It's one of the things we spend a lot of money on --- clothes. And NBC 10's Consumer Alert team has six great tips to help you and your family shop for less.

"We bought this down vest for $2 and it retails for $88," said Rick Doble of www.savvy-discounts.com.

Doble's passion is saving money. His online newsletter gives advice on buying everything cheaper, including clothes.

"The average household probably spends $2,000 (on clothes)," Doble said. "We spend about $500 a year and I can tell you my wife has plenty of clothes."

Rick's rule number one: Plan your purchases.

"Clothing is a particularly impulsive item," Doble said.

Rule number two: Have a list of clothes for the next six months.

Number three: Learn timing. Rick says timing is everything.

January and July are buying seasons for stores, Doble said, and they are moving in new merchandise and selling the old merchandise at discount prices.

Rule number four: Learn which brands are store brands.

For example, at J. C. Penny, Worthington and Arizona are the store brands.

"You can buy store brands at 70 percent off -- even below cost, even below what the stores paid for them," Doble said. "This happens regularly at the end of the season on store-brand clothing."

Rule number five: Save by mixing designer items with less expensive ones.

Don't buy the whole outfit at the designer store-- take the time to get similar accessories somewhere else for less.

And rule number six: Try consignment stores.

"This is a dress marked $185 for half off," Doble said as he demonstrated one of his finds.

And, Doble added that you won't lose money on new clothes that don't standup to washing or dry cleaning.

"If you buy secondhand, you'll know if it is faded, whether it shrinks and if the seams are coming apart," Doble said. "You may be able to tell more reliably whether you're getting a good deal or not."