7 Ways to Save Money on Clothes
Looking good on a budget—impossible or not? According to the latest NimbleFins research on the Average UK Household Budget, a typical household now spends approximately £941 annually (£18 a week) on clothing and footwear. This shift reflects a more 'conscious' consumer market in 2026, with apparel and shoes now accounting for roughly 3% of the total household budget as many prioritize quality and secondhand value over fast-fashion volume.
To find out what this means for you see our article How Much You Should Spend on Clothing. Regardless of your individual budget, use our tips to help you save money on your clothing and shoe spending.
1. Clear Out Your Closet
We have a love-hate relationship with the "clearing out your closet" exercise. It can be dull and a bit overwhelming, but the end result is usually worth it. There's nothing like opening up your wardrobe to see nicely folded and organized pieces, that actually fit. And there are money-saving reasons to clear out, too.
You'll Rediscover Old Favourites: Maybe you find a forgotten but beloved jumper that fell into a heap behind your pile of jeans or perhaps a previously undiscovered blouse/skirt combination that gives new life to some rarely-worn clothes. Either way, a good clear out can leave you excited about your clothes again. And less likely to go out shopping for new ones!
Sell Your (Gently Used) Clothing: A good clear out always results in a pile of clothes on the bed. If you're short of cash, you can try your hand at selling your gently-used clothes instead of donating them to charity. Finding the right venue for your clothes will depend on the quality of your pieces (e.g., brand, retail price, etc.) and whether or not you want to deal with finding buyers.
| Where to Sell Used Clothing | ||
|---|---|---|
| All-Around | Vinted | Seller lists, prices and posts the item to the buyer; Buyers pay a service fee of 3% to 8% of the item's price, plus a fixed fee of £0.3 to £0.8 |
| Twicely | Send them your items (postage free); you’ll either be paid upfront right away (e.g., for on-trend items in great condition) or the item will be sold on a consignment basis (that is, you get paid when it sells); Twicely decides on the price, not you | |
| eBay | The most well-known way to sell, but hrmmm… we’ve read a few too many reports of bad experiences from sellers lately | |
| If you have a lot of fashion followers... | ||
| Depop | Think Instagram and eBay in one. No seller commission; UK sellers now pay only a payment processing fee of 2.9% + £0.30 per transaction. | |
| Consignment Stores | Take around 50/50. Check local listings for compatibility—some can be quite picky about brands, if they’re trying to project a high-end image | |
| High-End Clothing | Rebelle | You send your item(s) to Rebelle, and they’ll deal with the buyer. High end items only. |
| Vestiaire Collective | Over 7 million members and 400,000 items for sale; brands such as Chanel, Louis Vitton, Burberry, etc. | |
| Cudoni | Cudoni sells for you; Think brands such as Chanel, Hermès, Prada, Gucci, Dior, Valentino, Burberry, Céline, Christian Louboutin, Mulberry, Tory Burch, etc. | |
| Hardly Ever Worn It | You ship directly to buyer | |
| Edit Second Hand | Edit Second Hand buys from you eliminating the hassle of dealing with buyers, but only high-end items will be accepted—don’t expect to sell most High Street brands here | |
| ASOS.com | Not for the average person. But if you're a small business selling vintage collections or your own label, you can now sell directly through ASOS.com (formerly via a separate Marketplace). Note: ASOS.com is a curated, closed platform — you'll need to apply and be accepted. | |
| Earn Money from Low-End Clothing | H&M | Donate a bag of clothing to H&M and get a £5 discount voucher to use on a £25 shop |
| Cash for Clothes | They buy by weight (£4.50 per 10 kilo bag) so a better option for low-end clothing you won’t sell for much elsewhere | |
2. Not all Clothes are Equal: Know When to Pay More
No matter your budget, you should spend more on some items in your wardrobe than others.
When to Buy More Expensive Clothes
It can be more economical to spend a bit more on frequently-worn staples, classic items that can be worn for years and shoes.
Clothes you know you’ll wear over and over: In the long run, it can be economical to pay a higher price tag for the clothing you wear most frequently. In buying high quality pieces with the durability to last through dozens of wash-and-wear cycles, your clothing won't need replacement as often and the per-wear cost becomes far more affordable.
For example, imagine you need a new everyday jumper. Paying £100 for a higher-quality item that you can wear 100 times (a cost of £1 per wear) actually ends up cheaper than paying £20 for a cheap, acrylic jumper that starts to look worn and bobbled and needs replacing after only 10 times (a cost of £2 per wear).
Classic items that won't go out of style: It sounds a bit boring, but there is truth to it. You can keep these items for years and they'll still be wearable. Plus, these are the pieces you can throw on in the morning without much thought, saving you time as well. In fact, many people start building an outfit with one well-fitting, classic article that they liven up with accessories or by pairing with a cheaper, on-trend piece.
