How do you find reasonably priced, quality, long lasting clothing?
On the quality angle a big part of it is experience, but the biggest thing is careful observation.  You have to take a close, critical look at any article of clothing.  (This holds true for just about any purchase.) As far as finding them for reasonable prices it's the usual thing: sales and buying them second-hand. Finally, regarding maintenance: The idea that you should buy quality, long lasting clothes shouldn't go unchallenged. It's just not true for everybody. If you have a job or a lifestyle that makes it so your clothes are going to get worn out fast regardless of quality, buying expensive clothes doesn't make sense. With that said: look for heavier-feeling fabrics, avoid colors that will fade (or worse: bleed into your other clothes in the wash). Check the laundry instructions so you can see whether they're on the delicate end of the spectrum. Re: how to extend the life: avoid bleach. Even color safe bleach contains peroxide which can break down fabrics faster. Use resources like Consumer Reports and recommendations from like-minded friends to figure out brands which have a reputation for making quality clothes.  Then trust, but verify.   Ideally have a friend who sews a lot go with you on a clothing expedition if you don't know how to determine quality in clothing.  People who sew knew their fabrics, and this could be very helpful to you.  Start at places that are known for quality clothing, but make sure the reputation hasn't outlived reality.  I'd look for: Once you've identified places that you can trust, wait for sales at those stores.  I've found that shopping sales at department stores (or better, places like L. L. Bean) is cheaper than a discount retailer and much easier.  Even cheaper, go to a thrift store and look for those brands in timeless styles.  Your mileage will vary in terms of the what people throw out in your area.  Thrift stores work extremely well in high cost of living areas where people give away nearly new items. Are specific brand recommendations allowed? I'm a big fan of Lands' End. They have good quality clothing at reasonable prices in all the basic styles. They have great customer service and you con order online and avoid clothes shopping at the mall (which I hate). According to this http://shine.yahoo.com/event/financiallyfit/cheapest-days-to-shop-online-2301854/ Tuesday is the best day of the week to buy men's apparel. The best way to find good quality is to check the garment tag: What kind of material is it made of? Jersey 100% cotton or any 100% cotton is one of the best quality material for most casual clothing.  Then, you should touch it (designer step/touching). You will get better along the way. If you think you will like it, it may be a good quality. You should try it. and look for similar material when shopping. It does not matter the store where you shop, you should check the garment quality because even at the expensive stores you can find bad quality.  Quality in Stitch: you should check the the garment stitch, look at the top and underneath stitches, watch for good and consist stitching pattern. especially the sides and armholes underneath of the garment.    Style is something personal. Everybody has different style, but stores are classified by age targeting. If you can find a store that usually made your style, good quality material at reasonable price. you should consider shop there. Most of the time, it will cost a little bit more or much more. BUT CHEAP IS EXPENSIVE!! you end up spending more money at the end of the year. Reasonable means a fair price for both parties, You and the seller. Neither cheap or expensive.
