Are you afraid to look poor?

[Walt34]

Shirts? Yeah, I have some around here somewhere.... The last new one was given for Christmas in 1998. Have the styles changed any since then? I have T shirts for summer and flannel shirts for winter, + sweatshirts, jeans, and sneakers with holes in them.

I can't remember the last time I paid full price for something, unless it was at the grocery store. Coupons are generally too much trouble to bother with but I do read sale ads. I'll use the "$1 off any purchase" or "10% off your next order" ones that the grocery store sometimes gives out.

The grocery store has a deal wherein for every $100 in groceries you get 10 cents off per gallon up to 30 gallons. Since there's often a line and I don't "do" waiting in lines it tends to build up. Right now it's 60 cents off, so I'll take the half-full pickup truck and four 5-gallon gas cans and make sure to get the full 30 gallons.

 

[Dawg52]

$9.99 for a shirt! Far Far too much. Since I retired second hand stores all the way except for winter wear that I could not find second hand. I will pay for comfort if need be though.


Bruce

Clothes can be pretty cheap if you are patient. I bought several nice golf shirts late last fall for $9 a shirt at Dillards. These were nice shirts too. At the pro shop of my club, a similar shirt would cost $50-60. Can't believe people pay these prices.

I have to admit, I have never tried a second hand store.

 

[Rivrider]

I'm like a lot of the folks here. Don't care much what others think. I've never been accused of being stylish. My idea of desigener clothes is LL Bean.

 

[calmloki]

"dress like a millionaire". by definition.

 

[Walt34]

I've been in a couple, and a pawn shop or two out of curiosity, but was thoroughly unimpressed with what I found there. But there must be better ones somewhere as so many people rave at what they found.

 

[UncleHoney]

When I first retired I would change clothes before I went to the grocery store. Now I go in my worn out jeans with the torn knees and thread bare pockets. I just blend in with the rest of the retirees. I usually see my neighbor and his wife, a retired banker and a retired nurse when I shop. We all look like rag pickers.

 

[sailor]

I suppose you're going to tell me that my Kirkland jeans lack cache...

Poseur
Even kids know it's MM (Member's Mark I think), not Kirkland

 

[two4theroad]

Looking poor nowadays is the latest designer duds and too much gold jewelry. The mortgaged out, maxed out, borrowed out crowd that listens to the advertising and media hype about what one NEEDS to have, wear, or own, in order to be thought cool, in, stylish, successful etc. are the real poor now.
I buy at the end of the season from Dilliards, Penney's, Kohl's and Macy's. My new black suede jacket was originally priced at $180 but I paid $30 for it. Shoes for DH originally 149 were 27 etc. My greatest sale triumph this season so far is designer label mens sweaters for $3 originally $40-$50. Bought more than one in every color available. (Christmas presents for next year for all 5 brothers!!)
All you have to do is WAIT! Delayed gratification is a large part of how we saved up for FIRE.
2fer

 

[Bestwifeever]

Story in today's paper about buying too-long women's jeans (the reasonably priced $180 pairs) to flatter your buns and then taking them to a tailor who will cut off the hems, shorten them, and then resew the original hems back on for another $?. I read it while wearing my Steve and Barry's $7.88 (on sale from the regular full price of $12.88 or so) jeans. No tailoring required. Buns not visible to me anyway.

Don't even get me started on the new "reasonable" price of a handbag at a department store.

 

[haha]

I am not afraid of much, other than painful lingering illness.

But I think it is just bad policy to look poor. Man is a social animal, to some extent even the most introverted take on some of the attitudes that others hold toward them.

Or spend a lot of psychic energy maintaining bulkheads against these perceptions.

Decent appearance is cheaper.

Ha

 

[audreyh1]

Definitely NOT a fear of ours. Instead, I would say we have a phobia about looking rich! We had raised INconspicuous consumption to a high art.

Why? Because we have a perhaps somewhat irrational (i.e. exaggerated) fear of becoming a target for unscrupulous persons if we flaunt wealth. We like to be quite anonymous.

In fact, when we bought our new motorhome it made me very, very nervous because it seemed obvious that we were driving a lot of money around. Fortunately, in turns out that the average joe has no clue about how much those things cost, and even in RV campgrounds there is usually someone fancier than us.

LOL! We are always trying to stay behind the Joneses and not be noticed!

Audrey

 

[ziggy29]

LOL! We are always trying to stay behind the Joneses and not be noticed!

