5 First-Timer Tips for Building a Professional Wardrobe
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The clothes you wear as a job seeker don’t often overlap with the sleek wardrobe of a professional. While it’s totally acceptable to wear your stained sweats while crafting your cover letter, these shabby clothes don’t hold up to your first day in the office when you’re trying to impress your hiring manager.
Building a professional wardrobe can be challenging for young people. You can easily dig yourself into a financial hole when you try to make a stand-out wardrobe. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Follow these tips to look great on your first day without breaking your budget.
Table of Contents
1. First, Figure out Your Budget
Too many people only establish a budget when they want to curb their overspending habits. But you don’t have to wait until this worst-case scenario. You can organize your finances in advance to help you understand your cashflow and financial limits.
There are lots of free templates online for you to set up your first budget. There are also plenty of free budgeting apps available, so you can track your spending progress while you’re on the go.
2. Establish a Financial Safety Net
Even the best budget can break down in the face of life’s unexpected emergencies. Say you have an extra $100 floating around in your budget that you plan to spend on entertainment. But, suddenly, you have to replace your brakes and rotors for $400. Even with putting those entertainment plans on hold, you may not be able to get your car working in time for your workday.
Almost half of Americans of all ages said they would have a lot of trouble finding an extra $400 for a financial emergency. This can be especially difficult when you’re just starting out on the workforce, and you haven’t had the chance to save a lot of money.
In these situations, it may be a good idea to use a line of credit or installment loan as a financial safety net. To learn more about these online loans, visit MoneyKey and peruse their resources on borrowing. Their blog is a great source of information about personal loans, too.
3. Build a Capsule Wardrobe
A capsule work wardrobe is an efficient and cost-effective way to fill your closet with versatile staples that you can use to dress up (or dress down) to the degree you like. At its core, a capsule wardrobe is all about minimalism. It pares your clothing down to 30 pieces or less that you can mix and match to create endless combinations.
4. Shop on Sale
With a curated list of items for your capsule wardrobe, you’re ready to hit the shops. Think twice about buying something at full price. The money you may spend on the full price of a pant suit could stretch to cover a shirt, pants, and shoes somewhere else.
What’s the easiest way to find these sale, reduced, and clearance items? Shop online and scour the web for coupon apps or rebates that maximize your savings.
5. Visit Thrift Shops and Second-Hand Stores
Shopping offline promises to save money, provided you’re willing to comb through second-hand racks for hidden gems. You might be surprised by the quality of clothes you can find at thrift shops, second hand stores, and consignment shops. You might even be able to take some money off your bill if you sell your lightly used clothes to a consignment shop.
The Takeaway:
You don’t have to go broke to look fashionable and professional in your first job. Follow these tips to curate your finances and wardrobe with intention.