I’ve had to replace most of my wardrobe every 2-3 months since banding. I’ve gone from a size 30 to a size 20-22 in 9 months. I work in an office where people are expected to be well dressed so wearing sloppy clothes 2 sizes too big is not an option. I could barely afford to dress nicely before my surgery, when all I had to buy was filler each season to spruce up my existing wardrobe. Now I have to start from scratch every couple of months. The problem is that I can’t afford to buy a new wardrobe that often. Even my shoes from last year are too wide now because my fat feet stretched them out.

When I shop I try on clothes to fit the size I am now . If I like them and they are a good deal, I put the correct size back and buy the item in the next size down. If it’s an especially good deal on a seasonless item, like slacks or jeans, I will buy several of them in every smaller size that is available. I have 3 pairs of awesome brown slacks from Target that I found on clearance for $6. The largest pair has already retired to the box for Goodwill. I was so happy that I found the pants in smaller sizes because sometimes I lament the loss of clothes I really like. I have to remember to try on the smaller items every couple of weeks because I almost missed my chance with a few things that were a little loose by the time I pulled them out of the closet to wear. I also have to try to gauge what size I’ll be when the next season rolls around. Lately I’ve found awesome prices on fall/winter leftovers from last year. They are practically free. I hope the pretty wool suits I found for $20 each last weekend will fit right when the cool weather rolls around.

Buying so many clothes on a limited budget is hard work! I spend a lot of lunch hours running out to browse the clearance racks at Marshall’s or Ross. I spend my evenings browsing EBay listings. Weekends are spent picking through the deeply reduced clearance racks at the stores I know to have good markdowns. At least I have more options now that I’m a smaller size.

I'm definitely not complaining. I'm thrilled to have lost so much weight, but it’s really been hard work keeping myself in clothes that fit without going broke. I guess I needed some kind of hobby now that I don’t fill my time with eating! :scared2:

How is everybody else keeping up with their new clothing size? What are your best bargain hunting tips?

Edited August 8, 200917 yr by August

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.

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!

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:

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.

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:

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!

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!

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.

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.

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:

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:

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:

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.

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:

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! :thumbup:

I had a handful of clothes from lower weights and mistake purchases that I was able to fit into but for the most part I've had to purchase all new. Ross, Marhall's, and TJMaxx, are perfect for business casual wear on the cheap, especially if you can find something on the clearance rack. If there is a Syms near you they are great for less casual clothes, although they do have casual clothing. Their clearance rack has some amazing deals.

You're a little bit smaller size than I am so you should find great deals. Try looking on the clearance racks now for heavier winter items that are too tight for you now by at least one size. There are still clothes leftover from last winter on the clearance racks that are deeply discounted. You should be fitting in them fine by the time the weather is cold enough to wear them.

I'll keep everyone posted in my EBay/Craigslist adventures. I think I'll try EBay first simply because the face to face transactions on Craigslist make me nervous. I have been putting my too large clothes that are saleable into boxes by size. I'll probably sell the lower priced items in lots by size and the nicer stuff as individual pieces.

PS I love shopping too! Having so much more selection now that I'm a smaller size has been a blast, but of course hard on my wallet. It has been so long since I've concentrated on myself. I feel guilty sometimes, but my husband is happy to seem me doing things for me. It doesn't hurt that I grab a shirt or pair of pants for him when I'm out shopping so he has nice new clothes too. :thumbup: