Tips for saving when shopping for clothes?

[Valandor]

Hello fellow Mustachians,

I don't buy clothes often, and I keep my wardrobe to necessities mostly. Even so, I'd love to hear your tips for how to save money when shopping for clothes.

Should I buy discounted gift cards for places where I regularly shop (to use later)? Limit myself to buying only when there are sales? Pick up basics at places like Target and get a few nicer pieces from better places?

What are your best tips for saving money while clothes shopping?

[couronne]

I buy many of my clothes at Kohls. I have their credit card to get their 30% off code and free shipping which they tyically have once a month. I only shop at those times and look at slickdeals.com for additional coupon codes. I always pay my bill off when I get it. One of my friends only purchases her clothes at Thrift Shops and does quite well.

[bobechs]

Pick it up, touch it, look at the construction, admire the style.  Maybe even try it on.

Put it back, and then leave.

[galliver]

This will likely depend on whether you are a man or a woman, what kind of clothes you want or are expected to wear, your size, your stance on ethics/fair-trade, etc.

As a female graduate student in engineering, in my 20s, I dress quite casually most days. I sometimes need a few days of business-slightly-formal wear for conferences, etc. Slacks and blouse/sweater are fine in my field.

For dress pants, jeans, yoga/exercise pants, some tops I go to discount stores like Ross, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Burlington Coat Factory. I try to spend $25 or less on pants, $15 on yoga pants, $10 or less on shirts. I've found some great $10-15 pants before. In my experience, Burlington (except the awful one by me now) has a good selection professional clothing, including suits, especially during an annual sale (I think in springtime? I hit it on accident once.) They may not hold up to true white-collar snuff though. I sometimes go to Nordstrom Rack but find it more expensive than the others.

I love t-shirts and cardigans from Target, though I usually shop the clearance and sales. Last week (through Saturday) they had 40% off Merona and 50% off certain Mossimo shirts. I got 5 for $5-6 average (it was time). I've heard the opposite from others, but I find that Target shirts hold up well for several years (and even then, the issue becomes more about discoloration...). Also get underwear and socks there.

Outerwear and certain performance items I go to REI (also trying to hit sales). Recently: hiking pants, sports bra, wool socks, splurge on Chacos. Less recently: winter coat, rain shell, fleece. Ages ago: hiking boots. Can be good to check for certain items on Sierra Trading Post before buying; it's basically the discount REI.

I used to go to JC Penney sometimes, but lately I avoid it because I hate the giant mall in my area. But I've found pants, shirts, sweaters that I like at a similar price point to the discount retailers there.

I fix minor issues with my clothes to make them last; and also save new ones for "public facing" activities and wear older/torn/unfashionable ones around the house or lab to wear them out. My views on the effect of boycotting major retailers/fast-fashion are mixed and complicated; but I figure if I minimize consumption overall, I'm minimizing my effect on the negative aspects.

[Frugster]

Pick it up, touch it, look at the construction, admire the style.  Maybe even try it on.

Put it back, and then leave.

+1 to this! Also to putting things in your online shopping cart... and then leaving them there.

The best advice about clothes I've gotten comes from The Tightwad Gazette: The more often you do your laundry, the fewer clothes you need!

[greaper007]

Learn to sew and alter your clothes.   It really opens up your choices when you can move a hemline or adjust a dart.    Sewing your own clothes isn't really cost effective though, fabric is pretty expensive.

[Valandor]

I buy many of my clothes at Kohls. I have their credit card to get their 30% off code and free shipping which they tyically have once a month. I only shop at those times and look at slickdeals.com for additional coupon codes. I always pay my bill off when I get it. One of my friends only purchases her clothes at Thrift Shops and does quite well.

Huh, those are some good tips. I've heard several Mustachians say they've saved a lot by couponing and it's something I've thought about... clearly, I should give it a shot.

This will likely depend on whether you are a man or a woman, what kind of clothes you want or are expected to wear, your size, your stance on ethics/fair-trade, etc.

As a female graduate student in engineering, in my 20s, I dress quite casually most days. I sometimes need a few days of business-slightly-formal wear for conferences, etc. Slacks and blouse/sweater are fine in my field.

For dress pants, jeans, yoga/exercise pants, some tops I go to discount stores like Ross, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Burlington Coat Factory. I try to spend $25 or less on pants, $15 on yoga pants, $10 or less on shirts. I've found some great $10-15 pants before. In my experience, Burlington (except the awful one by me now) has a good selection professional clothing, including suits, especially during an annual sale (I think in springtime? I hit it on accident once.) They may not hold up to true white-collar snuff though. I sometimes go to Nordstrom Rack but find it more expensive than the others.

I love t-shirts and cardigans from Target, though I usually shop the clearance and sales. Last week (through Saturday) they had 40% off Merona and 50% off certain Mossimo shirts. I got 5 for $5-6 average (it was time). I've heard the opposite from others, but I find that Target shirts hold up well for several years (and even then, the issue becomes more about discoloration...). Also get underwear and socks there.

Outerwear and certain performance items I go to REI (also trying to hit sales). Recently: hiking pants, sports bra, wool socks, splurge on Chacos. Less recently: winter coat, rain shell, fleece. Ages ago: hiking boots. Can be good to check for certain items on Sierra Trading Post before buying; it's basically the discount REI.

I used to go to JC Penney sometimes, but lately I avoid it because I hate the giant mall in my area. But I've found pants, shirts, sweaters that I like at a similar price point to the discount retailers there.

I fix minor issues with my clothes to make them last; and also save new ones for "public facing" activities and wear older/torn/unfashionable ones around the house or lab to wear them out. My views on the effect of boycotting major retailers/fast-fashion are mixed and complicated; but I figure if I minimize consumption overall, I'm minimizing my effect on the negative aspects.

I work at a software company, so I do have some flexibility on what I can wear (though I try not to test the limits of what's acceptable). You make a good point about Burlington - I shopped there for luggage once and I remember thinking I should go back to look at clothes, but never did. Target is great as you mentioned - though Merona's menswear selection is pretty hit-or-miss for me, they do have some good deals, especially on socks / underwear. To your point about minimizing consumption, I think that's an idea all Mustachians can appreciate. :)

Learn to sew and alter your clothes.   It really opens up your choices when you can move a hemline or adjust a dart.    Sewing your own clothes isn't really cost effective though, fabric is pretty expensive.

Learning to alter clothes is a great idea! Can't tell you how many times I find something that would be a steal, if only it weren't two sizes too large for me. Very good advice.

Pick it up, touch it, look at the construction, admire the style.  Maybe even try it on.

Put it back, and then leave.

Pick it up, touch it, look at the construction, admire the style.  Maybe even try it on.

Put it back, and then leave.

+1 to this! Also to putting things in your online shopping cart... and then leaving them there.

The best advice about clothes I've gotten comes from The Tightwad Gazette: The more often you do your laundry, the fewer clothes you need!

Hah, I love all of this! :) I'm actually more at risk of never buying clothes at all (even when I really need them) than buying frivolously, since I dislike shopping in general. Still, I like the idea of "letting it sit a while" when you get the urge to buy something you might not need - that's a very good tip.

Thanks all for the great advice!

[asiljoy]

I've bought business staples on thredup.com. I'm an odd size and I can usually get Brooks Brothers/similar kinds of stuff with tags on for pennies on the dollar.

If you're going to shop at Target, use cartwheel, and shop at the end of seasons. They let you stack with whatever is already on clearance, and they usually will add in stuff short notice for whatever needs to get pushed to make room for new stuff. I buy clothes for my niece/nephews for Christmas/birthdays this way (yep, I'm totes the cool aunt... nope).

[Dee18]

I like one stop shopping so my place is TJ Maxx....if they don't have it, I probably don't need it.  I do shop elsewhere for hiking/outdoor clothes sometimes.  I check online, especially Sierra Trading Post.  And I visit the Zappos 6 p.m. outlet occasionally for shoes. 
I don't shop with coupons and I don't hit the big sales at Macy's, etc, because I find them time consuming, and more than once I've bought things I didn't really love.  I have a fairly small wardrobe now (a large bureau and a 3 foot wide closet hold everything) with no "off season" storage.  It's great!  Thanks in part to Marie Kondo.

[mrpercentage]

Find the local clearance centers-- Dillards, Macy's, and the rest usually have one. REI has a garage sale event that is worth going to

[Warlord1986]

Consignment shops. God bless consignment shops. I swear by them. I got a Banana Republic suit for $40, and it looks fantastic. I've gotten coach bags for $12. Ralph Lauren pants for $10. I repeat: God bless consignment shops.

[Random Hangers]

Similar to consignment shops: thrift stores. They can be a little hit or miss, depending on your area, but here are a couple of tips:

1. Some (most?) thrift stores give discounts based on how long the inventory have been around. For example, everything coming in early last week would be tagged with a gray label, late last week a pink label and early this week a red. Above the register, there may be a board that notes what's on sale: gray is 50% right now, because they've been around the longest. Pink might be 20%. Red is full price because it just came in. Not all stores have this policy, but it helps with turnover, so in my experience, a bunch of them do.

2. I love thrifting, and the thrill of the hunt, but I have friends who get overwhelmed by the sheer number of items. I try to encourage them to go with a particular goal in mind: this time I might be on the prowl for shorts because summer is coming up, last visit the focus was on adding black work pants to my repertoire. Some hunts can last awhile: I remember looking for black belts (to bring in the waist, not to fight crime, lol) for MONTHS before finding one I was pleased with. Having a goal is easier than just wandering around hopelessly.

3. As someone upthread mentioned, it also helps if you narrow by price (our price ranges are also eerily similar!). This makes it less likely that you'll be torn over buying something: if it's a shirt for more than $10, I automatically put it back, no need to waffle.

4. You may have to do some searching to find a "good" thrift store. There's one that's near a swanky part of town that I loooove (it's not just a thrift store but a "Goodwill Boutique," lol) because oftentimes I can find high quality stuff with tags still on (I assume the non-mustachian ladies nearby buy stuff and just donate it down the line instead of returning it). Another one is best when I'm on the lookout for furniture and another only when I have a LOT of time to browse because it's just so expansive.

Good luck!

[gardenarian]

Garage sales are great - often 25 cents for clothing. I buy almost nothing new, except underwear (which I get at Target, unless the price is better online.)

Take care of your clothes.
Brush them and hang them up as soon as your take them off.
Wash all clothing on the gentle cycle in cold water and hang dry. Throw them in the dryer briefly to fluff.
If you have an HE machine, don't use the fastest level of spin - it can cause micro-rips in fabric which soon become real rips.
Use a lingerie mesh bag (available at dollar stores) for delicate clothing.
Treat stains as soon as they occur. Keeping the stain wet will help. You can just wet it and scrub with some hand soap to remove a lot of stains.
If you don't know how to hem, mend, or patch clothing, there are many youtube videos to learn from.
Keep supplies on hand - scissors, needle and thread, elastic, buttons, snaps, hooks and eyes, iron-on patches, fabric scraps for patching.
Stitch on loose buttons before they fall off.
Mend minor tears as soon as they happen.
Replace elastic when it gets stretched out (as in elastic waist sweat pants.)
It's pretty cheap (and easy) to dye clothes if they are looking really shabby.
Take care of your shoes, too. Stuff them with newspaper every day when you take them off (absorbs odors and helps them keep their shape.) Brush them clean regularly.
Nik wax is great for waterproofing many shoes. (They also make a wonderful product that will renew the waterproofing in coats and jackets.)
Any shoes can be made more wearable and comfortable by using foam insoles (Dr. Scholl's, Powerstep, Superfeet.)

[Gretamom]

I buy almost all my clothes at second hand stores & some at garage sales. One tip I have for you is if you really like something you see at the store, see if someone is selling it on Ebay. I've done this several times, this works too for clothes that I really love, but are worn out and I know I'm not going to be able to find it in the store anymore.

[Zaga]

Other than learning to repair and alter clothing, my advice is to ONLY buy things that you know you will wear.  Have a plan in mind at least a week before you go shopping, with specific items you want to fill out your wardrobe.

As an example, I have a color palette, I buy clothes that are black, grey, and certain colors in jewel tones.  All my shoes match all my clothes, all my tops go with all my bottoms, etc.  So pick a palette that works for your life.

Also go with things that you will like.  Do you like cozy sweaters, get those.  Hate scarves, then stay away.  Buying something you hate just because it's trendy or fashionable is a waste of money.

[hyla]

Thrift shops mostly, and online used vendors when I know exactly what I want.

If you are looking for a specific item - for example if you have a shirt you love and want to get it in other colors - thrift shops obviously fall short because you never know what you will find.  So in that case search for the your size on ebay or online consignment sites like thread up.  In my experience online used clothing is a bit more expensive than thrift shops, but still much cheaper than buying new. 

Since you can't try on or return clothing from ebay, I'd generally recommend either 1) using it to purchase duplicates of garments you own and know your size, or 2) buying from sellers that list actual item measurements (i.e., length 31", sleeve 25") and comparing the item for sale to something similar you own that fits.

[Astreja]

For pants and shirts, I always look in the thrift stores first before buying something new.  Part of this is because my waist-to-hips ratio and long back make it hard to find pants that fit (I need relaxed-fit legs with a comparatively small and quite high waist).  At a thrift store I can try on multiple brands in one place and generally do find something comfortable for $10 or less.

Shoes I usually buy new, because it's uncommon to find second-hand shoes without worn-down spots on the heels.  I try to stick to black, because it goes with virtually everything I wear..

[ender]

Similar to consignment shops: thrift stores. They can be a little hit or miss, depending on your area, but here are a couple of tips:

An addition to this, the demographic of your area makes a huge difference.

My grandparents probably haven't bought new clothing in decades because they were snowbirds going to Florida. Thrift shops there have tons of great stuff because older folks wear it and then die/leave/etc and the thrift shops end up with tons of high quality, relatively unworn, stuff.

But the college town we live in is a lot more difficult for this, because a huge percentage of the demographic is college students. So the demand is higher and contribution rate lower.

[Trudie]

I don't buy many clothes - put I am not afraid to shop thrift for the occasional item.  I don't really enjoy shopping though, either, so I am not willing to take the time to go to tons of different stores.

But for everyday work appropriate clothes I shop Costco.  I've found I just can't beat their prices and their return policy.  When I find something that I like I buy it in multiple colors.

I also shop at an Ann Taylor outlet store a couple of times per year in Minnesota -- they don't have sales tax on clothes and shoes.

I've received frequent compliments on my wardrobe, but it's really not that fancy... I just switch a few things out here and there and try to treat it like a "uniform." 

I also wash a lot of my clothes on the gentle cycle and put them on a drying rack.  I think this is much easier on them and of course it saves moolah.

[Kaybee]

Other than learning to repair and alter clothing, my advice is to ONLY buy things that you know you will wear...As an example, I have a color palette, I buy clothes that are black, grey, and certain colors in jewel tones.  All my shoes match all my clothes, all my tops go with all my bottoms, etc...Also go with things that you will like.  Do you like cozy sweaters, get those.  Hate scarves, then stay away.  Buying something you hate just because it's trendy or fashionable is a waste of money.

I'm very much like Zaga.  I started whittling my wardrobe down to a capsule wardrobe when I realized I was always reaching for the same things anyways.  If you looked in my closet, you'd see black, grey, white and varying shades of blue.  I have one special occasion dress that is bright red but I love it and because people are so used to seeing me in certain colours, the red dress gets a lot of "wow" responses when I wear it.  It took time for me to really come to terms with what I wore (I loved buying "aspirational" clothing) but now I'm happy everytime I get dressed instead of putting on an outfit and not feeling quite right in it because it simply wasn't my style.  And 95% of my clothing is from thrift or consignment shops with a few select items coming from smaller, local designers or companies that don't produce clothing in sweatshop-like conditions.

[HipGnosis]

The best advice about clothes I've gotten comes from The Tightwad Gazette: The more often you do your laundry, the fewer clothes you need!

But I've read that washing cloths actually wears them out.  So don't wash them when they're not dirty.

[HipGnosis]

For mens business casual - thrift stores.  The quality of the fabric of the older clothing is so much better than what is sold new at anywhere I can afford.

I was buying premium jeans, but now Im just buying Dickies work pants.

[TheMoneyWizard]

As a guy proud to have the words "stylish" and "well-dressed" used in my direction, and NOT in a sarcastic tone, I do pretty much all of my clothes shopping in three forms:

1) Check out the local thrift stores. Near me there is a thrift store is clearly affiliated with a local department store, and gets all of their unsold stuff. I've found some killer deals on casual clothes here, never spending more than around $5 per shirt.
2) For nicer clothes and most of my business casual work clothes, I buy Banana Republic giftcards discounted up to 25% and then use those giftcards at Banana Republic outlet store, during sales. An example of this would be dress shirts, which are $80 in the BR flagship stores, marked down to $40-50 at the outlet store, then on sale for $30, paid for with discounting giftcards thus costing me only $20.
3) Remind myself that we all probably have too many clothes anyway, and nobody is actually keeping tabs on what I'm wearing. When in doubt, I pass.

