Courtney from Women Living Well put together a helpful video on how to shop for feminine clothes on a budget.
When I had more time than money, I shopped almost exclusively at thrift stores on their Dollar Days so there was little in my closet which cost more than $1 each. I’ve relaxed that standard a some now that I have three young children and my life is more full, but I still aim to pay just a few dollars per item.
Since I keep my wardrobe very simple and usually have no more than six mix and match outfits, I can easily stick with my personal $15-per-month clothing budget. But can you believe that I’ve never purchased items for myself at a consignment store? I’ve been to lots of children’s consignment sales and stores, but Courtney has inspired me to check and see what our town offers in the way of women’s consignment stores.
By the way, Courtney says she shops at a chain consignment shop called Clothes Mentor.
For more thrifty ideas, check out Courtney’s post on How to Have a Clothing Swap.
I love shopping at a store called Half of Half. They have it in several cities such as Kansas City, Dallas, Fort Worth and Tulsa. Many times I’ve bought items that were over $100 for 99 cents because they were either not sized correctly or had some flaw that I could fix. If you live near one of these stores it’s worth checking out. You will have to spend time digging however and you have to watch for the 99 cent sales.
I love thrifting at Rescue Mission here in CNY. But haven’t been much this summer because my three boys loathe any kind of shopping. 🙁 Anyway, I have been wondering if anyone else is nervous about picking up bedbugs at thrift stores with the recent outbreak this summer. I want to go back to thrifting again once school starts next week but not sure about this whole bedbug thing is worth it.
My best tip is to organize your wardrobe by color no matter how big it is. The top bar of my closet has sections of black, brown, red, pink, green, blue and white. Long shirts, blouses, blazers, some hanger-friendly sweaters go here. Directly underneath on another rod, I have the same colors in corresponding sections. Short-sleeved shirts and tank tops go here, followed by the same color sections of shorts and skirts.
It makes mixing and matching and dressing so much faster because when you’re looking for something, you’re looking for its color. The closet rod on the other side is all pants hung up by their waists in color sections, then dresses organized by color.
Check out my blog for fashion and wardrobe tips. It’s a work in progress, and I’m new to the blog world, BUT, there is some great stuff on there now, and I have so much in the making, including an organized closet look. Cleaning up your odds and ends and then buying items with a purpose is a good way to keep your closet orderly and yourself well matched and dressed properly. 🙂 I this, after God and Family, is my PASSION…come check it out!!! 🙂 thanks
In the past I’ve generally shopped JCPenney and Kohl’s clearance racks and many of my wardrobe items are from the $1.97 and $2.97 racks at JCPenney. I worked for them recently, so adding in my associate discount made for some super-sweet deals! At one point last winter, I got a sweater, dressy black skirt and sleep shirt for $0.80 each! Kohl’s has great clearance racks, too, if you can “dig” through the mess there! That never bothers me, though!
Now, we live in a small town and we do have a thrift store, so I will be checking there if I need anything. As it is, I don’t really buy new clothes for myself unless I desperately need it. I do buy shoes new – absolutely refuse to buy used shoes! Neither my husband or I ever buy new clothes now – we’re pretty much set!
Crystal,
Please show us how you , mix and match. I don’t have a lot of clothes. But I need ideas on maximize on a small amount of clothes.
I like to get dress quick. With two little ones I don’t have a lot of times to mess with figuring out what to wear.
Please help us!
@Annie, http://www.ehow.com/how_2252495_mix-match-wardrobe.html
One thing I’ve learned is that if you’re buying something that needs a match to go with it, find it before you buy anything. A few times in the past I’d buy some pretty, unusual skirt and never really find a top that went with it very well. Now, when I find ‘the skirt’, I go search for a top right away, so I’m not stuck with something I just don’t ever wear. Mainly, I find this to be necessary with colors where there are very many different shades…like red. Last week at Goodwill I fell in love with a tiered skirt that was a brick sort of red, and happily, found a matching sweater to wear with it – both pieces for under $6 total! It’ll be great for work, church and more.
Another idea is to learn to sew your own clothing. I have been sewing my own modest dresses for about 8 years now. At first they did not come out very good, but with practice I got better and better at it.
Simple long skirts can be made with a yard or 3 of fabric and enough elastic for your waist.
