Looking grand is easy when you have infinite resources for an inexpensive wardrobe.

However, most of us live within insufficient means where every dollar is valued for.

So how do you build a closet that serves both your professional and individual needs without breaking the bank?

What can Average Joe do to look fine without investing big bucks in apparel?

Here are six of our favorite tips for enhancing your style and your closet on a budget.

Know Your Thrift Shops For Inexpensive Wardrobe.

Second-hand, charity, consignment, and other used apparel stores can be a gold deposit for sharp-looking menswear and inexpensive wardrobe. If you’re calm and thorough, you can find everything from a conservative-looking business suit to hip concert attire.

But to actually make thrift shops work, you’ve got to be a routine browser. The odds of walking out with clothes that drape and look great on anyone’s trip are vanishingly tiny. It takes various trips and an open mind to start creating a wardrobe from thrift shops.

Understand Your Shoe Re-crafting and Restoration Options.

A fine pair of leather shoes is an immediate upgrade to any attire. It’s one of the easiest ways to dress your style up for an inexpensive wardrobe. Even a guy in blue jeans and a traditional white T-shirt seems like a respectable man if he’s got some likable black leather footwear or boots and a matching belt on.

Trouble is, real leather shoes are also one of the most expensive wardrobe pieces out there (and inferior ones just don’t have the same prestige).

The answer? Second-hand shoes, plus a great knowledge of re-crafting and restoration experts.

Maintenance, Maintenance, Maintenance!

Do the small things. They matter.

Shoes get shining. Frayed hems get hemmed. Small rips get stitched up or mended before they turn into big tears. Make it a practice to brush your suit blazer after donning it.

This doesn’t increase your wardrobe or expand your style, of course, but it keeps your apparel from shrinking while you’re on the lookout for new items.

Find an Experienced Tailor.

Just like shoe adjustments, a professional tailor’s improvements can turn lightly-used apparel into something resembling brand new apparel tailored just for you.

The trick is finding someone who actually specializes in improvements, and is willing to take the time to get them really customized. A lot of in-house dressmakers at ready-to-wear menswear shops aren’t really making custom changes even if they do get your measurements — they’re just cutting to pre-determined lengths and widths.

Stitch Your Own Buttons and Make Other Small Adjustments.

Minor repairs don’t take much time to master. Anyone can become skilled at sewing buttons onto outfits in a day, and closing up small rips or applying pieces isn’t that much more complex.

The next time you need something insignificant fixed on a piece of apparel, look up how to do it yourself. Not all improvements will be worth the effort, but you can save a lot of cash if you don’t rely on tailors’ workshops for the really basic stuff.

Make Your Individual Alterations.

Taking the DIY method one step further, a dedicated hobbyist can get almost as helpful as a specialist at minor apparel alterations.

As old shirts and trousers wear out, practice hemming them to various lengths. See if you can make an old tee of yours fit a family member with a slightly different physique, at most insignificant in the sleeves.

If it turns out to be something you’re great at, you can move on to more challenging arrangements like using in darts.

So here were a few of our tips for an inexpensive wardrobe.