[Choices]

I usually stick with brands that I know run true to size. Ann Taylor is high quality for work, and Patagonia is great for hiking. They're both super-pricey, so I let other people take the first hit and scoop up used items on EBay. Check out http://choosebetterlife.com/shop-like-ninja

I also try to stick with colors that all go together and make me happy-- black, blues, grays, greens, and I don't have to worry about having oddball pieces that don't go with anything.

[FIstateofmind]

Buy locally only used or online from aliexpress. :]

[iris lily]

Thrift store.

[brute]

Truly I wish thrift stores were an option. No one lets go of clothing in my size. At 6'4", a 44" inch waist and a 61" chest, it's a pain. Current jean styles often don't fit over my quads.

So, here's what I do. I wear the same thing a lot. I wait until something in a size and from a manufacturer I know goes on sale, and I get several. I don't care if I wore the same color shirt and slacks all week. They're clean and look nice, so people don't get weird about it.(Also, chances are it's the same pair of slacks and maybe 2 shirts for the whole week. Office work lets me re-wear stuff for days, saving on laundry time)

[FausseBourgeoise]

What I do is go to thrift stores in hipster areas and find gently used clothes. I bring a friend to help encourage me to try things on. $5 dresses, $10 pants, sometimes a quality sweater for $25 or a beautifully embroidered Japanese hoodie for $35.
I just can't bring myself to shop for clothes in malls anymore.

I'd say the one exception is pants -- for jeans and sometimes dressier pants I go to Costco and get 2-3 $20 pairs around September and then I wear them the whole year until it gets too warm to do so, at which point I go back to the thrift store. In the past, for dress shirts, I had a brand that I liked and would just grab anything made by his company, and it worked magically.

Also being merciless in getting rid of [swapping with friends or donating to charity] things that aren't working out seems to reduce my spending because I am only pulling things from the closet that I actually love.

Bringing the friend and being willing to walk away or to spend an hour and a half digging is key -- a lot of clothes in these stores are made for people who don't even come close to having my body type and it is so easy to get frustrated -- but not with personal shopper friend.

That said, if your body type is hard to fit, maybe consider fewer but better quality pieces. A French approach to fashion being that if it looked great on Tuesday, you should definitely wear it again on Thursday.

[pekklemafia]

Truly I wish thrift stores were an option. No one lets go of clothing in my size. At 6'4", a 44" inch waist and a 61" chest, it's a pain. Current jean styles often don't fit over my quads.

So, here's what I do. I wear the same thing a lot. I wait until something in a size and from a manufacturer I know goes on sale, and I get several. I don't care if I wore the same color shirt and slacks all week. They're clean and look nice, so people don't get weird about it.(Also, chances are it's the same pair of slacks and maybe 2 shirts for the whole week. Office work lets me re-wear stuff for days, saving on laundry time)

I second this - I wear one or two pairs of pants on rotation and have a few go-to tops. (In the summer I get to go sans-pants, ie: dresses and skirts!) Everything is neutral (black, white, gray, maybe some tan thrown in there) so that it all goes together. Maybe Google "capsule wardrobe" and get some ideas for how look great with a limited number of pieces? I also have a few scarves that I have on rotation to keep things feeling a bit fresher - thrift stores usually have loads of really lovely silk pieces.

[MommyStache]

Thrift stores! If you go frequently and find a few that seem to get nice donations, you will be set. Once you find a favorite shop, you can figure out if they have a cycle where they put certain color tags on sale. Some chain thrift stores even have savings clubs and email coupons.

Buy less. Seriously, the capsule wardrobe idea works great. It makes life so much simpler and you will ultimately spend less on clothes and love the ones you do wear and get a lot of use out of each of your clothing items.

Buy during end of season sales for name-brand items you really want.

Only buy what you love. If you don't like it that much, no matter how low the price is, you won't be glad you spent any money on it. I know from experience. "When in doubt, leave it out."

[catccc]

If you are a very small adult, check to see if kids clothes fit.  I'm 4'11", 97 lbs.  Girls 14 fits great on me.

Ebay- buy in lots from brands that you know fit.