For a free sewing tutorial click here:http://bonnetsandbloomers.webs.com/articles.htm
Love it! This post goes along with one I put up yesterday on my site: Fall Looks for Less. I show readers how to recreate a J. Crew outfit with pieces from discount retailers. The J. Crew outfit came in at $920, while the very similar outfit I created cost just $140. This is one of those great outfits that you will wear for years and the pieces will mix well with clothes you already own. Check it out!
Crystal, I too would love to see a snapshot of your closet and any tips you have as we have moved into a new home and I am struggling to fit all of mine and husband’s clothes in our walk-in closet. I constantly have huge piles of clean clothes throughout the house because they will not fit in the closet and it is really frustrating. I’m about to pull out my hair over this one!
Thanks for the post idea; I just might take you up on it! 🙂
In our family we buy underthings and shoes new, but all our clothes, coats, and pajamas we buy second hand.
I’ve never bought from consignment shops because they are very pricey, and traditionally I’ve shopped the sale days at thrift stores. It is time consuming, but we are well-dressed for pennies on the dollar.
This year I discovered rummage sales. You have to go right when a rummage sale opens, so it’s definitely not as flexible as thrifting, but the quality and prices cannot be beat. I never pay more than $1 per item at a rummage sale, and often even less than that.
We don’t “do” limited wardrobes. I’ve read frugal websites where each family member has 3 outfits. I really can’t imagine having to do laundry every day. My kids often make messes (or rub messes on me) and go through 2 outfits a day. We need enough clothes so I don’t have to wash clothes daily.
I don’t wan’t to sound weird, but I tried many times to shop at Marshalls, wow! that store can compete with a hoarders episode any day!
Is way to overwhelming and I always leave empty-handed and with a headache. What is the trick? 🙁
@sara, I have a hard time with Marshalls/TJMaxx too. I prefer Goodwill or SA where the clothes are divided by color. My strategy at the Marshalls of the world is to make a beeline for the clearance section, find my size and then just focus on that small section of rack. You’re right that it can be completely overwhelming!
I loved this video so much. The only problem is that here, in Southern California, consignment stores can be expensive! Even Goodwill and Salvation Army sometimes charge $10 for a dress that is not even in good shape. I have found, though, that they have these occasional $1-$2 days where you can go get everything for cheap. My best deals have always been the clearance racks at TJ Maxx, Marshalls and Ross.
I love “digging” for clothes. I often get mine second-hand or on sale. I have never been to a consignment shop, but after watching this video and reading the other comments regarding them, I think I am going to have to check a few out! I love being frugal in all sense of the word, even clothes!!!
I love Courtney’s advice! She’s a great example to all of us.
I’m a huge digger–but this whole pregnancy thing is new to me! When you need clothes, and they don’t have them on sale, what are your options? I NEED clothes, my hemlines are starting to float!!!
@Amanda C., Maternity clothes are the hardest to find good deals on, in my opinion. The stores know that you’re desperate, and it’s hard to buy ahead for obvious reasons. Once I was in a department store, and the whole store was on sale, EXCEPT for the maternity section.
Once I did see some maternity pants on clearance at Old Navy for $1 each! I was expecting to be pregnant soon, so I took the risk and bought them, and they ended up serving me well the next winter. But it’s rare for something like to happen. Usually I ended up paying far more than I wanted for maternity clothes.
Try yard sales. I recently sold most of mine that way to some happy ladies.
@Heather,
Our area has a consignment sale for children, teens, and women who are pregnant and there are GREAT deals on everything from clothing to furniture toys. I got most of my maternity clothing there and these were good, quality items! Also, I purchase basically all of my daughter’s clothing and toys here every year. I don’t see how people can pay $30 for every outfit their child wears. http://www.kidsmarketandmom.com/kmm_photo_album.shtml
@Amanda C., Amanda, I don’t know if it would work for you or not, but Forever 21, a store geared mostly toward younger girls, has a lot of styles that me and my pregnant friends find very flattering. They just recently launched a “maternity line” too. I found a maternity shirt at Nordstrom.com that I absolutely loved – but I wasn’t about to plunk down $85 for it. A week later, I found something very similar at Forever 21 for about $14! I have received a lot of compliments from both pregnant and non-pregnant women wanting to know where they can buy it. Thankfully, you can go up a size in many of their styles and not have that awkward “my-clothes-are-too-big-for-me” look.
