Buying clothes is a full time job!!

[August 0]

I was struck too by how much cheaper smaller clothes are. Here in Australia a 20 (your 16-18) is definitely plus size territory, out of regular stores and you're paying an arm and a leg. Once I got down to a 16 and under, I could buy clothes so much cheaper it didnt hurt as much.

I've browsed the smaller sizes and can see that when I get down another size or two the prices drop and selection goes up dramatically! I'm looking forward to getting more and paying less.

[Libbyjane1976 1]

Salvation Army, clearance racks at Fashion Bug, resale shops, ebay. Good luck!!! I know i'm buying clothes every few months too. Half the time I walk around with pants 2 sizes too big. I buy 2 pair of black pants every couple of months and wear them with different shirts. I end up doing laundry 2-3 times a week!!! It's worth it.

[greytz 4]

I am only 33 lbs down and have already begun to have a problem. I have really lost a lot of inches and the clothes I had that were too tight that I thought I would be able to use are already too big. I just blew right by them. I am still trying to use the pants and tops as long as I can but my my butt has really slimmed and I look like I have a load in there or something. (laughing). I am fortunate in that I am retired and don't have to worry so much about it but it is still embarrassing to have them hanging on me like that. I have a good consignment shop around the corner from me so I think I am going to check it out. I would think consignment and all the places mentioned above will be the way to go for me. Most of those stores are in my area. I do have a question for anyone on this thread. Bras are so expensive and I of course you can't buy them on consignment so where do you all go to buy a good but fairly inexpensive bra? Too bad for me but one of the first things to go was my boobies. On a positive side the wings of skin that pushed the sides of my bra are now gone!

[Melody2006 1]

I wear scrubs to my hospital job so during my major loss period I just started saftey pinning my pants and wearing Tshirts under the scrub tops. It got so bad I had 3 saftey pins in the waist band of all my pants and one co-worker joked she was going to take a collection up for new scrubs for me.

I guess I was just too scared to buy a bunch of new stuff. I still don't have much and keep telling myself I won't buy all new till I reach goal. 3 more pounds to goal. I did buy all new bras (TJ Maxx and Marshalls) and all new panties. I had to. I lost so much in that area. And replacing ALL your stuff is expensive.

If you have a TJ Maxx or a Marshalls in your area I highly suggest going there. Also Burlington Coat Factory and JC Penny Outlet. I'm lucky to have all 4 not that far from me. I'd be broke if I didn't. :thumbup:

[August 0]

I am only 33 lbs down and have already begun to have a problem. I have really lost a lot of inches and the clothes I had that were too tight that I thought I would be able to use are already too big. I just blew right by them. I am still trying to use the pants and tops as long as I can but my my butt has really slimmed and I look like I have a load in there or something. (laughing). I am fortunate in that I am retired and don't have to worry so much about it but it is still embarrassing to have them hanging on me like that. I have a good consignment shop around the corner from me so I think I am going to check it out. I would think consignment and all the places mentioned above will be the way to go for me. Most of those stores are in my area. I do have a question for anyone on this thread. Bras are so expensive and I of course you can't buy them on consignment so where do you all go to buy a good but fairly inexpensive bra? Too bad for me but one of the first things to go was my boobies. On a positive side the wings of skin that pushed the sides of my bra are now gone!

Kohls, Marshalls, TJ Maxx, and Ross have good prices on bras. I buy them a few inches too small and use bra extenders to make them longer until they fit properly. I got the bra extenders at Target, but I've seen them at other stores.

[August 0]

I’m gathering up my first load of clothes to attempt to sell on EBay. I feel bad about not donating them but I’ve spent so much on clothing lately that I can’t afford to not get at least a little something back. I had not decided to try reselling them on EBay when I bought the current off casts so I doubt I’ll get much for them. When I bought these my criteria was that it wouldn’t fall apart in the two months I’d be able to wear it and that it was super cheap. I think my best bet is to sell this group in lots by size.

I wish I could bring myself to wear clothes that are too big but I haven’t been able to tolerate it. I used to like flowing garments when was heavier because I thought they disguised my weight. Plus I was so uncomfortable just from being that heavy that restricting clothes felt terrible. Now I hate the feeling of unstructured drapey fabric. My skin is so saggy that I feel better when I wear more structured clothing that props things back up. I wear a lot of “foundation garments” too. Girdles used to feel terrible and constricting but now they feel more comfortable than naked because I don’t feel the flappy sensation in my lower stomach and other areas. I can only imagine how bad the skin problem will be at goal weight. I think I’ll probably need a million dollars worth of plastic surgery!

Everybody else is so frugal. I’ve gone a little nuts buying clothes. I work hard to find good clothes at rock bottom bargain prices but I’ve definitely bought more than I need. It has been exciting to have so many clothing options. I’m used to being too big to wear even the largest size at Lane Bryant. I didn’t buy clothes because I liked them. I bought because they were the only things I could find that fit me. I think I still have that mentality but the problem is so much more stuff fits me. I feel like I should buy it all! I need to work on being choosier because soon even more things in the stores will fit me. Time to slow down before I have to rent a truck take my purchases home to the poor house! :thumbup:

[ACajunAnna 1]

Are you in a support group through your surgeon's office? How about getting a clothing exchange going? It may be a bit of work to get it started, but you are spending so much time shopping anyway.

Of course, if the Ebay thing works out, and you can make money....go that route!

