I recently accepted a new job . . . one in which I need to dress very professionally. Granted, it’s part-time, however I still need to wear appropriate clothing. And that gave me a bit of anxiety. Being a mom, camper/hiker, runner, and outdoor education guide, my dress code has been, to say the least, incredibly casual. So, I ventured into my closet to find out what suitable clothes I had that still fit me. (Ugh.)

As anal retentive as I am, I began organizing everything by item, i.e. pants, skirts, blouses, etc., and evaluating each, asking myself a few key questions: Was it old? Did it look old? When was the last time I wore it? Did I like it anymore? If the item survived that round, I tried it on. If it didn’t fit, I got rid of it. If it did, I put it back on the hanger and put it with the rest. What resulted was this: a few dress pants in black, brown, navy, and one gray . . . a couple of blouses, both long and short-sleeved . . . some nice sweaters . . . a couple of blazers . . . and a few dresses and skirts. The good news was that I had enough shoes to match whatever I wore, so that was a plus. But my dressy wardrobe was, admittedly, a little on the thin side. I sighed.

That’s when my hubby walked in. He saw me, hands on my hips, examining my clothes and asked what the heck I was doing. “Trying to find out how much I have for my new job,” I replied.

He nodded his understanding, stood next to me for a few seconds, also evaluating my wardrobe, and then said, “Doesn’t look like a whole lot. Do we need to go shopping?”

I rolled my eyes and stuck out my tongue. “Oh, ick!” I know, real mature, but there are two reasons for that: 1) I really, really don’t like shopping, and 2) I didn’t want to spend a bunch of money on a part-time job until I had a better idea of where it might lead.

Hubby just shrugged his shoulders and said, “I know, but if you need some new clothes, then let’s go buy some for you. Besides, I need a few pairs of pants. Some of mine are getting ratty,” he explained as he touched the cuffs on his side of the closet.

“Well, let me see what I can do,” I said, not ready to hit the stores just yet. I had an idea . . .

I began looking at colors. Then I looked at style and season. I discovered that a few of my outfits had two parts, i.e. a dress with a matching jacket, and realized that if I split up the parts and paired them with something else, I created a whole different outfit. Suddenly, I saw that this blazer could be paired with those pants and that blouse, or that skirt goes with this top and that sweater. The little jacket that goes with that dress would look really cute with this shell and these pants. Wow! Then I hit a snag. These two skirts don’t have any tops that match. Hmmm . . . I may have to go shopping – but only for a few basic things. And if I get them in colors that go with everything else, then I’ll have even more options!

The point is, when you’re short on money or don’t want to spend a lot on clothes, there is a way: mix and match. If you’re not sure how to do that, here’s a tip. Look at the colors in your closet. What do you see? Chances are you see a lot of items in similar colors or in colors that you like and that look nice on you. Now, do you see any full outfits or ones with two or more “parts”? Separate them. Take that bolero jacket and see if it goes with anything else. Does that blouse look good with a few different pairs of pants? How about that sweater? Will it go with those pants or this skirt?

And you men out there, don’t think this only applies to women. You can do it, too. You probably have pants in different colors that can be paired with different shirts. Try switching it up once in a while. Instead of wearing the green shirt with the tan pants all the time, try the pants with that cool rust colored shirt, or the blue one. How about the bold plaid shirt with those black pants? Or the red striped shirt with the navy pants? Go nuts. Try it.

And the next time you go shopping for clothes, take into consideration the different combinations you can make with what you’re tossing into your cart. Buy things in similar colors or patterns so that you can mix them up later. There’s no need to buy outfits that should always be worn together. They say that variety is the spice of life. I say that’s true. But I also say it doesn’t have to cost you a fortune.