@Amanda C., eBay and consignment shops, plus sharing with friends who are similar size and are saving their clothing for their next pregnancy.
I’ve been slowly revamping my wardrobe this year after several years of wearing mostly older t-shirts and jeans. A vast majority of what I’ve bought (nicer shirts, capris, skirts, and a few dresses), has come from thrift stores or garage sales at a few dollars apiece. At the same time, not all thrift stores are created equal. I know which stores tend to have clothes that I like, and I stick to those stores. I get frequent compliments on my clothes at work and there are a handful of people who know that I shop almost exclusively at thrift stores.
Oddly enough, I tend to find MORE clothes at thrift stores that I like than I do at retail stores. At a retail store if I don’t like what is “in” at the moment, there’s nothing there for me. At the thrift store there’s much more variety even in my size (small/very small). If I only have a few minutes to stop in and look then I pick one particular rack to check (skirts, short sleeved shirts, etc) and stick to that. I don’t have a problem walking in quickly, checking a rack or two, maybe trying something on, and walking out with nothing. I did that with retail stores all the time anyways. “Good” stores will have their clothes sorted out by size so that its easier to check a particular size quickly.
I bought my bridesmaid dress for my sister’s wedding at Goodwill. I was fortunate that she gave me some basic guidelines (navy blue, below the knee, etc) rather than insisting on a particular dress. I started casually looking about 6 months before the wedding so I knew I had plenty of time to be choosy. When I found a dress I liked I sent my sister a pic on my phone and told her to give the okay or no-kay. I wound up paying $10 for a dress that got me many compliments, and another $10 several months down the road for the silver sandals that I also wore. That was actually more than I had hoped to pay for the shoes but I was getting down to the wire and hadn’t found anything.
I will say that shopping at thrift stores all the time really skews your views of clothes prices. If I walk into a retail store I usually don’t check anything but the clearance racks and even those seem pricey compared to what I’m used to.
I’ve actually never been to a consignment shop. With how much success I usually have at thrift stores I haven’t been able to talk myself into it.
What a timely video!
I’m a pastor’s wife, so I need more dressy clothes than most people. (I play the piano, sing most of the special songs and teach the young people, so people tend to remember what I’ve worn.) Our family enjoys thrift store shopping, and when we want to relax, we go browse in them. I can’t begin to tell you all the wonderful name brands I’ve found and the prices I’ve paid! Let’s just say that I haven’t paid more than $8 for any item of clothing for myself since I graduated from college in 2008 …
I don’t shop at consignment shops because I really don’t need to. We have fabulous thrift stores around here, but we also have very generous people. I never, ever turn down clothing when someone wants to give it to me. I go through, pick out what we can use, and then donate the rest to my favorite thrift store. It’s a double blessing that way! 🙂
I live in NYC which is like the holy-grail for consignment shops! Unfortunately since ‘vintage’ and ‘thrifted’ styles are in right now, all these shops are becoming very over-priced and picked over! However- TJ Maxx is where it’s at, and there’s 2 locations in the city so I always check there before going anywhere else!
Crystal, My daughters and I still talk about the picture of your closet that we saw so long ago on one of your other websites. It was an inspiration to us then and is still now. We were talking about it again just a couple of days ago! Would like to see the old pic again! Yes, share more about your wardrobe and how you manage to have a nice one with so few outfits. We all need some help in this. Thank you so much for all you do!
🙂 Well, I’m not sure that by some people’s standards my wardrobe is “nice”, but it works for me. 🙂 I’m thinking maybe I should do a post with specifics on my wardrobe — though I’m guessing most people would be severely disappointed as it’s so simple that it likely wouldn’t work for many.
@Crystal,
I think it would be worthwhile to do a wardrobe article with some pictures! Most people probably wouldn’t want to just get by with six mix and match outfits, but at least it can give everyone some motivation to shop smarter and spend less and get creative with what they already have! For most of us, anything is an improvement, and seeing someone getting by on less is inspiration.
@Sara,
I have a blog I just recently started pertaining to wardrobes and fashion. Check it out @ clothedwithlilies.blogspot.com
It’s new, I’m working on a lot for it though, I will have an organized closet section up soon
@Crystal, I would also love to know more about your simple wardrobe. I feel mine is simple, but very boring too. I would love to know how you change it/purge, etc.