And did someone say Ann Taylor is true to size?  That must be a joke.  They are one of the worst offenders of vanity sizing, IMO.

[jandr]

This is what has worked for me.

The first thing you're going to want to do is go through your closet and note the items/brands that held up well and those that didn't. Watch for shirts that pilled badly and examine the fabric - if you can learn what good cotton feels/looks like, it can be much easier to pick out clothes that won't pill in the future. Eventually, you just learn that certain brands and certain fabrics will always pill. Check for jeans that have retained their shape and color well - some jean brands stretch out more than others. With dress clothing, I like to note the fabrics that had the best upkeep - required the least amount of ironing, washed up well, etc.

I give my email to every store I like to shop at, and have those emails routed into a coupons/discounts folder. Then, when I want to shop I look at my recent emails in that folder so that I know what stores have the best sales going on, or whether it's even worth going period. If you watch for patterns in the emails, you can score better deals. For instance, I know to never buy anything less than 40% off from Ann Taylor/Loft because they are almost always running sales. Usually I can get 60%. I usually go instore for these sorts of deals.

End of season sales: Twice per year stores usually hit their lowest prices. I've never found it to be worth my time to actually go into the store, because they pretty often have awful offerings. Online during end of season is fantastic though. I quite often find clothing cheaper during end of season sales than I can find at my local thrift stores.

Forever21 is known for having awful quality clothing. However, they are incredibly cheap. I usually buy my basics there - plain tshirts (usually 2.50), camisoles (usually 70 cents), etc. I find that I still save money even though I have to replace them more often than the more expensive brands. Most of these basics that I buy are about 5 times more expensive at other stores. If that isn't the case for you, then I wouldn't recommend Forever21 at all.

I'm really impressed with American Eagle Jeans for both men and women. I used to be really big into clothes - I had about every brand of jeans you can imagine, including the spendier designer brands. No pair of jeans I have owned has retained it's color and shape quite like American Eagle jeans have. If you can find a pair with minimal back pocket stitching and small side seams, they don't look like "teen jeans" either. Having thick stitching or high contrast stitching is what can quite often date jeans the quickest - if you want to get a lot of use out of them, I recommend avoiding it. I usually pick my AE jeans up off their clearance rack cheaply - they're usually 10-20 dollars for skinny, straight, and capri styles, and 20-25 for bootcut and flared styles. Men's jeans tend to hover around the 20-30 area.

If you have problems with your jeans stretching out, look for 100% cotton on the fabric tag. These are hard to find, at least in my area. The only pair I was able to find after searching for a month or so that I actually liked were Seven For All Mankind, which I can now say from experience are definitely not worth the price tag.

Concerning clothing quality: fabric will be your biggest indicator. Stretch the fabric top to bottom and side to side - it shouldn't stretch easier in one direction than the other. If it does, it will lose it's shape. It should have a fair amount of spring back as well if it is a tighter item of clothing. Avoid linen fabrics unless you don't mind doing a lot of ironing. Pull lightly at seams to make sure they seem sturdy and check that the seams aren't crooked. Things like this will only be amplified after you wash the clothes a few times. I never buy anything with thin cotton fabric, it either seems to pill really bad or just loose it's shape.

Fit is one of the most important things when buying clothes - you will never get as much use out of clothing that doesn't fit quite right, no matter how cheap it is. Ill fitting clothing is ALWAYS a waste of money. I find it's usually better to spend a bit extra on high quality clothes that you really like and that fit you well because in the end you spend less per wear.

If you're going to buy used, make sure the clothing looks like new. If it looks worn at all, then it only takes a few more washes to get it in even worse condition. The nice thing about buying used clothing is that you can more easily avoid buying clothing that will lose it's shape or stretch out.

[afuera]

I use ThredUp.  Its an online consignment store (think plato's closet but much more selection and better discounts).  They also have a large number of discount codes for up to 40% off depending on the day.
Here is my referral code:
http://www.thredup.com/r/ZIUDDA
if you use it you will get $10 to use towards your first purchase and so will I :)

[JStein]

I generally just stick to thrift or consignment stores.  For a while I was going through a large number of shirts that would get "wear" holes/stains in the same spots.  Finally I smartened up and realized that when working in the kitchen, I was rubbing the shirts on the granite counter tops and causing premature holes.  Bought a few inexpensive aprons and problem solved!  Duh!