I started at a size 16/18 in pants, and I'm down to a size 8/10 in pants. Tops I started in L/XL and I'm now in mostly mediums, some large depending on the brand (unfortunately my DD girls didn't go down at all so shirt size didn't change that dramatically). I bought some new pants every size - I had a lot of size 16 and size 14 pants from before I gained the weight, and some size 12. I had to buy more size 12 than 14 or 16, and had to buy all new size 10. I wasn't buying new tops for the longest time because I wasn't quite fitting into mediums yet, but now after 47 pounds I've had to get rid of 85% of my tops because they are ridiculously big.

After all that rambling - I say buying at least new pants for every size - I hated the look of baggy pants, especially at work, plus it makes you feel good to have well fitting pants when you are losing the weight and want to show it. I am also in favor of shopping sales and getting a few good pairs of pants for each size you go down. Tops can be bought less often but still should get new ones when they start looking overly baggy - I know that looking sloppy at work for me won't work.

Baggy clothes make you look heavier than you really are. I try to hit the sales and I try to shop at Wal-Mart or Target. Don't worry about expensive clothes for a while, just get to the size that you want before throwing a lot of money into clothing. Right now, I have a few pairs of jeans but most of my clothes are those "exercise" pants. They look cute and they have elastic waists. I try to wear those as long as I can. I will stitch them up to make them smaller and I generally can do that for about 2-3 sizes smaller than what I bought them in.

Shop every single day!!! BUT... I don't buy every day. Just snoop around on the internet. If it's a must have, then I buy it in the size that I know I am going to make(10). It doesn't fit right now, but it WILL.

I recently (before Christmas) reclaimed 22 hangers. I've had to go shopping. It' too cold around here to run around butt nekked. My sister and neices were very happy to get them.

I've had to replace some of my clothes. I'm fitting into some that were in the back of closet. I really like shopping in the back of my closet. However, I didn't keep all my skinny clothes. I told myself that I'd keep a few but when I hit goal I deserved some new clothes.

My weight loss journey has been a long one -- I've gone from a 26 to an 8/10 (I'm kind of between sizes now). And I've still got about 10 pounds to go. Along the way, I've bought new clothes every season (my weight loss as been pretty slow and steady). I didn't have any old clothes to fall back on.

I discovered all of the good consignment shops in town. They have been my saving grace, particularly when it comes to finding clothes for work or more expensive items like winter coats. Aside from that, I'm also big on shopping at place like TJ Maxx and Ross, where you can find quality clothes at a big discount. I'll usually find good suits and dresses in the clearance sections there. When I hit my goal weight, I intend on finally building a real "career" wardrobe, with some solid base pieces. For non-work stuff, Target has been my best friend!

I have a few items (mostly jeans) that I've kept as I've gained weight....but I plan on splurging when I get to goal. Even if it requires a loan! LOL!

My question is - how many pounds do you normally lose before you go down a size?

I like to get a new pair of jeans with every size so I feel good. Even a pair from a second hand store is great to help save money.

I try to avoid it as much as possible, but I know this will change soon!

I hardly ever shop for clothes. Here, plus sized clothing is like the stuff from JC Penny's in the early 80's for your grandmother. *shudders* I usually take a trip t the States once a year for clothes. Hopefully that will not be the case this year.

I scoured the clearance rack (Kohl's, Dillards, Macy's) and just bought select pieces as I could find them-maybe a black skirt or pants that I could wear twice a week to work with different tops. If you're willing to take the time, you can really find high end items at super cheap prices. That lets you know what kind of mark-up clothes have!!!

These were all good responses that I appreciate. Somehow, even though I've "only" lost about 35 lbs, I have gone from a size 26/28 to 14/16 on top and 18/20 on bottom. I guess I was going for that mu-mu effect before. Having clothes that I had worn over the years has been a great adventure as I've started to fit in them again. I do have one frat party t-shirt that will be my absolute goal clothing item (those SAE boys...)...

The other thing I've done is apparently baked my clothes in the dryer as lots have shrunk. That saved some money.