@Crystal, Please do show us! I am looking for more simple; my maternity wardrobe consists of very few things and I get lots of compliments (I only run into trouble when we travel and I run out of clean clothes), but “regular” clothes stump me!
I don’t pay for clothes for my two little ones anymore! A couple years ago, I found out about a consignment sale (Just Between Friends) and I sell the clothes and toys the kids have outgrown and get new ones at the sale. My goal is to break even with what I sell and what I spend. I usually make a little money at each event. When the sale is done, I take the unsold items and take it to a used clothing store and get store credit for what they take. It is a bit time consuming to get the items ready for sale but to me, it’s very much worth it.
My goal this time is to see if I can find a good quality double jogging stroller at the next sale and pay for it with what I sold. 🙂
I have tried and do not have the patience to do consignment shopping for myself though with the kids. I haven’t bought anything for myself in forever-should do it but don’t have any money.
@RachaelP, RachaelP, I wish we lived close. The family on the other side of my street moved out last month and left me with a double jogging stroller that they couldn’t fit in the moving van. I have one child, not two, and I personally find double joggers too big. I tried to take it to the park the other day since I was watching my daughter and another baby, but I felt like I was pushing a limo. It will go to the once a year consignment sale and hopefully someone there will like it as much as my neighbors did! Good luck on your search!
I almost exclusively buy my kids clothes at thrift stores…I take a few hours every couple of months & dig through everything. I practice the buy ahead principle & mostly buy items that are half off that day. I can usually come out of there with paying around $0.50 per item including coats & shoes. I have recently quit shopping for clothes for myself, but I used to shop only at the same store for myself as well. the few hours I spend there saves us a lot of $.
I have actually found Clothes Mentor (and Plato’s Closet) to be really overpriced. Using coupons and shopping sales is much more worth it for me (hubs takes care of the rugrats). The last time I went to Clothes Mentor to try and consign items, they had some things priced MORE than they would cost on the clearance rack at Old Navy, NY&CO, etc. I have a real problem with this — it seems dishonest to me, but hey, it’s business. In addition, when consigning clothes, you only get about 30% of the price they’ll resell the item for. I generally feel like it’s a rip-off both ways. First, you get very little $ for the clothes you consign, but when they tell you how much they’ll offer you, you feel put on the spot, so you go for it… AND you end up overpaying for clothes that you think must be a good deal because they’re in a consignment-type store.
I’m not dissing anyone who’s done this, because I have too!! Just want to caution those who go in there looking for a deal.
@sarsar,
I agree! I’m extremely frugal and have been very disappointed in the last year with the rise in used clothing prices in our area. Even garage sales are becoming ridiculous. 4 of my 6 boys need new church clothes right now and my husband and I, after looking around and researching prices, are really surprised at how much that is going to cost. I used to be able to outfit all 7 of my kids for under $100 a year.
I’ve thought the same thing of our local children’s consignment store. Their items are generally more than I would pay for a new item at Walmart or Target on sale. (BTW, this is a great time of year to get clearance summer clothes for next year!)
This store also is very strict about what they buy. The last time I tried to consign I brought 2 trash bags full of clothes and they took THREE items. That probably didn’t cover my gas money!
There is another children’s consignment store about 30 miles away that has $.25/item sales. That would be a great deal!! I guess it depends on the store.
One store I’ve been frequenting more is the Goodwill outlet. They have large rolling bins of stuff (just thrown in) you can pick through. You pay by the pound. This ends up being reasonable if you don’t have your children in tow. I buy ahead and store the clothes.
My mother’s weakness is shopping. She loves to shop, and when my sister and I grew up and moved out, she turned both of our bedrooms into walk-in closets. She has more clothes than I can even imagine…and she doesn’t work outside of the house! I used to think it would be wonderful to have so many clothes that I could go the whole year without wearing the same thing twice.
…Now that I am out on my own, there is NO WAY I would want to own that many clothes! We’ve hopped around the country over the last few years–Ohio to Arizona to Texas, and we’re potentially moving another 1,000 miles again by the end of the year. I have been continually purging my wardrobe over all of these moves, and I LOVE it. I love the freedom of not lugging tons of clothes around when we move. I love the simplicity of getting dressed in the mornings. With only a handful of shirts that I wear in warm weather, getting dressed is quick and simple–very important with two toddlers to care for! I love not feeling obligated to wear something different each day or feeling guilty because I see a shirt I haven’t worn in months or years.
