海角大神

Americans spend $1,700 a year on clothing and accessories. If that seems like a typo, it鈥檚 not 鈥� it鈥檚 been backed up by studies from聽the聽Bureau of Labor Statistics聽and聽Bundle,聽a site that compiles data from credit card spending.

Here are 23 ideas on how you can dress for less.

1. Sell what you don鈥檛 wear

If you don鈥檛 wear it, drop it off at a consignment shop. When the shop sells your clothing, they鈥檒l cut you a check for a portion of the profits. You won鈥檛 get the full amount, but you won鈥檛 have to do much work either. Stacy recommends going through your closet once a year. If you haven鈥檛 worn that sweater in 365 days, you don鈥檛 need it.

2. Shop thrift stores

In the video, Stacy found a pair of Lucky brand jeans for $12.99. Thrift stores sell gently used clothing at a deep discount. Many stores also have regular sales or a weekly special. A thrift store in my area has a 鈥�50 percent off anything with a yellow tag鈥� sale every Wednesday. Just make sure you鈥檙e shopping at a true thrift store and not a vintage clothing store. The difference: Vintage clothing stores sell trendier older pieces at a markup. Thrift stores sell older and newer clothes at a discount.

3. Find coupons online

At Money Talks News, we don鈥檛 believe in paying retail, and you shouldn鈥檛 either. (Check out our deals聽before you shop online or in-store.)聽On the go, use your smartphone to find clothing coupons before you check out. There are several great coupon locating apps for Androids and the iPhone. My favorites:

• Coupon Closet
• Coupon Sherpa
• Shooger

4. Check the tag before you buy

Read the label before you buy. If you buy a dry-clean-only silk skirt, you鈥檒l keep paying for it every time you pull up to the cleaners. Stick to machine-washables and save.

5. Take care of your clothes

Remember that 鈥渕achine-washable鈥� doesn鈥檛 equal 鈥渋ndestructible.鈥� Wash your clothes on the gentle cycle in cool water and even line-dry them 鈥� they鈥檒l last the longest this way. For delicate items or clothes that might shrink, hand wash. Take care of your clothes and you鈥檒l get years of use out of them.

6. Buy out of season

Retailers put out-of-season clothing on clearance to clear the stock from their stores. You can save a ton buying clothing when you don鈥檛 need it 鈥� like a coat in May or a swimsuit in December.

7. Shop online clearance sales

Don鈥檛 discount online retailers (and retailers鈥� websites) when you鈥檙e shopping for clothes. They follow seasons too with huge discounts 鈥� and a larger selection than most stores 鈥� on clearance items.

8. Repurpose old clothes

If you鈥檙e handy with a needle and thread 鈥� or even a pair of scissors 鈥� turn something you鈥檙e no longer wearing into something else. I cut the legs off my old jeans and turn them into shorts. My friends repurpose old shirts into tank tops and skirts. You can even a purse out of an old sweater.

9. Don鈥檛 buy it because it鈥檚 on sale

Don鈥檛 buy clothes unless you really need them 鈥� even if they鈥檙e on sale. Thirty percent off isn鈥檛 a good deal if you don鈥檛 wear it 99 percent of the time.

10. Buy basics from generic brands

Your basics don鈥檛 need a designer label. Buy T-shirts, tank tops, and lounge wear from cheaper stores. I buy all my layering tank tops at Old Navy. My track pants I wear for errands came from Target. Simple cuts and solid colors don鈥檛 require a high-end designer.

11. Skip expensive workout clothing

Same goes for workout clothes. A pair of Puma running capris cost $55 鈥� or you can buy them at Old Navy for $16.94. You鈥檒l get the same workout whether you鈥檙e wearing a fancy yoga outfit or an old T-shirt and sweatpants. Check cheaper retailers like Target, Walmart, and Kohls for more affordable workout gear.

12. Proceed with caution at outlet malls

Outlet malls do have deals. They also have scams. In "5 Tips for Finding Outlet Store Deals," Brandon found that some outlet store clothing isn鈥檛 store overstock. The pieces were actually made for the outlet mall, meaning they鈥檙e lower quality. And those 鈥�75 percent off!鈥� deals 鈥� they鈥檙e not actually 75 percent off. Read the fine print and you鈥檒l see that is the discount on the suggested price, not the actual retail price. It鈥檚 more marketing gimmick than deal.

