What did you do about clothes while you were losing???

 I can't fit in my clothes but I am going to end up crazy poor if I buy clothes throughout this journey. I would love some ideas about what to do about that!

now that its summer I find myself wearing more dresses...seems to be easier to hide how "big" they are. I too am dropping sizes like crazy, and I find it extremely frustrating to have nothing to wear that compliments all my hard work. So I go and buy a few pieces, then within 2-3 weeks, they dont fit.
I've tried shopping at the local 2nd hand shop, but the selection is very limited. I have become a pro at sewing/altering/heming/taking in my own stuff lol

Goodwill. In a good neighborhood. And if you don't believe you can get good clothes there (some folks don't) consider this. If you look in my albums, every single outfit came from Goodwill. On half price day.

Still, most of my clothes come from there (including my avie outfit).

Another benefit is tax deductions. Check it out. I buy a shirt on half price day for $3. When I shrunk out of it I donated it back. Kept the slip. Did my taxes. Tax man gave me $5 for that same shirt. So I actually MADE $2 off of it.

Beautiful!

I wore lots of hand-me-downs from friends and bought at thrift stores and ebay.  Ebay was a favorite -- looked for "lots" of a specific size.  If items ran a bit small, not a problem, they fit eventually.

Now, I'm at goal, but still enjoy thrift store shopping.  I don't ebay so much anymore because I like to try things on.

 Thrift stores, clearance racks, Walmart, consignment stores are all good sources.  If you have a support group sometimes they do clothing exchanges.  Also, you can post an ad on your local Freecycle saying you need clothes in a certain size.  Be sure to post the clothes you have undergrown there, too.

 i lost 53 lbs and my clothes still fit! lol granted theyre all sweat pants and t shirts because i refuse to buy clothes until i absolutely have to...

Here is what worked for me.

First I "used up" all the clothes in my own closet in sizes that were too small. I was a little picky about this because some were so out of style but it got me through.

"Earn" money with your old clothes by selling them at a consignment store. I got about $200 this way which went toward new clothes.

Discover resale and consignment shopping. I have found great things at Goodwill in excellent brands - Ann Taylor, Talbots, Lands End, LL Bean, etc. and nothing is over $5.

I kept 2 pairs of pants that fit throughout my loss - one black pair, which I always got on sale at Penney's, and one pair of jeans from WalMart. This is one way I measured by progress and it always felt great to shop for a smaller size - I decided it was worth the $$.

Some types of tops are more forgiving - you can even put a belt around a nicer t shirt or sweater as it gets a little loose.

Try to make connections with other WLS patients through support groups or your surgeon's office, I had a lady about 3 months behind me with her surgery date, as I grew out of a size, I could pass them on to her.
I'm with everyone else, I shopped yard sales, second hand stores, goodwill, I set a firm price of $6 a new item and WOULD not buy at a store unless the price was under that. The only exceptions were bras ( I refused to wear baggy bras and trust me, the girls need all the support they can get) and jeans, I like the $12 brand at Wal-Mart so I treated myself to a new pair in each size

Ebay  can have some deals, and garage sales are great this time of year, I look for the ones that advertise a specific size.  So far I have bought a few shirts online at Woman within since my old size is way too big, but since I am not losing much in my belly right now, my pants are fine just a little loose in the legs.

I, too, shopped at second hand stores....and still do!!!

My advice is to have in mind what you're actually looking for....like say jeans...or a khaki skirt....or a blue or green blouse...and then focus on that purchase instead of being all over the place.  You'll be very pleasantly surprised at the brand name clothes you'll find.  And try on lots of stuff!!!  And check for coupons...my shops are always offering $$$ off coupons, especially around holidays or season changes....

I got an awesome pair of Ed Hardy jeans for $5.....