I’ve done a lot of thrift store shopping myself, and one of the main reasons I like this is *because* I can find out-of-style clothes. I hate shopping for shorts in department stores because they are too short for my taste. The thrift store has older, longer shorts that I feel more comfortable wearing. I’m also particular about skirts–I prefer elastic waist skirts that do not come above the knee. I’ve been frustrated because I have found cute skirts in stores, but they are just too short for me. I spend a lot of time chasing toddlers and squatting down to talk to them, so I can’t wear short shorts or skirts anymore. (And let’s face it–I’m not exactly 19 anymore, either!)
I have a friend whom I share my pre-move purging stories with, and even though she never sees herself moving out of state, she uses this as a cleaning tool, too. When she has time to go through things, she imagines that her family is moving out of state–would she really want to pack this, or could she leave it behind? If she could leave it, it goes in the donate pile. It’s a good metric, because I can tell you, moving a bunch of unused stuff across the country ain’t cheap! 🙂
@JenK, I agree about the in-style clothing- I am not interested in dressing myself or my daughter like a pop star. Low-cut tops, see-through shirts, super-mini skirts, jeans that don’t quite cover everything…not for us. Yards sales and Goodwill are perfect because you can still find clothes that are modest (sometimes).
I gotta say, I don’t have the patience to dig through a mile of clothing racks for just a few pieces of clothing. I wear about a size 16 right now, and I couldn’t tell you how many girls 16 jeans were on the racks with the “plus size” jeans! I only found one pair of jeans, and then they disappeared when my son apparently tossed them off the stroller, and they were nowhere to be found. When I shop, I am usually needing a very specific item (another reason the hodgepodge at thrift stores turns me off). I wait for J.C. Penney’s coupons-like $10 off $10, or $10 off $25, then I can get things off the clearance racks for just a few dollars each, and I usually have multiple sizes to choose from. Plus, if I need more than one thing, I can shop one day, go home and do the survey on the receipt, and get a 15% off coupon to add to my next purchase. Crystal’s $15/mo budget would go far for me! =)
@Allison V.,
Same here! And Kohl’s is my favorite place for the most part…
Although, I lucked out at our local thrift shop lately and scored some new jeans (a pair by SJP and Gap for me, Eddie Bauer for the hubbie) for 1.99 a pair. And they were BRAND new, tags still on. 🙂
@Andrea, Same here I am a plus size girl as well and not fond of the screen print tees and such(I just feel too old for them), and to be honest, I have no budget for MY clothes and let me share why. In over TWO years I’ve added FOUR things to my wardrobe. A pair of flip flops I got for about $9 shipped, a free t-shirt from lane bryant thanks to a home mailer, a couple of pairs of jeans at a discount outlet that ran me $19 and a pair of capris in a “my mending job on these pants fell apart in a grocery store an hour from home” accident that ran me $17. So in two years I’ve spent $45 on me because I firmly believe in the mend everything solution. I know that doesn’t fit everyone’s situation(just look at what I spent on those capris…OUCH!) but it works well for me. Especially since big girl stuff at the thrift shops is not normally items I would or could wear.
@LoveToShop, So true! I do much better with clearance racks than I ever could at thrift stores. Even the nicer mall stores (like Macy’s) have great plus-size clearance.
The problem with consignment for women with little kids is that they are usually boutique type places that my kids would just tear apart. I prefer a nice Goodwill with shopping carts to contain my monsters, I mean, darlings.
Hmm, good point. 🙂
@Crystal,
You have monsters too? Hehe…
Oh, you’ll love consignment. Items are still great deals, but usually better quality than the thrift store. 6 mix and outfits s very impressive!
I love shopping thrift stores! For anyone in the Boise/ Idaho area, there is the most amazing boutique called the Brass Razoo in Nampa that I LOVE. It has tons of brand name jeans, clothes, and vintage jewelry that has all been refashioned and the prices are super reasonable.
LOVE her! I think I have a new blog to follow…lol!
The clothing budget for our family currently comes out of our “blow money envelope.” We don’t NEED new clothes, because my daughter gets hand me downs from older cousins. So it works well for us at the moment. We will likely re-work this once we are debt free (2 more months!).