[newdicarlo 0]

I'm really surprised no one on here has mentioned Craigslist? I've sold all my old clothes there to one woman. I was lucky enough to find someone who loved everything and I would call her has I lost more weight. She ended up getting a REALLY nice wardrobe for about $325 overall--but I also could use that money for new clothes that I needed.

I'm lucky enough to work from home, so I'm in big T's and shorts all day, but I did get a few outfits for when I have to go in the office or out to dinner. I just bought 4 pairs of yoga pants for the fall at Old Navy, and spent $12-15 on each pair. It is fun, but I feel the same--it's hard for me to spend money on clothes I know won't fit next year. We don't have a Ross, but I have also tried Goodwill several times, but everything I find seems to be off-season and I don't know what size I might be when the next season rolls around.

I've gone from a 24 to an 18 which is now getting to be a little too big. I also bought the yoga pants in an XL, put a pair on the other day and they are going to be too big soon too, I might have to return some and just get a L...haven't been in a Large size in like...14 years...since i was a freshman in college!

[ParrotheadCathy 0]

A friend who had the surgery after me has given me all her things that are too big. She started in a smaller size than me so some of those things are just beginning to fit and there's a lot to shink into! Another friend LOANED me some things she can't get into at the moment. I'm still having to buy some slacks because both my friends are 5-6 inches shorter than me so their slacks don't work for me....but I scored big on tops so that helps a lot.

[ThinknHealthy 0]

I'm a singer in a choir. We've always worn a black skirt and a long-sleeve white button-down blouse. Of course, I had to buy a new set for the concert this Thursday night and when I tried the ensemble on, with the new shoes I bought the other day, I looked in the mirror and was just amazed. Who was that person?

I have literally nothing to wear for winter. The few things I have are really too big, but wearable. I'm going to take a shopping trip in a few weeks to bulk up my wardrobe and just hope the summer things I have will continue to fit until the season changes.

[August 0]

I'm really surprised no one on here has mentioned Craigslist? I've sold all my old clothes there to one woman. I was lucky enough to find someone who loved everything and I would call her has I lost more weight. She ended up getting a REALLY nice wardrobe for about $325 overall--but I also could use that money for new clothes that I needed.

I'm lucky enough to work from home, so I'm in big T's and shorts all day, but I did get a few outfits for when I have to go in the office or out to dinner. I just bought 4 pairs of yoga pants for the fall at Old Navy, and spent $12-15 on each pair. It is fun, but I feel the same--it's hard for me to spend money on clothes I know won't fit next year. We don't have a Ross, but I have also tried Goodwill several times, but everything I find seems to be off-season and I don't know what size I might be when the next season rolls around.

I've gone from a 24 to an 18 which is now getting to be a little too big. I also bought the yoga pants in an XL, put a pair on the other day and they are going to be too big soon too, I might have to return some and just get a L...haven't been in a Large size in like...14 years...since i was a freshman in college!

I had not thought of Craigslist to sell my clothes! I'll have to investigate that. Thanks! :smile2:

[August 0]

I've gone from a 24 to an 18 which is now getting to be a little too big. I also bought the yoga pants in an XL, put a pair on the other day and they are going to be too big soon too, I might have to return some and just get a L...haven't been in a Large size in like...14 years...since i was a freshman in college!

I forgot to add...congratulations on the new size! :smile2:

[August 0]

A friend who had the surgery after me has given me all her things that are too big. She started in a smaller size than me so some of those things are just beginning to fit and there's a lot to shink into! Another friend LOANED me some things she can't get into at the moment. I'm still having to buy some slacks because both my friends are 5-6 inches shorter than me so their slacks don't work for me....but I scored big on tops so that helps a lot.

You're lucky to have a good resource for clothes. I've given some clothes to friends at work who were once smaller than me and they gave me a few things along the way. I need to make some more friends a size smaller and a size larger than me! :smile2:

[August 0]

I'm a singer in a choir. We've always worn a black skirt and a long-sleeve white button-down blouse. Of course, I had to buy a new set for the concert this Thursday night and when I tried the ensemble on, with the new shoes I bought the other day, I looked in the mirror and was just amazed. Who was that person?

I have literally nothing to wear for winter. The few things I have are really too big, but wearable. I'm going to take a shopping trip in a few weeks to bulk up my wardrobe and just hope the summer things I have will continue to fit until the season changes.

Congratulations on your success! I'm sure you look great! :smile2:

When you go shopping, I would suggest buying clothes that fit snug now, so that they will fit longer. I made the mistake of buying clothes that fit properly just after the surgery and only got the chance to wear them one or twice before they were too big.

[Delma 0]

August: I think I'm going to be in your predicament and I'm pretty sure it's going to be sooner rather than later. Work clothes are business casual (emphasis on the casual at my level), so I won't be buying suits, so that'll save me some $$.

HOWEVER, my current wardrobe ranges in size from 22 to 16 with tops in the range of 2X to XL. I was just banded 8/24 and I'm down to 224 which is really at the low end of where I've been weight-wise for the last several years. So, my size 18s are starting to get loose already. That means I don't have much of a cushion in my current wardrobe. I foresee many lunch hours at Ross and Marshall's for me, too.

I love to shop and I always have, so this will not be any hardship except in the financial department! I love your idea of buying inexpensive clothes that you really like in several smaller sizes. How smart!!

Anyhow, let us know how things go on ebay or Craigslist! :smile2: