I used to make a game out of finding people who were “well off” at the mall. After years of observing, I’m fairly confident that I have nailed how to find people with tons of money. Here’s the biggest tell:. It’s not the people with the flashy, designer purses, the suit, or the bling. Oh ,no. Those people may be well off of course or they just might be fantastically in debt. I’m talking about people with simple clothing, high-quality shoes, and a clean-cut appearance. I’m telling ya… It’s the intentional dressers who are killing it at life. The people who keep things simple and choose a more minimalist wardrobe. I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to be living in a time when it’s cool to dress simply and have more money in your life. So let’s talk about how to dress like a minimalist…and have more money.
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Recognize impulse spending
Impulse spending will absolutely be the death of your wallet and your wardrobe. Gone are the days that scooping up 5 shirts on the clearance rack for under $25 was considered a financial win. If you really want to get ahead with your finances (while still dressing to perfection), you have to be ready to call out your impulsive urge to spend.
Kicking a shopping addiction is no joke, and there are very few resources available for people who want to slow their role when it comes to spending. That’s why I created Shopping Rehab.
Let’s face it, going from impulse spender to full-time saver rarely works. Most of the time when we try to cut back or go cold turkey on our shopping sprees, we send ourselves into a full-blown panic and end up binge shopping a week later.
This is why the key to impulse spending is to create balance between spending and saving while working to elevate your money mindset. If this is something you are desperately ready for, check out Shopping Rehab for more info.
Your Minimalist Wardrobe
It’s important to remember that we all have our own, unique style and way of doing things. One of the pitfalls of minimalism at first can be our desire to create the same minimalist aesthetic everyone else has, including when it comes to our wardrobe.
Remember, you are amazingly, fantastically unique and the following tips are a few simple recommendations that just might help expand your wardrobe and slow you down from over-spending.
Minimalists keep their wardrobes neutral
Why have neutral colors been tied to minimalism? Quite simply because they stand the test of time. Just like the little black dress will never go out of style, neither will white, grey, or simple earth tones.
With neutrals, there is no “hot color” of the season which means your wardrobe never goes out of style. Goodbye fast fashion, hello timeless classics.
Having basic neutral items like tank tops, tees and sweaters help you to keep and maintain your wardrobe longer which ultimately leaves you more money in your budget and less time having to keep up with the latest trends.
Minimalists are high-maintenance shoppers
Instead of buying into the hype of the latest sale, minimalist approach shopping a whole different way. By being extra picky (in the best way) with what they allow to come into their closet, they are the kind of shoppers that make retailers crazy!
Once you have learned to define your own unique style and decide to only shop for top-quality items, you can stop buying into the sneaky tactics marketers have been using for years to get us to spend more.
One of the best strategies for becoming a high maintenance shopper that we teach in Shopping Rehab is to work to build a “Hell Yes” only wardrobe! This means whenever you find yourself trying on new clothes, be honest about what feels good and what doesn’t. If it isn’t a hell yes, then it’s a hell no!
You deserve to love every single item in your closet. Getting good at only allowing items into your wardrobe that make you feel like a stone cold 10 is the surest way to save money and dress more minimalist.
Minimalists ignore sale signs
Instead of going into a panicked frenzy over sale signs, and markdowns, minimalists walk into stores buying only the items that truly speak to them. This means branching out beyond items that are located under a big, red sale sign.
Did you know marketers use colors, smells, and even wording (think FINAL SALE, or LIMITED SUPPLY!) in order to hack our emotions and get us to buy more?
Because minimalists don’t shop sale signs, they are less likely to over-purchase because they tend to choose quality over quantity. Getting good at outsmarting marketers, and keeping your cool when you see a for sale sign is a sure way to stay financially aligned while still maintaining a beautiful minimalist style.
More must-read posts
- Why I Stopped Buying Clothes for 3 Years
- Create a Minimalist Wardrobe Year–Round When You Love Clothes
- How to Build a Minimalist Uniform
Minimalists plan their shopping splurges
Don’t think for a single second that you just have to go totally cold turkey on shopping once you decide to be a minimalist. In fact, Shopping Rehab warns against this. Going cold turkey rarely works, especially with spending, because we are always going to be surrounded by the temptation to spend! I mean, we can’t stop shopping…we will always need to buy things.
Instead of tricking yourself into believing you’ll never shop again, try making smarter moves when it comes to shopping so you aren’t kicking yourself for over-spending!
