When do you buy new clothes?

At what point do you feel like it's ok to buy new clothes?  Like the changes aren't just temporary?  All my pants and shirts are so huge and they make me look so dumpy.  I look great and I want to look great in my clothes but I went to try things on last weekend and I hated everything.  I felt horrible about spending the money to buy new stuff since "it won't fit for long anyway."  But all my pants are at least two sizes too big and falling down, I didn't keep any of my small clothes because I never imagined I would be this size again. Also I am still about 10 pounds from my goal weight. Although I feel my goal is unattainable, I still feel like buying a new wardrobe is a waste since it won't fit by this summer.  I am trapped in the yo-yo weight mentality where I can't buy smaller clothes cause I'll eventually be too fat for them and I can't buy clothes that fit cause I plan to be smaller!  But I feel like my big clothes make me look larger than I am and I want to show-off my accomplishments... I guess I am just whining.  Does anyone else feel this way? 

I'm not ready for a "new" wardrobe, but the frumpy look brings me down, way down.

Have you tried going to consignment shops or thrift stores for a few things that fit while you wait to hit your goal. I also take full advantage of department store sale racks.

Before I reached my goal and I was in the "in between" stages, I only bought a few pieces of clothing at my current size (on sale), if for no other reason to remind me that I was making progress.   I know how you feel about getting rid of the smaller clothes though.  At one point near my highest weight, I got pessimistic, looked at all my small clothes and said "oh face it, I'll never be able to wear these again", and gave them away, including a kick ass green velvet cocktail dress that I wish I still had.    It's one instance that my hubby's insistance of getting rid of unused stuff backfired on me.

I didn't try it , but I have also seen suggestions from others that you could always get some cheap "in between" clothes at a good will or second hand store.

I have a problem in that when I reached what I had set as my goal weight, I was so excited that I bought a ton of new clothes in size 10 but then kept losing 10 more pounds, which put me in an 8. I'm maintaining now, but have quite a few too-big pants. I bought 4 new belts last night so hopefully that will help the problem. I wish I had waited a bit longer to buy new clothes!

i did this years ago, and it worked for me....though upon reflection, its probably not the best idea in the world and it might be considered a bit dishonest...but whatever.  i bought tight size 10's at the gap years ago, wore them a couple of times and then they were falling off. i called the manager and told her the jeans i purchased no longer fit, and they told me their jean policy was to accept them back (cause they are suppose to fit after washing and what not) and i could exchange them.  i had like three pairs.  i exchanged all three pairs for smaller size...and 8.

and i did that one more time and ended up with my size 6's....and sure as heck i still have them up in my closet.  :)  i considered jeans an investment.

thats what i did! 

second recommendation:  thrift store to get a pair of jeans that fit.  so that at least you have something you feel good in, and you are not spending a fortune on its temporary nature.

"I didn't try it , but I have also seen suggestions from others that you could always get some cheap "in between" clothes at a good will or second hand store."

I don't go to thrift stores for 'cheap' clothes I am an avid fan of retro fashion butter soft leather, gently used designer labels, cool looks, and that great kick ass green velvet cocktail dress someone parted with.

I guess a few pieces wont hurt..  They help to see how you are doing.. If you buy some pants that fit you perfectly, you will know if you are gaining or losing more weight.

Just dont go overboard with it.  A pair of Jeans is good
as you can wear them more often :p

Get your clothes as a reward everytime you lose X ammount of weight..  It will motivate you even more

You need to have clothes that fit. Bottom line, don't feel bad about buying new clothes for yourself. Check on E-Bay, a lot of times people will sell a group of clothing at one size that you can bid on. You can get enough clothes to live with until you go on to the next size. Also, try your local "craigslist" online, they are a great site to find bargains of all sorts, and you can even sell your old clothes on them too, so you can have some cash to go towards your new sizes. you will feel better wearing clothes that look great on your new body.

Because I'm not done losing weight, I will buy things from the thrift store.  I justify it by saying I'm recycling and giving back to a small business rather than a large corporation.  I really see nothing wrong with it.  Hell, the jeans are already broken in so that saves me that first few days of uncomfortable wear.  Once in a while, though, it's nice to have something brand new.

Since I'm a seamstress I make my new clothes.  It's cheaper in the long run to buy a machine, some patterns, thread, and fabric to just make your own clothes.  There are times, though, that I'll see something in the thrift store I really love and I'll buy it and re-size it to fit me.  I do the same with my current clothes that I love and adore and am not ready to give up.

Once I'm done losing weight and am comfortable with my body, I will be buying new pants, though.  Probably from the thrift store just so I can get more for my money, but I'll also check around and see what's on sale.

Could you find a tailor/dressmaker that could take a few of your favorite things in??  Or if you're handy with a sewing machine, maybe you could take in the side seams or put in a dart or two in the waistbands to make them smaller. 

