While the most important reason to lose weight is to improve your health, looking slimmer feels pretty great too. So once your weight loss program starts to pay off, and you’ve dropped several pounds, you’ll probably want to buy some new clothes to show off your new figure. And yet, you don’t want to splurge on an entire new wardrobe when you’re only halfway to your ultimate weight loss goal! So it’s important to find ways to creatively show off your new figure while saving your money for a shopping spree when you’ve reached your goal weight.

Try thrift stores. When you only have to pay three dollars for shirts and four dollars for pants, it doesn’t feel so wrong to buy several new (to you, anyway) outfits, even though they’ll only fit for a short time.

Host a clothing swap. Invite all your friends over for a clothing swap. Everyone brings items they no longer want, or that are the wrong size due to weight loss or gain, and you all walk away happy.

Be smart with accessories. As you lose more weight and clothing becomes loose once again, cinching a dress with a wide belt can actually look boho-chic. Great shoes and jewelry can distract from an outfit that doesn’t fit perfectly anymore, and a long, open sweater can give you that relaxed, “I just threw this on” vibe.

Alter your favorite pieces. If you really love a particular piece and want to keep it, you can always have it altered. This can be expensive and difficult for some items, like blazers, but not so bad with other items. It will depend upon the number of seams involved, along with the amount of weight you lose.

Take advantage of stretch. Look for a few key items, such as black dress pants, in a fabric that has plenty of stretch. But them a little snug, and continue to wear them as you loose weight. When you wash these pieces they will draw up a bit.

Look in the back of your closet. You may still have some “skinny clothes” from prior years that will work for you once again. If they seem outdated, try using them differently than you did before. For example, a button-front shirtdress can be worn open and unbuttoned over leggings and a tank top. Remember that more current accessories can modernize a vintage piece very well.