Dressing Nice on a Budget: A Guide for Men

So you've got a job? Congratulations! That's half the battle. Let's imagine you just graduated from college, finally locked down that first job, and now you want to look the part. The problem is that nice clothes cost a lot of money and saving money is the whole reason you got one of those job things on the first place. What's a guy to do? (Note: this article is for men only, or women who are shopping for men!)

I've been there. And I'm here to tell you that looking great doesn't have to cost a lot. It'll cost you something, to be sure, but I'm going to tell you where and when to shop so you can look like a million bucks without paying anywhere close to at much. If you're like me, you've got a job that requires you to wear a nice shirt, slacks, a decent pair of shoes, and perhaps a sportcoat once in a while.

Dress shirts. This one's simple. Charles Tywhritt has some fantastic dress shirts (I prefer their tailored fit shirts) for a great price. More often than not, they offer a "Buy 4 for $199" sale and sometimes you can get them even cheaper. Make sure you get the non-iron shirts. If you wear 5 shirts a week, you'll save $10 a week not going to the dry cleaner.

Pants. Even if I didn't care about cost I would still shop at Banana Republic for pants. Their slim fit pants fit great. They can cost up to $100, but you can usually find some types for less. Add in a 30 or 30% discount (which they usually have online), and you can usually get a great pair of pants for under $50. Make sure you sign up to get Banana Republic updates over e-mail, it is a big mistake not to!

Sports coats and blazers. For the right fit at the right price, go to Joseph A. Bank. NEVER PAY FULL PRICE! The best times you go are when they have their buy 1 get 2 free sales, or when everything in the store is 70% off. You should be able to get a very nice blazer for around $100.

Shoes. Got to DSW. Sign up for an account and start generating points. The bottom line with shoes, is that you shouldn't spend more than about $70. I can't really tell the difference between $60 shoes and $300 shoes (especially when they're on someone else's feet) and I'm guessing you can't either.

Add in $200 for the dress shirts, $140 for two pairs of pants, $100 for a blazer and a $60 pair of shoes, and you have a complete wardrobe for $500. Just don't forget to wear underwear!