How to Rebuild Your Wardrobe on a Budget (2024)

Cleaning out your closet is more art than science. It’s also a massive headache. It’s time-consuming, it’s stressful, it’s weirdly emotional. That threadbare concert tee you picked up in ‘96? The mere thought of hauling it to Goodwill is going to make you teary, and the sooner you reckon with that reality the less it’ll sting. The scuzzy cardigan you thrifted from the vintage spot back home? You haven’t worn it in decades, and you’restill going to second-guess bequeathing it to your neighbor.

Remember your short-lived Americana phase? Your closet sure does—ditto the Chase representative who refused to believe that jeans,even ifthey’re Japanese, could run you $400. (“See, there are these old looms…”) What about your brief fling with Italian tailoring? You might’ve ditched the soft-shouldered suits faster than you can say “sprezzatura”, but the double-monks gathering dust in your closet lived to tell the tale.

If you managed to sit all those waves out, kudos: This is going to be way easier. But even for the zealously trend-agnostic, overhauling your closet and starting from scratch can be thorny. Trust us:We’ve been there before. Which makes us uniquely qualified to dispense some hard-earned wisdom on the topic, in the form of a quick and dirty guide to help you purge your wardrobe—and cobble together a new one—without going broke.

So buckle up, apologize to your bank, and maybe practice a few of those Kondo-like koans—you’re in for an emotional rollercoaster of a ride. We promise this checklist will make it as smooth as possible.

Take Stock of What You Don’t Wear

The first step to fixing any problem is, well,admitting you have a problem. In this case, that means opening up your closet and taking a good,hard look at what’s in there. Go through every single garment in your closet one by one and separate them into two piles: a “Keep” pile and a “Sell/Donate” pile. The pieces you should keep are the ones that you wear regularly and frequently. (By regularly and frequently, we’re talking at least once a week.) Obviously, there’ll be some items that are highly seasonal or only for specific occasions, and don’t get play otherwise (e.g. swim trunks, tuxedos)—you’ll want to keep those if you think you’ll still be wearing them when context demands it. The clothes that haven’t gotten off the bench in more than a few months or so should go in the Sell/Donate pile. Be real with yourself, come to terms with letting go, and keep it moving. This is maybe the most difficult part of the entire process, but we believe in you!

Assess What You Can Salvage

The pile system is, we realize, very binary. The process of separating the two is more complicated. There will be pieces you’ll know immediately whether to keep or toss…and then a lot of in-betweeners that could go either way. The fate of items stuck in purgatory should mostly come down to fit and condition. Evaluate if a garment fits your body the way you want and whether you’re willing to have it tailored. If you’re on the fence about holding onto something because of its overall condition—if it’s stained, missing buttons, or riddled with holes—consider whether you’re able (and willing) to remedy those issues, and then pile it accordingly.

Sell the Stuff Worth Something

Now that you’ve come to terms with your past sartorial personas, it’s time to redeem the ones that didn’t stick. Take those pristine sneakers/expensive suits/designer tees to your local consignment store or list them on secondhand sites like eBay, Grailed, StockX—hell, even Facebook Marketplace.

Stores like Buffalo Exchange and Beacon’s Closet are often the quickest and easiest way to get rid of your clothes. Bring ‘em in and they’ll sort through the lot and either pay you upfront or offer you credit in exchange for whatever they take. Conveniently, some of them will even donate the clothes that they don’t decide to buy, so you don’t end up schlepping an Ikea bag of rejects back home. The biggest downside to selling at those stores is that they don’t really pay the big bucks—they gotta turn a profit somehow.