Check the labels on outlet store clothes. Avoid anything that says 鈥渇actory line鈥� and do the math on supposed deals before you buy.

13. Swap with friends

At the start of every season, my friends and I go through our closets and trade whatever we won鈥檛 wear. Last winter, I ended up with enough sweaters to last the entire season. Set up a trading day with your friends or family members. Then take anything you have left to a consignment shop. You鈥檒l end up with new clothes and some extra cash.

14. Stick to simple garments

Trendy clothes cost more and have a shorter shelf life. You could spend hundreds trying to keep up with the fashion magazines, only to realize you no longer adore that peasant skirt six months later. Stick to classic styles and basic pieces that are always in style 鈥� jeans, polo shirts, T-shirts, and simple skirts.

15. Shop discount stores

I save a lot of money by shopping at T.J.Maxx, Ross, and Marshalls. Discount stores sell overstock and slightly imperfect pieces from other retailers for a fraction of their cost. Just check the clothes carefully before you buy them. I鈥檝e lost money on spaghetti straps that ripped or buttons that popped off, but it鈥檚 rare.

16. Hem your own clothes

Tailor-shop pricing varies by area 鈥� where I live, it costs $10 to $12 to have one pair of jeans professionally hemmed. If I had all 14 pairs of my jeans professionally hemmed, I鈥檇 pay $168 on top of the cost of the clothes. Hem your clothes yourself and stop paying the professionals.

If you can鈥檛 sew, offer to swap jobs with a friend who can. I鈥檓 horrible with a needle and thread, but I can babysit. So I watch my friend鈥檚 kids for a night, and she hems my new clothes the next day.

17. Borrow what you only need once

If you only need to wear something once, borrow it from a friend or family member. You鈥檒l save 100 percent and won鈥檛 have a useless dress or suit filling up space in your closet.

18. Don鈥檛 rent what you鈥檒l wear more than once

If you can鈥檛 borrow it, buy it. In "Formal Wear: Rent or Own," Stacy recommends buying a tuxedo if you plan on wearing it more than twice in your lifetime. Stacy interviewed聽Andy Rizzi, a retail employee, and found that tuxedo rentals in his area cost $85 to $100 on average. Rent three tuxedos and you could spend $300. Buy from a discount store or resale site like Craigslist, and you could spend much less and own the tux outright.

19. Buy uniforms at discount stores

Work and school uniforms get expensive, but you can buy them at discount stores for a fraction of their cost. In my area, we have stores that sell school uniforms, scrubs, and overalls at deep discounts compared to the cost of buying them through your work or school.

20. Don鈥檛 skimp on swimsuits

When it comes to swimsuit shopping, it doesn鈥檛 pay to buy cheap knock-offs. A well-designed swimsuit will cost more upfront, but can last years. Three years ago I dropped $85 on a higher-end swimsuit. I wash it by hand and line-dry it after each use, and it still looks brand new. Check out "16 Tips to Find the Perfect Swimsuit for Less" 鈥� a complete guide to swimsuit shopping.

21. Shop the men鈥檚 and kids鈥� section

Women鈥檚 clothing is often priced higher than men鈥檚 and kids鈥� clothing. If you鈥檙e a woman looking for something universal 鈥� like a T-shirt or hoodie 鈥� check the racks in the men鈥檚 and kids鈥� sections first.

22. Treat clothes shopping like grocery shopping

I won鈥檛 go to the grocery store without making a list first, but I鈥檒l blindly charge into the mall credit card in hand. That is the wrong way to go about it. The next time you shop for clothes, make a list of what you actually need and stick to it.

23. Buy clothes that fit now

Only buy something if you can wear it today. Buying something a few sizes too small because you think you鈥檒l lose weight later is a gamble. Even if you do, you may realize you don鈥檛 like the way that shirt looks on you. Either way, you鈥檝e wasted money.

Our goal was to create a complete list of ways to save on clothing. Do you have any tips? Sound off on our Facebook and tell us!

Angela Colley is a writer for Money Talks News. This article originally appeared in .