Unique pieces you truly love: When you try on a special piece that is YOU, it can be worth paying a higher price tag. These are the items that will remain in your closet for years, or even decades, making an appearance when you really need to feel special. Think of pieces that might just be the new vintage one day.
Shoes: When it comes to shoes, we think paying for a high-quality pair is critical—and not just for the health of your wallet. Cheap, uncomfortable, poorly-made shoes will probably sit in your wardrobe unworn (a clear waste of money) and can cause foot, knee and even back pain for some people. Use your hard-earned money to pay for quality, not quantity, when it comes to footwear.
When to Buy Cheap as Chips
With fashion styles changing as quickly as the tides, those who like to wear on-trend clothing can easily be swayed into blowing their budget on clothes. To make matters worse, clothing shops change their floor selection so often that we’re enticed by new pieces each time we enter a store. It’s easier to stay within budget if you buy cheap when it comes to new season, trendy clothing.
If you’re looking for the latest trends or just need a quick pick-me-up item, there are many brands offering a combination of affordable pricing and on-trend fashion. Depending on your budget and style, you can find fast fashion pieces at stores like H&M, Asos, Very.co.uk, Zara, etc.
3. Hire a Dress for Special Occasions
Whether it’s a wedding, a ball or a trip to Ascot, there are times we all need a special occasion dress. Instead of buying an expensive gown you’ll rarely wear or settling for a cheap dress with no feel-good factor, consider hiring. You can hire a dress for around 10 to 22 percent of the retail price, which can save you a bundle. Sometimes the rental price even includes insurance and dry cleaning. You can hire dresses by Badgley Mischka, BCBG Max Mara, Monique Lhuillier, Nicole Miller that normally retail for over £500, for under £100 or so.
| Where to Hire a Dress or Gown in the UK | < | |
|---|---|---|
| Chic By Choice | BCBG Max Azria, Herve Leger, Valentino, Monique Lhuillier, Nicole Miller, Temperley London, etc.; a 4 or 8 day dress rental includes: free backup size, dry cleaning & insurance and refunds on all unworn dresses | |
| Girl Meets Dress | A 2 or 7 night rental includes dry cleaning and free UK delivery & returns; order up to 3 dresses and only pay for what you wear; insurance extra (£7) | |
| My Celebrity Dress | Search for dresses as seen on your favourite celebrities, from Kim Kardashian to Love Island stars | |
| HURR | Peer-to-peer and managed rental marketplace with a large selection of designer pieces (RIXO, Ganni, Self-Portrait, Rat & Boa, etc.); minimum 4-day hire; professionally cleaned managed items available with next day delivery; you can also earn by lending out your own wardrobe | |
| Hirestreet | Budget-friendly option with 100+ brands including high street and mid-range labels (Ghost, Whistles, Nobody's Child, M&S); hire for 4–30 days from around £20; subscription plans available from £45/month for 2–5 items with free delivery and cleaning included | |
| My Wardrobe HQ | Luxury rental marketplace with the option to rent, subscribe, or buy; subscription plans from £59/month for 2 or 4 items; loved pieces can be purchased at any time | |
| By Rotation | App-based peer-to-peer rental platform — borrow directly from other people's wardrobes; search by location for local collection or choose postal rental; you can also earn by listing your own clothes | |
4. Use a Rewards Credit Card
The rates for rewards credit cards in the UK remain modest in 2026. While specialized cards like the Amex Platinum Cashback can still yield between 0.75% and 1.25% for high spenders, standard cashback credit cards typically offer between 0.25% and 0.5%. Some popular options have even tighter margins. This is probably the least valuable tip on this page.
5. Shop During Sales
Huge opportunities are often created to acquire clothing at 50% off or more during sales events. If you're on any mailing lists for your favourite stores, look back through old emails to see when they tend to discount older or seasonal styles. You'll notice they follow a pretty regular pattern, which you can take advantage of if you're ready.
Sale season is also a great way to save money on workout clothes.
6. Visit Charity Shops
We recently found a beautiful Ted Baker wool coat for £20 in a local charity shop—it was like new and would probably retail for close to £300. Hidden gems like this aren't always easy to find, but if you get in the habit of poking through your local charity shop every now and then, you might get lucky. Inventory at some shops is better than others and isn't always consistently good quality, but it's certainly worth getting to know the shops in your area.
7. Check Washing Instructions
I grew up with my mother performing two checks on clothes before we could buy anything—she would scrunch up the fabric in her fist to see how easily it wrinkled and also check the washing instructions. Needless to say, Dry Clean Only items never made it to the register. Once you factor in the cost of dry cleaning, these "quality" items can become prohibitively expensive.
What can you do with the money you've saved on clothes? No matter the time of year, it's never too early to start saving for Christmas!