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By Selena Maranjian (TMF Selena)
March 7, 2002

Q. What are some clothing-related money-saving tips?

A. Here are a bunch of ideas. They may be obvious, but odds are, you only employ one or a few of them, at most. Try to employ them all and you'll get the most bucks for your bang.

• Care for the clothes you buy properly. Otherwise, and you'll end up with things like pants shrunk too small or your spiffy red socks bleeding onto your nice new white shirt.
• When you're ready to get rid of old clothing, donate it to an organization such as the Salvation Army or Goodwill, where you can get an itemized receipt to file with your taxes. A pile of old clothing and shoes (not to mention other household goods) can represent a small windfall in charitable tax deductions.
• Consider buying some clothes for your kids slightly too large. They'll likely grow into them quickly and will get to wear them a little bit longer than if you'd bought something smaller.
• Seek out hand-me-down clothing for your younger children from friends, neighbors, and relatives.
• Convert old T-shirts and pajamas into useful rags by cutting them up. Then you won't have to buy towels and rags.
• Join a nudist colony.
• Keep your weight in check so you won't have to buy clothes for "expansion" reasons.
• Shop for clothes at the end of the season, when you'll find the best discounts. Parkas will often be cheaper in February than in November. (Of course, you might find some exceptional sale prices during the season, as well.)
• Give Dryel a try for your dry-cleaning needs.
• Look for factory outlets, where you can often get extra-low prices on name brands. If you're looking for a Gap outlet, call a Gap store and ask where their outlets are located. If you're after Nike footwear, call and ask about their outlets.

You'll find many more handy tips on our Living Below Your Means discussion board. The board's directory of tips is especially handy. Once you've saved some money, put it to work for you -- learn more in our Short-term Savings Center (which features some good interest-rate deals).

If you have any thoughts or opinions on this topic, share it with others on our discussion board for Ask the Fool.

This question and answer is adapted from The Motley Fool Money Guide: Answers to Your Questions About Saving, Spending and Investing. For answers to this and 499 other common money questions, check it out -- it's a handy resource.