The Joneses only *think* they're winning. But when folks like you and I are masters of our own time and the Joneses are still frantically working at jobs they hate in order to pay for all their debt-fueled consumption, we'll see if they feel like they're still winning...

 

[ER_Hopeful]

Just tallied the total cost of my outfit now in the office(software engineer for a Fortune 100 company).

sweat shirt - $4
t-shirt - $1
jeans - $4
leather shoes - $7

I feel proud...

 

[audreyh1]

The Joneses only *think* they're winning. But when folks like you and I are masters of our own time and the Joneses are still frantically working at jobs they hate in order to pay for all their debt-fueled consumption, we'll see if they feel like they're still winning...

Well, in the interests of full disclosure, I have to admit that we spend plenty of money (because we can afford to these days). We just try hard not to look like we do! LOL!

I know our clothing isn't cheap - because we are addicted to technical outdoor clothing and we buy most of our clothes at REI! At least that kind of clothing lasts just about forever. Also we both have a very small wardrobe - limited space in that motorhome keeps clothing accumulation way down.

Audrey

 

[MikeD]

My wife says I dress to look like a central park bum.

Mike D.

 

[Bikerdude]

I would say I'm afraid to look wealthy. People tend to take advantage of you if they think you have money. When I go to bid on something I want to buy I always drive my old truck and wear my most used clothes .

 

[calmloki]

Used to read a New Zealand board a bunch and kept running into "the tall poppy gets cut down", which is akin to the Japanese "The nail that sticks out gets hammered down". Sounds like a bunch of us are concerned about standing out from the crowd and are reveling in anti-ostentation. Interesting read on the subject here: Tall poppy syndrome - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[innova]

I would say I'm afraid to look wealthy. People tend to take advantage of you if they think you have money.

I agree.

I'd rather be inconspicuous. It seems those who want everyone to think they are wealthy via conspicuous consumption rarely are.

But I think it is just bad policy to look poor.

I don't want a surprise visit from the 'what not to wear' show. Good call.

 

[Goonie]

The older I get, the less I care about what anyone thinks...

Same here.....I couldn't give a rat's @ss what other people think of me or the way I dress!

Folks if you aren't out there consuming how is American business going to continue to make increased profits and allows us to continue our retirement.

That's why God created the Joneses and the Yuppies....they'll pick up the slack, and keep buying!!!

....I bought several nice golf shirts late last fall for $9 a shirt at Dillards. These were nice shirts too. At the pro shop of my club, a similar shirt would cost $50-60.

I went to a Beall's Outlet while I was in FL last month, and bought several very nice (name-brand) golf shirts for $7-8 each....and like you said, regular price on them was $50-60.

My wife says I dress to look like a central park bum.

One of the nice things about dressing like that.....when I go for a walk through the park, the homeless people and the town drunks never try to hit me up for 'spare change'....they figure I'm one of them!

 

[Bultacoman]

I wear hand-me-ups from the kids. At work, it's jeans, t-shirt and fleece during the winter. In summer, it's shorts and t-shirt. We now have a dress code due to the ex-COO's clothing habits-no holes in the t-shirts or jeans.

 

[dumpster56]

Oh man the Vanity Fair Outlets in Reading PA! Shirts 3 dollars jeans Lee brand 7 dollars all new those seconds!! Walked out of there with enough clothes for a few years spent 100 dollars.

 

[Ronstar]

I dress down as much as possible. I dont search for the deals like some do because I rarely have to buy clothes. I keep my clothes for a long time. Old jeans and sweatshirt for Easter at the SIL's. Today at work I'm wearing pants that are least 10 years old, shoes about 6 years old.

 

[Notmuchlonger]

Some things I spend money on. I dont like cheap suits. I also spend the money on good shoes because I hate my damn feet hurting from PF. But then on the other hand just about every other piece of clothing I look for the best deals on.

 

[A854321]

As long as Costco and LL Bean are in existence, I am one well-dressed dude.

 

[Zoocat]

One thing I've learned by mistake is that clothes from places with the words "Old" and "Navy" in the the title do not last long. They shrink and loose their shape almost instantly. I don't like to wear shabby clothing but I do get good use out of what I buy and wear pieces for many years.

I try to buy quality clothing at sales prices. In Feb I bought two cashmere sweaters (originally $110 each) for $30 each. Similar deals can be found in any store toward the end of the seasons, which is always in the middle of the season these days!

One thing I won't scrimp on are shoes. Good quality equals high prices equals happy feet.