Abby Gedlaman wears her favourite second-hand shirt. She prefers to thrift her clothes to save money. Photo by Sydnee Doiron.
Money doesn’t come easy for students, and it seems to leave their bank accounts faster each semester.
One essential that often gets overlooked is clothing.
Although fashion is important to many, today’s economy makes it harder for students to afford the brands and stores they once shopped at.
The challenge most students face is maintaining a budget while trying to keep up with the trends.
Affordable clothing matters to students because money is tight while you are in school.
Students have a limited budget due to tuition, rent, groceries and other essentials such as clothing.
Clothing is something students need constantly.
Abby Gedlaman, fourth year Business Managment student says she doesn’t shop near as much as she used to.
“I don’t really have a top five in clothing stores. Since becoming a student, my top three are my mom, the states and Costco,” says Gedlaman.
She says as a student who has been going to school for four years, she cannot afford just to “spend, spend, spend while money is so tight.”
Students can’t overspend, but some alternatives and budget-friendly clothing are seasonal sales, thrift-stores and second-hand stores.
“They (thrift stores) are good but I suck at thrifting because there’s so much stuff,” stated Gedlaman.
Although thrifting takes a lot of mental and physical capacity, you can find some high-end brands for low prices.
According to the article “How To Buy Quality Clothing On A Student Budget,” by Kamelia published in “Medium” on Dec. 12, 2020, “when buying clothes, you have to separate two things: trendy and long-term styles.”
Taylor Vanee, third year Business Accounting student says he’d rather shop for clothes that will last.
“I mostly buy hats, but my favorite brands are Carhartt and Rock and Roll. I tend to think about more of the long-term wear when I purchase clothes. Would I wear this in five years? I’m cheap so I don’t want to waste my money,” shared Vanee.
He adds he tends to go more towards the sale rack before looking throughout the store.
He also says his top five clothing stores are Lammle’s, Mark’s Warehouse, Irvines, Progress Clothing and Costco.
Both Gedlaman and Vanee say the only catch is you must have a Costco card to through the door.
But you can find high-end brands like Eddie Bauer, Levis and Buffalo for a decent price, so it’s a steal.
Gedlaman says if she wants high-end clothing, she will go to Costco.
Vanee, on the other hand, will start at his top five stores and lean to more of the sale rack.
“Don’t get me wrong, I will go to Costco if I’m in need of a dress shirt,” said Vanee.
Other than Costco, both students have different store preferences, because of the styles they are each looking for.
It is challenging for students to keep up with today’s trends and especially with the rising costs of day-to-day living.
Lots of students live away from home and miss the luxury of living with their parents, where rent is free and the fridge is always stocked.
