchell and Aveda charge $10-$25 for haircuts, color, and facials performed by supervised students. Dental and hygiene schools offer cleanings for $30-$60.
- Switch to Up&Up, Equate, and store-brand toiletries
- Use bar soap instead of body wash
- Fill generics at Walmart or Costco for $4-$10
- Compare GoodRx, SingleCare, and Cost Plus Drugs
- Visit beauty schools for $10-$25 haircuts
- GoodRx and Cost Plus Drugs can save 80% on prescriptions.
3. Maintain and Repair What You Own
Extending the life of clothing and personal care items saves hundreds yearly. Learn basic mending: sew on buttons, fix loose hems, and patch small holes with a $5 sewing kit. Wash clothes in cold water and hang dry to extend fabric life 30-50%. Treat stains immediately with dish soap or hydrogen peroxide. Re-sole good shoes at a cobbler for $25-$50 instead of replacing $150 boots. Sharpen kitchen knives, scissors, and razors rather than replacing; a razor sharpener extends blade life 6x. Buy quality basics in neutral colors that mix and match, since 30 versatile pieces create 100+ outfits. Avoid dry clean only labels to skip $10-$20 per garment cleaning fees. Use refillable containers for soap, lotion, and cleaning supplies to cut packaging costs 40-60%.
- Buy a $5 sewing kit and learn basic mending
- Wash in cold water and hang dry
- Re-sole good shoes at a cobbler for $25-$50
- Sharpen razors, knives, and scissors
- Buy neutral basics that mix and match
- A cobbler re-soles $150 boots for $25-$50, extending life 5+ years.
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