There are two ways to measure the value of money in the past. 1) As Victor mentioned there are inflation statistics covering the last 100 or so years that value the currency against an ever-changing basket of goods. This is sufficient when measuring general inflation over the period of the hundred years where there is data. This is how it was measured in your example. 2) For older time periods or where a value comparison is required between specific items (particularly where these were not in the basket of goods used for the inflation calculation) Historical records of the price of comparable goods can be used. This is in effect the same as mark to market valuations for illiquid financial instruments and requires poring through records to find the price of either a comparable basket of goods to one that would be used for inflation calculations today or a comparable set of items. An example of this is finding the value of a particular type of house (say a terraced house in London) in the 19th Century compared to the same house today by finding records of how much comparable houses would sell for, on average, then and now. This second measure is also used where the country in question didn't or doesn't keep reliable inflation statistics which may well be true of Colombia in the 90s. This means that there is a chance that this way of estimating Escobar's wealth in today's terms may have also been used. Another notable reason to use this methodology is that (unless you are using exchange rates in purchasing power parity terms) the value of money held in different currencies is different. This is even true today as the value of $1 in INR in India is likely to be higher than the value of a dollar in the US in terms of what you can buy. Using this methodology allows for a more accurate comparison in values where different countries and currencies are involved. For any shop the biggest costs are not the product itself but associated costs. The quality, customer experience, decor, wages, rent, maintenance, tax.   https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6brW7V2B470/UphyGQ9d3XI/AAAAAAAAMBw/JGJWd12XfHw/s1600/real_cost_coffee.png  &gt;* Perishable items are more costly than non-perishable.  &gt;* Some costs are incurred regardless of whether a product is sold. These are rent, wages, maintenance, perishables. Therefore selling more in a shorter space of time generates proportionately more profits.  Coffee beans are effectively non-perishable with how long they last. Milk is not. A good worker can turn beans+milk into coffee in seconds. You may buy multiple coffees per day, and for your friends. The coffee beans themselves cost ~10p but the price charge could be £1 -£5 depending on the shop.  Pizza is labour intensive. Takes more ingredients and longer in the oven (~20mins). You only really buy 1 pizza per person. It comes with a cost of ~£5-£18. Ingredients are generally perishable.  Ice Cream usually cant be made by a shop so it has to be shipped in. It is very perishable, leave it out of the freezer for ~30mins and its melted. Its not a real replacement for food or drink, so its optional. True, but shitty products is how they get their fuck all pricing.  Say what you will for the virtue of quality, but at least it's an ethos for a sustainable business.   How long do you think Amazon can sustain these prices? You'll be fine, fella. An AAT qualification is always useful. Should be able to do it quite easily, and understanding how books can be fiddled is a good idea.  There was a book on it: accounting for growth.  Don't knock accounting, you need to know how a balance sheet and p&amp;l can be frigged. AAT (accounting technician) gives you that with a couple of months study.  There is a huge amount of cock waving and testosterone around. They play very hard and work to death. We used to make two-way prices on how long a trader's marriage would last; probably a bit more tame now. Ok the black suit being for funerals and weddings only thing freaks me out because I've worn black suits to two interviews already.   I'm gonna check out suit supply, there's a location nearby. What exactly is dark navy and medium gray (as opposed to what, light navy and dark gray?)  What about those suits that are very lightly striped and black "Navy is probably your best bet for your first ""business"" suit. Dark grey is also an acceptable choice. Black is mostly for formal occasions. Light gray is a little sporty.    Suit prices will vary. The most important thing is getting it tailored. A $200 suit that fits you well will look FAR better than as $2000 suit that fits like shit.   I'm going to disagree with vodkaspeed on getting a BB suit tho. While I fully support investing in your appearance, I just don't think it makes sense to buy an expensive suit unless you'll be wearing it for work. If it's only for interviews and every now and then, I'd just get something at men's Warehouse or the likes for around $300 or so. Instead spend your money on what you'll be wearing once you get the job: dress shirts, pants, AE shoes, etc.  For reference a I have a BB suit, but never wear it. Dress shirt and pants is my dress code, and I've splurged on those items and good shoes. The suit sits wasted in the closet." Wearing decent clothes is not enough but you should wear a decent brand of footwear to complete your look. Going to get branded footwear would cost you high and you do not even able to find out the best bet. Buying a Gucci Sneaker would really give you dashing and a smart look. But, if you are trying to find G sneakers, then the internet may be the best place to go. You will not just have completely different choices. local by me is a market/store that is basically veggies and fruits.  they have some meat, some fish, but people are there for the vegetables and ethnic fruits  I rarely go because I can see from the main road all their parking spaces and hardly ever is there a spot available.  when I do see a parking space, I wheel in and buy like $40 worth, mostly veggies.  high quality, low prices, great variety  point is, people want to pick out there own fresh stuff