Spring is here and its time to get out the lighter weight clothing and put away the sweater collection. As I am in need of a bit of an update in my wardrobe, I think of picking up some new clothes, but everything for spring is full price. I can pick up winter clothing on sale now. I would prefer to wait a while before I buy anything new in the hopes that things I want will be on sale. Some people rush to get new clothes as soon at they hit the stores. When you shop for clothes do you like to buy the current season's clothing to be worn now, or do you prefer to wait a while for it to go on sale? Are you comfortable being a year out of date and richer in the wallet?
The trick is to buy the clothes for a season when the season is not near. You can decide to buy clothes for Winter when it is summer. At that moment, the demand for such clothes is low so they will be much cheaper than you expect. But if you buy the clothes during the season, then you will be paying a hefty price for them because of the demand.
As mikelous says the smart shopper who cares not for fashion will wait for the best time to buy their clothes cheap. I wouldn't mind last year's winter coat in summer when the prices are at an all-time low rather than wait until winter rolls in and I have to get a similar coat at an exorbitant price.
I don't have a problem buying clothes on sale and only wearing them on the next season, even though I usually do buy a few items full price for that particular season. I think basic items are fine to buy on sale for the next year, as basic items don't go out of style. Whenever I need something for the season, I try to get them in shops like H&M and Forever 21 which are affordable.
Most likely you'll find Spring clothes on sale a few months a months from now, but then you won't need them anymore. At least not this year. However, if you are trying to live on a tight budget, it might be a good idea to now buy some things for the next winter.
I have heard and seen that buying items during the off season can actually lead to great savings. I need to go ahead and truly go for it and see if it works for me. I think the reason I really haven't done this though, is because I live in Denver. Though yes we get snow throughout our winter's, we overall have amazing sunshine all year long! So I usually have a handful of sweaters that I'll rotate and then focus more on the clothes I'd like for the warmer seasons. Even now in March though, I've seen some swimming suits go on sale so I'll probably make that my first off season purchase of the year.
I buy mostly out of season clothes unless there is a specific item that I need or catch something on sale. As for updating your wardrobe for the current season, you might want to consider checking out your local consignment shops or wait until yard sale season hits. I update mine frequently with yard sale finds!