When is a bargain not a bargain?

When is a bargain not a bargain? When you don’t wear it. Divide an item’s price by the number of times that you’re going to wear it: the result is the cost-per-wear. Wedding and prom dresses have notoriously high per-wear costs; your day-to-day clothes shouldn’t!

Here’s how to determine the cost-per-wear before you buy something.

A piece of apparel can have a low price but a high cost-per-wear. A $10 formal gown might seem like a bargain, but it’s not unless you actually end up wearing it. That’s not say that it’s not worth buying at all, but don’t consider it a bargain when it is really a fun splurge item.

What types of items have a high cost-per-wear?

Seasonal items

I love scarves, but I live in Florida where it’s too hot to wear them except for a few weeks per year. A $5 scarf might be a great deal elsewhere, but it’s not a bargain for me if I don’t wear it.

Trendy items

Every season brings new trends while other trends fade. If you tend to buy into trends, you can spend a lot of money of items that you may feel differently about in a few months — or even a few weeks — when the trend is now as popular as cold French fries. Some trends do live on to become wardrobe staples, but for the best cost-per-wear, focus on building a wardrobe full of pieces proven to outlive the passing of trends.

Don’t be afraid to freshen up the look with some trendy pieces, but don’t pay too much unless you know that you’ll still love the pieces next season. The good news is that you can look forward to bargains on your favorite trends once they hit the clearance racks.

Special occasion items

These can often be the worst offenders. For me, part of the fun of special occasions is buying that new dress. My prom dress and wedding dress have something in common: both were bought new and worn once. Would it really have killed me to wear dresses that someone else probably only wore once? Of course not. I could have bought them new for less, but unfortunately I waited until I didn’t have time to do much bargain shopping.

If you have a special occasion coming up, don’t procrastinate. And don’t forget to take another look in your own closet — you might have something suitable already. If you still “need” to buy something new to commemorate the occasion, freshen up the outfit with some new accessories that you can also use with other outfits.

Uncomfortable items

I’m a sucker for cheap, cute shoes. Some of them have turned out to be comfortable, but others are not by a long shot. Guess which ones I wear the most. You’ll also rarely see me in jeans. Why? I find dresses more comfortable. Of course, comfort is not just about how something feels physically. If you feel mentally uncomfortable in something, you’re still less likely to wear it.

I love pink, but I know women who hate wearing pink because it makes them feel too “girlie”. Sometimes it’s good to wear things outside your comfort zone, particularly if you’re trying to change your image. However, be honest with yourself if you really don’t think you’d ever wear something.

Items that don’t go with your other pieces

I once bought a purple, white and black striped skirt that I initially loved. Unfortunately, I could never find a top that worked with it. Eventually I returned it for store credit. How many items do you have in your closet with the tags still on? Is it because they don’t go with anything else? If so, either find the pieces you need to wear them or return them.

Items that don’t look great on you

Well, I’d like to think that awful-looking clothes get worn a lot less than great-looking clothes. Of course, people still wear the wrong colors and fits for their bodies. However, I hope you choose to only buy and wear items that make you look and feel fabulous.

Of course, I still buy stilettos and trendy items. I have a collection of scarves and I tried on a prom dress the other day just for fun. Taking cost-per-wear into account doesn’t mean giving up items you love, it just means being honest with yourself about their true cost, particularly when you are tempted by huge discounts.