“Is StitchFix worth it?” “Do you get anything that you actually like?” “How much is StitchFix?” These are all questions that I used to wonder about with StitchFix. I’ve now discovered how to make StitchFix work for me and for our budget so I thought I’d share my tips with you in case you’re in need of some new clothes!
Back in October, I had the honor of being invited to an exclusive invitation-only event at Ramsey Solutions. The only issue is that it was “smart business casual”. I had zero clue what that was and if I had anything in my closet that fit that description. After researching on Pinterest for what felt like forever, I finally had an idea of what smart business casual was. However, I didn’t have anything in my closet that fit that description. I mean, I’ve been a stay-at-home mom for the past (almost) 8 years. So I have no businessy clothes that still fit me!
I decided to order a StitchFix box even though I haven’t had one in over 2 years. I was desperate for some help picking out quality clothes that would travel well. So I put together a sinking fund and set aside a little bit of money every week until I had enough to cover the average cost of a StitchFix box if I kept everything in it.
What is StitchFix?
Before I go into what all I got from StitchFix and how much it costs, I thought I would first share what it is in case if you’ve never heard of it before. With StitchFix you get a box of clothes that were personally styled for you by a professional stylist. Yes, you may end up with some misses and maybe even a full box of clothes that are just a “no”. However, if you really work your profile (I’ll have details on this in a minute) you’ll be able to avoid that disaster.
Typically StitchFix charges a “styling fee” of $20 per box. You get that $20 off your order if you decide to keep your entire box of clothes and you typically get a discount of about 25% off if you keep everything in your box. You can return anything you don’t love for free – they send you the envelope to ship stuff back in and the only thing you’re out of is the $20 styling fee.
How to make sure you get a box you actually want.
I absolutely love using StitchFix when I need it but I also know how frustrating it is to get a box of new awesome clothes but none of them is your style. It took me a while to figure this out which is why I want to share it with you – my secret for making sure I get awesome styled clothes I will actually wear!
First, if you have not already done this, I highly recommend you do – measure yourself. Get one of these measuring tapes that are used for sewing to measure the actual inches of your body. I started doing this when I started working out through the BodyBoss program, but by knowing what your actual measurements are it will help your stylist figure out the correct sizes for you and your comfort level.
For instance, I know that if a dress is less than 34″ in length it will be too short for when I sit down (that dreaded moment when you sit in church and you realize way too much leg is showing…
). And by knowing that information I’m able to avoid purchasing clothing items that won’t fit me right.
The other thing that I do for my stylist is that I pin everything that I love to my “My Style” board on Pinterest. I write in the description of those pins what I like or don’t like about the outfit pictured. This helps my stylist understand more about my personal preferences.
I also make sure that I’ve taken all of the style quizzes on StitchFix as that will help my stylist pair up clothing choices that I actually like. The last thing I do is get specific on what I’m looking for from my stylist. For this last box that I received, I told her that I had a conference that I was going to. I needed smart business casual clothing but I wanted clothing that I could also wear as a stay-at-home mom. I also mentioned that I would be driving 3 1/2 hours to this conference and I needed clothes that wouldn’t be super wrinkled.
Even better, I went further and told her that I love dresses and skinny jeans. This helped her tailor outfits that I would enjoy wearing more than once.
Here’s what I got:
Outfit # 1:
I loved this dress and actually drove up to Nashville in this dress. There wasn’t going to be time for me to change before having to head off to the Ramsey headquarters but this dress didn’t wrinkle while sitting in the car for that long and it was super comfortable!
StitchFix also sent me the necklace with this dress – it was two necklaces combined together with one clasp. I loved how it added just a little bit of color to this navy dress but wasn’t too flashy. I also got a ton of compliments on my purse (the light blue one on the chair) which is a consignment Aldo purse from ThredUp.
Outfit # 2:
Okay, so the only part of this outfit that StitchFix sent me is the coral cardigan. The shoes, jeans, and top are pieces that I already had in my closet. Both the shoes and jeans are other consignment pieces from ThredUp. The polka dot shirt is from Old Navy.
I LOVED this cardigan and wear it almost daily now that it’s gotten cold here in Georgia. I love how it adds a pop of color to an outfit that might otherwise be washed out. And it’s comfy so that’s always a bonus.
Outfit # 3:
This is my favorite outfit that StitchFix sent me! They sent the pants and the shirt and trust me when I tell you, these pants are soooo comfy! The perfect pants to wear to a conference and to drive back home in!
How to Budget for StitchFix
Here’s the deal. StitchFix isn’t cheap – the clothes are amazing quality and the price totally reflects that. I say this because I want you to understand that these clothes are going to last you but they are not cheap. This is why I only order a box from StitchFix when I actually need clothing. In fact, this box was the first one I ordered in two years!
Okay, so all that to say, don’t go ordering a box if you don’t have the funds ready to purchase! Because if you’re a Spender or you’re just a gal like me that LOVES clothes, you’ll be tempted to buy everything in your box regardless if you have the money or not. So, before you order a box make sure you’ve set aside at least $200.
Yes, I did just say set aside $200 at the minimum. Now, don’t let this freak you out. As I said, StitchFix is quality clothing and they will last you. I’m super hard on my clothing and I’m a stay-at-home mom. Every piece of clothing I’ve ever purchased from StitchFix has lasted and I still wear all the time. Which is why I believe that it is worth it to use StitchFix when you need to. Also, if you end up not purchasing everything in your box you can also take the leftover money and toss it into your Emergency Fund!
So, here are my rules:
- Only order a StitchFix box when you have at least $200 set aside in the budget.
- Only order a StitchFix box when you actually need new clothes.
- Order a StitchFix box after you’ve purged and “shopped” your closet.
- Be specific about what you need in this box to maximize what you receive.
- Only keep what you truly love and will wear. Send everything else back.
That’s it. Those are my weird “rules” when it comes to budgeting for StitchFix.
Okay, so you tell me – what are your favorite tips for getting the most/best out of a StitchFix box?
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The post “Is StitchFix Worth It?” – How I budget for StitchFix and get the most out of a box. appeared first on Jessi Fearon.