CLOTHES and shoes are just some of the essential items soaring in price as the cost of living crisis starts to bite, but there are ways to slash your spending.
Simple tips such as switching up where you’re shopping or flogging old gear can save you a fortune.
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If you’re a dab hand at DIY, you might be able to repair your broken items at a fraction of the price you’d pay to replace them too.
As shoppers face rising prices from supermarket staples to energy bills, and more, there’s never been a better time to curb spending.
Reena Sewraz, a Which? money expert, said: “Clothing and shoes are essential for everyone, but inflation is pushing prices higher and higher.
“To cut costs, try hunting for bargains in a charity shop or a car boot sale, or finding preloved items on online marketplaces.
“If you have an event coming up, you could even try renting an outfit rather than forking out for a new one.
“We all know the negative impact of the fast fashion industry, so not only will these tips help your bank balance, but the planet as well.”
The consumer experts revealed more ways to bring down your total at the checkout too, from buying from the kids section to getting FREE cash for your old rags.
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Here’s how you can cut costs:
Cash-in on your old clothes
If you recycle your old clothes you could claim cash vouchers.
Plenty of shops you’ll find on the high street let you trade in your old stuff to get money-off cards you can use at a later date in their stores.
H&M and Schuh offer £5 off a £25 shop, while Marks and Spencer offers a fiver off when you spend £35.
New Look offers 15% off if you donate pre-loved fashion to a Hospice charity shop.
You can typically take anything to the stores – it could be old and broken pieces that you can’t wear anymore, or simply something that’s been hanging unused in your wardrobe for too long.
If it’s wearable, the store may be able to remarket it as second-hand clothing.
But if you’ve handed in something stained or ripped that’s not suitable for re-wear then it can be turned into other products, such as remake collections or cleaning cloths.
You can take in any volume of clothing but you’ll typically get just the one voucher per handed-in haul.
Buy children’s choices
If you’re small enough to fit in it, buy the children’s version to get a cheaper price.
Kid’s ranges are exempt from VAT, meaning they’re often a lot cheaper than adult versions of the same items.
The hack is perfect for shoes, as sizes often overlap – and no one can tell the difference in style anyway.
If you’ve got feet size 5 or under, you can usually get away with it.
Brands including Adidas, Nike, Converse and Dr Martens do children’s versions of their most popular styles which means you can get the exact same product for less.
When Which? checked in June, a pair of Dr Martens 1460 youth white boots were £70 on the children’s section of Schuh, and available up to a UK size 5.
A full price pair of adult white 1460 ‘bex’ boots in a size 5 retails at £169 in comparison.
If you picked up the shoes from the younger section then you could save £99.
Try them on first though – sometimes kids shoes are narrower or cut slightly differently, so it’s worth checking before you buy.
How else can I cut my costs on clothing?
There are plenty of other ways to slash your spends.
It’s always worth shopping around – especially as most fashion brands will follow the same trends, you may be able to find the same design elsewhere for less.
Every store will have a plain white T-shirt for example, but you may be able to find the same thing that’s a tenner in one store, for just £4 somewhere cheaper.
A good place to start is the supermarket – you can often find cheaper clothes while you’re stocking up on groceries.
It helps if you have a loyalty card too – something like Tesco’s free Clubcard can score you cheaper prices on the shelves instantly.
But if you want even cheaper prices it’s worth heading to resell venues like charity shops, or even Facebook Marketplace, or newer sites like Vinted.
There you can buy other people’s clothes at a fraction of the cost.
If you have an overflowing wardrobe you could also sell your own old clothes online, or at a car boot and more, to make up the cost of buying new garments.
Before you rush to do that though, you could try repairing any damage to give your bits a longer lease of life.
Which? revealed that a pair of brand new men’s smart shoes on John Lewis can cost anything from £70 to £450, depending on the brand and quality of leather – but the soles could be replaced for as little as £30.
And for wool jumpers that are getting worn, Amazon sells bobble removers for as little as £5.
Washing your clothes less often will help them last longer too – you’ll also be able to cut down on household bills by reducing your weekly loads.
Levi’s advises jeans be washed every 10 wears, for example.
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