The easiest way to do this is by marking the times of the year when you are most likely going to want to/be tempted to update your wardrobe. Maybe this is with the change of seasons, or before taking vacations. How to plan a spending splurge:
- Mark down your planned splurges on the calendar
- Designate a spending limit
- Prepare for your splurges by planning what you’ll by, reading reviews, and saving favorite outfit ideas to Pinterest or your phone
By doing these things, you not only make sure you have funding for your shopping, you will also get a better idea of what items you’re looking for so you are less likely to buy what you won’t wear again.
Minimalists simplify money
The easiest way to stay on track with your spending is to simply allow yourself a little wiggle room in the budget. You can set aside cash each month to help float the cost of your spending sprees, or you can give yourself a small allowance via the Cash App!
I love using Cash App for my fun money every month because it’s easy to transfer from my regular account and I get access to a super stylish (very minimalist friendly) looking debit card!
After I use my Cash App debit card on a purchase, I get a text notification letting me know how much I spent and I can easily log in to the app to see how much money I have left to spend. (Anything that helps me do less math is OK by me.) Click here to start a Cash App account.
Minimalists have an abundance mindset
Once you have gotten to a point in life where you are no longer jazzed about sales signs, and are working to be a more high maintenance shopper, you may also find a shift happening in your money mindset!
Instead of looking for ways to save $5 here and there, minimalists put their focus on owning less stuff and gaining more financial freedom
By applying the methods in Shopping Rehab, like high maintenance shopping, you will begin to see this shift take place. This could be as big as learning to invest in your spare time, or as simple as reducing your shopping budget and transferring the excess funds to a high yield savings account.
Minimalists know and own their style
When you learn to no longer get hung up on buying what’s on sale or whatever is currently trending, you begin to get a clearer picture of what your unique style is. Once you know and understand this, you stop finding interest in anything that isn’t aligned with your unique style preferences. Read: How to Find Your Minimalist Uniform
The fastest way to learn your minimalist style:
- Find your Hamper Pile (which clothing pieces are always ending up in the wash because you wear them all the time.)
- What are your biggest HELL YES pieces? What is it about these clothing items that you love. so much? (Open neck, fabric, loose fitting, etc.)
Minimalists ignore the trends
Once you have a better understanding of your minimalist style, the less likely you will be to want to give into the trends. You know your favorite type of jeans and what tops feel the most flattering.
This doesn’t mean you can never update your wardrobe as styles change, it simply means adapting a minimalist wardrobe that aligns with your unique style will help you locate your style more easily rather than giving into fast fashion.
Minimalists clothes last longer
Once you have started being a more high maintenance shopper and making sure you really love each item that you bring home, you are more likely to have more time (and energy) to care for these items.
You know that one pair of pants that fit you perfectly that you hope stay with you until the end of time because of how good they make your butt look? Imagine your entire closet being good-butt pants! When you feel amazing in everything you are less likely to give into new temptations and are sure going to try to keep that amazing wardrobe going for as long as you can.
Minimalists continually re-evaluate
None of this is to say that minimalists never buy anything new. On the contrary a lot of minimalists tend to truly value their things, which is why being minimalist and loving stuff is totally possible.
Each season (give or take) a typical minimalist will re-evaluate what is taking up space I their closet. Are they wearing certain things less? Are there certain things they find themselves wearing more? Because they have gotten rather good at discarding unused things, the occasional closet evaluation and declutter is fairly common.
This again allows them to intentionally seek out new clothing they might find themselves wanting or creates more room for time and energy that is spent elsewhere other than on clothing.
Rather than getting swept away by a moment or giving into emotional spending, minimalist are always working (whether they realize it or not) to be aware and purposeful in their spending (or not spending) habits.
Think bigger than your wardrobe
By creating a healthy balance between living fully in the now while wisely planning for the future minimalists become less and less worried about the clothing on their back.
Minimalists have chosen what they value most in life. Things like:
- People
- Experiences
- Travel
These things all take precedent over spending money on new styles and clothing.
Minimalists have taken the time to understand their emotional spending habits and realize that often times when we over-spend it is because we are truly seeking something more.
For the most parts, practicing minimalist are already choosing the “something more” instead of believing that their wardrobes will provide it for them.
More minimalist reads you’ll love
- Traumatic Events that Create Minimalists
- 5 Things I Did to Live a Wanderlust Life When I Had No Money
- I Bought Stuff I Don’t Need, Now What?
Choose your dream
At the end of the day, you make the choice of where you want your money to go and what is more important to you.
If you just gotta have the latest trends and styles to feel your best, then go for it!
This is your life and if fashion is what fills you up, then don’t let anyone tell you there is something wrong with that.
Just be smart about it and make sure you are also financially taking care of yourself so you don’t wind up adding more stress!
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