Question about clothes during the rapid weight loss stage...

I'm scheduled for surgery the end of July.  I'm wondering how to handle the rapid weight loss stage and clothes.  Maybe I'm over thinking it, but I work in an office and have to dress professionally.  How many "new" clothes did you go through in the beginning and how do you keep up without breaking the bank?

At first I bought new clothes and learned pretty quickly it was a waste of money.  There were pants that last me...maybe 6 weeks at best.  Money down toilet.  I turned to thrift stores.  The smaller I got the more I got.  And who cared it was $3-$5 for dress pants.  I bought every brand you can think of...Calvin Klein, Gap, Vera Wang, Levis, Banana Republic.  All for no more than $5-$6.  I would even buy ahead for the next size down if I saw something nice.  I would walk out there with a half dozen sweaters for less than $30.  I bought Winter coats, jackets, skirts. 

Like I said I would buy the next size down.  I would do that with a pair of jeans and try them on once in awhile and jus****ch slowly how they fit more and more.  And then one day I can get them on and wear them.  I still say that is more exciting then watching the scale go down.  I mean you buy a pair of jeans that wouldn't even go past your butt and now they fit...oh ya that feels great.    

Now that my weight has leveled off and it's safe to buy new.  I of course will buy new.  But I will still go into my favorite thrift stores looking for good deals. 

I guess I didn't think of thrift stores because right now I can't ever find anything there.  Hmmmm, maybe I should start looking now for stuff just smaller.  Thanks!  :)

I've bought a few things, that I end up wearing a lot, mostly on clearance or big sale. I bought jeans on Kohl's clearance, with a coupon for more money off, that ended up being $6, and a couple pairs of other pants also for $6. Ross and Marshall's were great. I bought a ton of tank tops from Old Navy for $3 each. I don't have the patience for thrift stores, but clearance racks, coupons, and sales have been great. I also buy a size smaller, especially if its on sale. I do laundry more often and wear things more frequently. I try to buy simple things and staple items. Also, I've bought a couple of dresses on clearance. A whole outfit for cheap. 

This is more like what I do now.  I will have to get over my thought of not buying smaller sizes ahead of time.  I know I'll need them.  I have never been much of a shopper because I always have hated buying clothes.   I'll have to start looking at sales more often.  Thanks!

Its expensive, but you could check out a website called Gwynniebee.com.  You pay a monthly fee, you get clothes sent to you, you wear them till you change sizes, then you send them back and you get more clothes.  Its clothing rental.  Its pricey, but if you work the service well its actually quite cheap and has a lot of cute stuff.

I'm actually wearing a GwynnieBee dress right now haha. It works well. They sent me a 'free one month' referral code to refer a friend if you want it.

I went through a lot of clothes and wasted hundreds of dollars buying new stuff that I only wore for a few weeks.   I got caught up in the excitement of being a smaller size and wanting to look nice.  

I got smart later on and started going to consignment stores and thrift stores to pick up pants and tops that I wouldn't feel bad about tossing.  But not before wasting a LOT of $$.  

For professional dress, I got by with black pants and solid-colored tops, and then a black cardigan or jacket. One pair of pants, a cardigan could last a few sizes and look OK deliberately baggy.

I got a lot of stuff at Goodwill, and I watched the sales at Old Navy as well-- they have a few styles that I could get one size down and work perfectly. You can often find "30% off everything online" coupons if you keep an eye out!

I'd also suggest looking for a consignment store in your area. I took several buckets of clothing in, stuff that hadn't been worn too much, and got a good chunk of store credit to spend on smaller clothes!

Also try wrap dresses and wrap shirts with skits that you can adjust the waist band on.  They will work well across 2 or 3 sizes.  And never underestimate the power of a good tailor.  You can usually have a nice suit adjusted and brought down a size or two a few times before needing to rebuy, and it will cost a fraction of the price of a new outfit.  Not only that but a tailored outfit will be so much more flattering than a rack bought suit.