If you did this with a few things and also bought a few new things maybe it would tide you over until you got to you goal. 

Just... quit whining and go buy clothes that fit. Ten pounds isn't all that much so they might still fit when you're smaller. Even if they don't, it's not the end of the world, if you're ever this same size again then you'll have clothes that fit.

I was just discussing this with a friend today.  I started with a goal of losing 46.5 pounds, and have lost 13.5 so far.  I decided the first 10 pounds I would reward myself with a "maintenance calorie day" and at 20 pounds I would buy a few new clothes.  I am lucky enough to have a few of my smaller sizes around so hopefully that will tide me over until I hit goal.  I dont really want to buy new once I hit 40 pounds because I will be too close to goal to spend the money.  Besides as my second "reward" I figure it should be more than just another 20 lbs..So at 46.5 pounds is when I will really reward myself!  Although I am liking the thrift store idea if I just don't have enough to wear in the mean time.

ps...Do you notice how I just say I am going to hit my goals, I am not giving myself the option of saying "when" I hit my goals.  lol

 

I buy new clothes when my old ones don't fit. Simple as that. I don't buy a LOT, but it's a necessity. Plus, I know that I won't be able to tell if I've gained a little if I were still wearing my size 11s, since they wouldn't really feel different. But my size 5s? Hell yeah, 3 or 4 pounds is going to feel way different!

If you don't want to spend a lot of money on stuff you'll only be wearing for a few months, go to the thrift store and spend to your heart's content... you can get a whole new wardrobe there for a fraction of the cost of new, and since you won't be wearing the clothes for a long time it doesn't matter that they're not shiny new - you won't be needing them for long enough to wear them out! Then when you out-shrink them, you can donate them back again with a clean conscience.

As to when to buy smaller clothes, it sounds like you're long overdue for them! I go and try on clothes in the regular stores fairly often to try and gauge my progress and know what size I am now... if something was absolutely perfect I'd probably buy it no matter what size I was, but nothing has been! The perfect clothing item is a fairly rare bird... I went thrift-store shopping for new pants and skirts when I had lost thirty pounds and my clothes were really baggy, and I'll be going back again soon...

I found that getting rid of the old clothes was really liberating.  At the in between sizes I didn't buy a lot, just a few key items.  It really helps you acknowledge the change that has happened, and it's good motivation to keep you going. 

I am still holding off on a lot of major items (bathing suit, suits, etc.) because I'm not sure how much more my size is going to change.

One other thing I would say you should keep in mind.  Don't buy anything that's even remotely too big right now..because it'll be extra too big soon.  I know that sounds like really obvious advice, but honeslty I bought things thinking, yep it fits well enough.  And then before you know it I'm giving it away.

OP, it's past time to get some clothes that fit.  Like others suggest, try second-hand shops if the cost is a significant issue. 

When I started, I was a size 18/20 but I had a lot of 16s on hand, and I wore the 16 until they were falling off me. (Lost 35 pounds)  When I finally broke down and bought 14 and 12s, all of a sudden people started noticing that I'd lost a lot of weight.  It really is amazing what a difference the right size makes.

And one more thought -- don't forget to include new bras!  I broke down and bought new bras (no second hand stuff there) just a week ago and I was stunned what a difference the right size and support made.  I've had people tell me I look 10 years younger.

thrift stores are great...but because i hate shopping and just want to find clothes quickly, i usually hit up the gap outlets. i get what i need (always on sale) and then donate it to a local shelter after they are too big.

I guess guys have it easier when it comes to replacing clothes.  When I went from a size 48 to 44 pants, I got most of the new pants at a thrift store.  Then when I got to technically 41.5, I bought stretchy size 40's at Target.  Now although I can fit into a 38, I am holding out for 25 more pounds and possibly a 36.

One thing for people buying and donating at thrift stores, ask for a reciept as the donations are tax deductable.  You can get a good donation appraising program if you buy a tax prep software package that tell you how much you can deduct.

I am terribly about buying new clothes. I put it off for so long that my last favorite pair of jeans was literally falling off me as I walked before I finally broke and bought a couple of new pairs.

Right now it is in between seasons, at least as far as the stores are concerned, so there are HUGE sale racks. I went to Kohls last night, for example, and walked out with 8 shirts, a dress, jewelry, and a pair of shoes for under $80. A lot of them are really high quality clothing and look very good on me. If your clothing is too big on you (or even too small, if you've gained weight, like in my case... still no need to punish yourself with ill-fitting clothes), buy something nice to replace it! It will be a wonderful reward, and the compliments you will get will be great motivation to keep up the hard work.

when they're cheap XD haha.

but i usually get them a size or two too big or small.... accidently