HOWEVER, I did go to a family consignment shop for the first time last month. I love children’s consignments when I need something nice for our daughter. So I thought I’d give this family shop a try. Especially since I recently found out I’m pregnant and could use some maternity bottoms because what I had with my daughter has basically been worn out.
I found: a maternity skirt with the tags still on, Old Navy maternity blue jeans, 2 baby boy outfits (just in case, we’re having a surprise!), and a GAP polo style shirt for my husband. I spend a grand total of $20. I think I’ll visit again soon. =)
Can you PLEASE share more on your wardrobe? Perhaps show it to us? My Mom literally has a closet/storage area bigger than my house (plus the one in her huge walk-in closet), so I am fairly clueless as to how to minimize a wardrobe. Thankfully, I never buy anything since I get stuff from her!
@Jennifer Ott, If you really want basic, I’d say 1 pair jeans, 1 pair khakis, 1 pair shorts, 1 plain casual skirt, 5 casual shirts, 2 blouses, 2 sweaters and a blazer or denim/corduroy jacket. The tops should be able to be worn with multiple bottoms (i.e. a black or red top could be worn with the jeans, the khakis or the skirt to create multiple outfits). Add 1 dress (or 2, depending on how much you have to dress up), maybe 1 dressier skirt and blouse, plus a couple of t-shirts for cleaning/yard work, a sweatshirt/workout pants and 2 pairs of pajamas. Get more mileage out of the outfits with scarves (thrift/consignment stores), bracelets and/or chunky necklaces.
I discovered Plato’s Closet which is an “upscale” consignment shop. They only take name brand or in-style clothing here. Since I still want to look fashionable and get high quality brands that will last me awhile, I almost exclusively shop here. I have a lot of trouble finding jeans that fit and look good because I have a very disproportionate waist to hip ratio. But I was able to find $180 jeans for only $20 (which is more than I wanted to spend but these were quality jeans that fit me perfectly and they were in mint condition!). I usually spend 1-2 hours digging through their racks to find the best quality for the least price. It amazes me how many items still have their original tags on them.
how funny to see her video…I saw one a few weeks ago too. I went to college with Courtney and love how she’s helping women now! The video isn’t loading for me..but hopefully I’ll get to see it soon.
I just discovered Clothes Mentor here in Kansas City. I love it! Everything was a few more dollars than I thought it would be, but the clothing there is great quality and there are name brands. Things are categorized nicely, and I feel like I can get some great things in one store…as opposed to hopping around to different stores.
@Mary Ellen Ash, where in KC did you find one? I would like to check it out! thanks!! =)
@Cassie,
Be sure to sign up for their emails. They often send coupons or alert you when there are sales. In my (minneapolis) Entertainment coupon book, there are 20% off coupons too 🙂
Mary Ellen,
I’m in KC too, where is this store located? I couldn’t find a KC location on their website.
Thanks a bunch!!!
Found it…there is one in Lee Summit and one in Overland Park depending on which side of the city you live in. Make sure you search by state and not zip code on their web site 🙂
What a fun video! I really appreciate that she mentioned multiple budget options, including clothing swaps (my favorite!). Something else to remember: buying used is the green thing to do! We should all do our part to reduce demand for unsustainably sourced and unethically manufactured products. Thanks for posting this.
Love her sign off “respect your husband, and walk w/ the King” Awesome!
My goal this year has been to shop for my clothes, shoes and accessories (and my kids) exclusively at thrift stores – it *should* have been a simple enough quest, but I have gone from a size 12 to a current size 8 (and almost a 6!) so I have purchased more clothes than one normally would!
My goal for next year is to either not buy any personal items or to only own a small amount of clothing items at a time. Haven’t decided which direction to go!
I do this all the time with my sister who is almost my shape & size. Thanks for the tip to extend it to friends.
Just discovered Courtney’s website a few months ago and have very much enjoyed her tips as well as godly counsel for women/wives. Thanks, Crystal, for mentioning this post!
I agree “digging” with kids is a lesson in patience on both ends. Growing up, I had two older sisters, so I had 3 times the wardrobe, and when they tired of something, it was already pre-shrunken. Buying clothes at thrift stores is the same idea. You may get lucky and find something with a tag on it, but if you have the time (without kiddos) to dig, at least you know what you buy won’t fit differently once it’s washed since it’s already been broken in.