Here are a few things I've learned over the past couple years that have helped me save money on clothes. Some of these may seem basic to some people, but a "refresher course" never hurt anyone!
1. Always, always, always wash jeans inside out! The fabric will retain it's color for a much longer period of time.
2. On second thought, wash ALL of your clothes inside out. What's true for jeans is true for everything else in your wardrobe, too. The only things I don't always wash inside out are my sweatshirts (when they're especially dirty) and clothes whose color I don't care about - like my workout clothes and pajamas, for instance. Extra tip: turn your clothes inside out as you take them off or throw them in your hamper; this will save you an irksome extra step when you go to throw it all in the machine.
3. Know your delicates! And treat them as such. Always wash your delicates on the delicate cycle and never ever tumble-dry them! Delicates should always be hung-dried - tumble-drying creates all kinds of friction that wears down the fibers in your garments, causing them to have a much shorter wearable life.
4. Wash most of your other clothes (especially jeans! Again, this will help with color-retention) on the delicate cycle, too, and hang-dry them whenever possible. Refer to Trick #3 for the reasons why. The only clothes I don't regularly treat like delicates are my pajamas, workout clothes, sweatshirts, socks, and underwear. Everything else: if in doubt, it goes in with the delicates.
5. Safety-pin socks, etc. together so they don't get separated. Some people who know I do this have accused me of being OCD (and I probably am), but since implementing this little trick about a year-and-a-half ago, I've only lost 1.5 pairs of socks and haven't needed to purchase any new ones. And that also includes my hiking socks, sock liners, and knee-highs (I know, I know! but they're great for when I wear pants to work). I'd estimate that this trick saves me $15+ per year, easily!
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