Capsule Wardrobe Sweater That Saves You Money

How having a capsule wardrobe benefits your budget.

Could your clothing be the reason you’re spending beyond your budget every month? Money is a less talked about subject and something most of us avoid talking about at all costs, yet there are so many great benefits to being financially smart.

I’ve been exploring budgeting and saving as I’ve gotten more curious about how to support my love for weekend adventures.

Budgeting all aspects of my life seemed complicated and scary at first, but once I got the hang of it and set clear goals, there wasn’t much to it except to follow them.

Instead of thinking of it as something to restrict you, think of it as a tool to help support you toward your goals. Doing this helped me adjust my life so that I could continue on my adventures.

How I Save Money With A Minimalist Wardrobe

Building a minimalist wardrobe has been one of my favorite ways to find more savings. I found myself wasting time in stores looking for the “perfect outfit” when what I felt best wearing was already in my closet.

I realized that sometimes when you splurge on a piece made of high-quality fabric that fits your body just right and goes with everything, it goes a long way!

I think further into my purchases and travel lighter now so I can focus on the experience of walking through a new city, lying in the grass at a park, or enjoying a meal with friends. Trade a dress I’ll wear once for the gas money to go explore a national park? Yes, please!

So I pose the question: what if investing in your personal uniform actually saved you more money? 

What You Need In Your First Capsule Wardrobe

How the Oliver Charles SeaCell Sweater is seamless in fitting into your capsule wardrobe.

A capsule wardrobe is a collection of signature pieces that you can mix and match regardless of season or occasion.

It removes the excess and frees up your space. These pieces can be fancy or simple depending on your personal style, but they’re items you always come back to.

When purchasing clothing for a minimal wardrobe, you’ll want to look for foundation pieces that are: versatile, breathable, durable, and comfortable; some light and some heavy depending on the season; and should focus on more neutral colors (black, brown, beige, white, dark green) so they can be swapped out with anything. 

The Seaweed Sweater In My Personal Uniform

I was delighted when the Oliver Charles summer sweater landed in my lap. No joke, I was very impressed by the material and color choices. The texture felt so light and cooling in my hands. Despite the humidity of the Northeast, I wanted to put it on!

One of the first things I feel out when purchasing clothing is if I really love it. If you don’t love it and you just like it, it’s not worth buying.

The seaweed Sweater is made of two materials: organic cotton and SeaCell (seaweed and wood pulp). An interesting combo; I was so curious about seaweed being used as a fabric as it’s a relatively underused and wonderfully sustainable material.

Earthy colors make for a harmonious addition to your current wardrobe. That’s the thing; they go with everything.

Carefully thought out, Oliver Charles has come up with two sweaters that fit every need. Seaweed sweaters are created to fit warmer weather needs, while yak wool sweaters are tailored to the 40-80°F range.

This eliminates 1) the need for a bunch of different sweaters and removes clutter from your closet 2) gives you the opportunity to save money by not buying more than you need.

Investing In a Capsule Wardrobe Saves Money

By investing in pieces that are durable enough to last a long time, you rid yourself of the need to shop for other things. But in order to stop consuming so much, you need to cultivate a capsule wardrobe.

With a capsule wardrobe, you’ll waste less, help the environment, and not have to constantly replace that polyester shirt with a new one.

Try calculating how much you spend on clothing monthly. Take that number and subtract the cost of a higher-quality piece. The remaining number will give you an idea of how much you could save if you opted to spend a little more on better-quality pieces.

How To Be Better At Saving Money

Traveling has taught me a lot of things, but my biggest takeaways have been how much I really need and what makes me happy.

When I think of these things, I no longer feel stressed about how much money I don’t have for this or that.

I think about how I have the choice to put what I do have towards what I really value in my life. These are things you need to get clear on in order to save. 

• Get clear on what you need: make three lists: one of what you find important in your life, a list of your basic needs (rent, utilities, internet, etc.), and a list of all the things you spend your money on. What out of this list do you really need? Do these lists line up? This is a great way to find the weak spots and realize what you’re actually putting money towards. 
• Spend where it counts: I totally get the joy and importance of grabbing a cup of coffee daily, but if you’re not going to sit in the coffee shop, get the work done, and really enjoy that cup, then is it worth it?
  
  Think twice when making choices to purchase something. Your money obviously has to go towards your basic needs, but when it comes to extras, try to focus less on short-term highs and more on items that will serve you for a long time and memories that will live in your mind forever. 
• Cook at home more: I understand not everyone loves cooking, and that’s fine! But it doesn’t mean that you can’t have meals prepped and ready to go, or a pot of rice premade in your fridge to stir fry with some veggies for a quick meal.
  
  Having little things ready for yourself gives you more time and less hassle while saving money. If you really crave going out to eat, that extra money you save on a weekly basis can go towards restaurants on a trip.
• Shop more intentionally: my mom always took me to thrift stores growing up. She found most of our home appliances and furniture on bulk pick-up day around town.
  
  She’d take them back to the house, clean them up, and sometimes build them up to make them even better. Doing so made living a lot cheaper and gave character to the house. That being said, get creative with what you choose to do and where you shop. Choose clothing that has a story.
  
  Meet friends at the park for the sunset and have a picnic. There are endless ways you can make this fun. It’s also fun getting creative with outfit repeating. Wear the same pants with different shirts and throw a SeaCell sweater over to pull it together. 
• Change your mindset: being frugal has such a negative feeling associated with it, even though it’s not a bad thing!
  
  Try to understand your feelings about money and finances. What scares you? What about choosing to spend less causes discomfort? When we realize what the money ends up going towards ultimately, it allows us to feel less guilty about skipping that night out for drinks or focusing on home-cooked meals. 

Investing In Outfits That You'll Wear On Repeat

Our whole society has been built around the mindset that more is more. We’re always being sold something. But in reality, how much do we really need to be satisfied and happy? A lot less than you probably think.

All of these uncomfortable feelings can be changed with the shift of your mindset towards one of abundance with fewer belongings.

Owning less of the physical means more room for experience and memories. There’s abundance in simplicity. And investing in pieces with that feel-good quality is one of the best places to start.

If you believe that every good wardrobe starts with owning less and owning better, consider buying yourself an OLIVER CHARLES sweater.