Los Angeles is a beautiful city, but does have a reputation and taste for the superficial and materialistic. People always want the best of everything, even if it means getting everything.
I find that life is easier when you cut down to what you really need. Every three months at least, I go through my clothes and pick out what I never wear anymore and what I wear the most. I through out clothes that are ripped or worn beyond ability to wear. When I'm done, I give the clothes I don't want to the Salvation Army or to the L.A. Mission. That way, I'm left with clothes I like and it leaves room to buy any necessities for the coming months. It's also a great way to help out people that don't have the advantages you do.
Another important thing with clothes is buying according to the season. For example, if summer is almost over, would you really buy another spaghetti strap top or pair of shorts when fall is just around the corner? Granted, when the Santa Ana Winds come rolling in, you're going to want the shorts and tanks because it gets pretty hot, but that's why you have your clothes from summer.
So, if fall or winter is just around the corner, it makes sense to buy clothes for that season instead of another summer dress. When buying for the new season, this is another opportunity to go through your clothes and decide what you don't want anymore.
Thirdly, when buying clothes, you really have to pay attention to fit and quality. This guarantees that you can keep those clothes for a long while and you don't have to buy more clothes.
What should be splurged on are jeans. I've bought jeans from Forever 21 that have faded quickly and ripped easily or had the stitches come undone. Even though these jeans are the cheapest, they aren't the best quality. I also own American Eagle jeans. Sure they cost more, but they last a lot longer and retain their color for a lot longer too. AE jeans also have the advantage of fitting better and there being a wide variety of styles to choose from. The same goes for jean companies like Levi, Lucky, J Brand, 7 For All Mankind, etc. So, if you want to save on jeans, splurge on the best pair. You cut back on how many jeans you buy, so you really save some money.
This ideal of fit and quality (not necessarily splurging) should be the same with dress shirts, dresses (Always check the tag for materials used. If you're buying a formal dress for say, prom, you don't want the 400 dollar polyester dress. You want the silk gown. If you buy polyester, you're cheating yourself out of a quality purchase. Although, even then you can find quality dresses for far far cheaper), and shoes.
If you want to save on underwear, regular shirts or other such things, always look out for 3 plus packs (You can buy a three pack of white Hanes v-necks at Target for 5 dollars), 5 for 25 or 20 sales (such as at Victoria's Secret and again Target), or Semi Annual Sales (Victoria's Secret, Bloomingdales, Nordstrom for the finer things in life (JEANS AND DRESSES!)). For other cheaper items, Forever 21 always sells good shirts and sale sections in places like AE offer good prices (but check for any damage to the clothes, because there is the tendency to hang the damaged goods).
The most important thing would be to have decided what you need and how much you are willing to spend on something. To do this, make a list before you go out, look up items online and approximate the cost of it all, and carry a restricted amount of cash on you (i.e. try and avoid using your credit card if you've allotted yourself a certain amount of cash).
Only ever choose what you need, not what you want.
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