Wearing clothes before they are too big

I know all too well about waiting for clothes to turn to dust.  Most of my tshirts are from 2002 and 2003 to give you an idea LOL.  I have a dress that I have worn quite a bit over the years and recently found a family pic of me wearing it when my 17 year old was quite small, it has a lot of extra material and I am amazed it was worn from me being a 20 up to be being a 26, but the belt tie part of it now barely gets tied so I guess that's as many sizes as it could go!  I do have some shirts and pants that I bought while we were overseas, they fit ok when I bought them, but now I realize that I gained more and they show the stomach because of low waists and short shirts.  Most dresses that I have bought in the past 10 years are ones that have plenty of extra space and can be tied to whatever waist I have and they go down to about mid calf so the larger stomach never makes them short.  The only reason I could afford new plus sized stuff that was halfway decent is because I buy it at our military store where they like high priced name brand stuff (not much to choose from, but what there is in my size is often decent), then I wait until it is marked 75% off.  That's how I got my pantsuit I am able to now wear as a matter of fact.  The ball gown wasn't meant to be one, it was an ankle length lace topped dress from Cato that I bought at 50% off in 2004.  Wow, I guess I really do need to lose weight to finally look in my closet and see stuff all bought in the 21st century LOL.