On average in the UK, research has shown that we spent around £23 billion on new clothes in 2011 alone. This figure is staggering when you consider the current squeeze on our incomes and the rising household costs.

According to Stefan Siegel, the founder of the London-based fashion start-up ‘Not Just a Label’, clothes that you may have bought on the high street are worn on average only four times before being thrown away.

If you are spending too much money on clothes and want to know how to purchase your clothing without forking out too much cash then, at compareandsave.com, you can check out our retail tips on how to buy clothes for less.

Throw a ‘swishing’ party

Times are hard and every penny counts, so an alternative clothing option may be to host a regular clothes swap party with your friends to save cash and you may be gain an entire new wardrobe for free.

You could organise a group of friends to bring any unwanted items of clean clothing plus one designer piece to your home, and then decide on a time to throw the party.

You could suggest they bring some drinks and food, and then set up clothing rails, mirrors plus leftover shopping bags for your guests to take their purchases home in.

Any clothes remaining could be donated to charity. Why open up your wallet when you can also attend a swishing party at www.swishingparties.com with entry fees as low as £1. You can also advertise your own on the site for free.

Get creative with recycling

Do you have a wardrobe full of clothes that you don’t wear anymore? Most of the items stashed at the back of the drawers or closet could be revamped with a little care and attention.

Small imperfections and blemishes can easily be repaired, rather than replacing. Alternatively, you could jazz up clothing pieces by adding iron on transfers, style with fabric paints, cut off sleeves or dye them alternative colours and so on. Your old clothes may turn out to be your new seasonal favourites.

Check out the latest alternative charity bargains

Charity shops have been around on the UK high street for many years, but they often have a stigma associated with them. There is no reason to avoid charity shops as you may even find some unexpected items, particularly if you are interested in vintage clothing.

Across the UK, you can visit charity shops such as Fara at www.faracharity.org, which are located in, Norfolk, Surrey and London and have specialist stores for children’s clothes.

Oxfam might end up with some worthwhile bargains in the near future, thanks to a new phenomenon from Marks & Spencers dubbed ‘Shwopping’.

The idea is that customers hand over an unwanted item when they buy something new and Oxfam could soon become the place to buy last season’s clothes.

Worth a trip to outlet Stores

Outlet stores usually have incredible discounts on their clothing, they might be last season’s pieces, or have slight imperfections. Whatever the reason, these clothes can be purchased at a snip of the recommended retail price.

Marks and Spencers has become a great fan of outlet stores, it has even launched an online version now, and you can see further details at www.outlet.marksandspencer.com , which means that you can buy great clothes at almost half price.

Venture into a Car Boot Sale

Can you think of any better way to spend a Sunday than rooting around in someone car boot? I didn’t think so.

Despite having a less than glamorous image, car boot sales are actually a great place to pick up a clothing bargain. More people are selling their belongings than ever before, so they are worth delving into and grabbing a bargain.

Get bidding on eBay

EBay, the infamous internet auction website, has proven to be a major hit for selling and buying just about everything from the latest gadgets through to children’s vintage toys and software.

Clothes are one more thing that you will find on eBay, including new and used items. New designer clothes can be purchased for a fraction of the store price and used clothes may be bought for as little as £1. You can chose to enter an auction and bid once you have set up an account or buy the clothes instantly.

There are fun and easy ways to extend the life of clothing, clean out your closet and update your own wardrobe, so it may be worth taking these alternative retail routes to save yourself hundreds in cash. After all one person’s trash may be another person’s treasure.

	Written by :
	Jemma is a news & research reporter for compareandsave.com.Having worked as a journalist on a number of personal finance websites; she now spends time researching and commenting on UK personal finance stories and investigating new ways to help our readers save money.For press enquiries, please visit our Media Centre page.