This past week I was on vacation, and I did a little shopping. I was at a store, and I saw the nicest wool sweater. It was soft, thick, and 100% wool which is hard to come by these days. I’ve been looking for a nice wool sweater since I’ve been abroad, and when I put on the sweater I immediately fell in love. Even though the sweater was perfect, I remembered the number on the price tag, and took it off. I decided to spend the rest of the day ruminating on whether or not I should buy it. Throughout the day, I though of the pros and cons. The sweater was everything I was looking for, but it was a bit expensive. I would never find anything like it in the states, but was I ready to make a purchase that big? After a day of thinking, I eventually went back to the store, and bought the sweater.
That experience taught me that my idea of what clothes should cost is extremely misguided. Good quality clothes actually cost a little more than you think when you consider the costs of labor, materials, transport, and other costs related to production. Fast fashion practices have really screwed up how I buying clothes. When I was younger, I saw clothes as status symbols. The clothes you wore were representative of your ability to keep up with trends. In the past couple of years, I’ve realized that my clothes should be an investment. I need to buy clothes that clothes that will last me longer than a couple wears.
Like any investment, you need to put money in to get a return. It’s the same with clothes. I need to spend a little more upfront to have clothes that I can wear for years. Next time you’re buying clothes consider the ROI of the piece. Is it something you can see sitting in the back of your closet or even in a landfill in a couple years? Or, is it something you’ll be wearing for years or even decades? Is the ROI worth the initial investment? When you buy clothes with a substantial ROI you actually save more in the long run.
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