I think that many people underestimate the importance of physical appearance (I will concentrate on fashion/clothing here), and overestimate the effort and cost it takes to improve it. Some of the benefits of good physical appearance are that we appear more trustworthy and competent, on average earn a higher salary, and have an easier time getting a job after an interview. Wearing good-fitting, clean, stylish clothes is a strong signal that we care about ourselves and are therefore also capable of caring for others (consider the opposite case—wearing ill-fitting, worn-out clothes signalling that we are not capable of looking after even ourselves). There are many sources of fashion advice for both genders to be found for free online, catering for every type of budget and body type. Even without increasing our yearly budget for clothes by much, by learning the basics of fashion we can focus on buying only the clothes that look good on us, and improve our lives without much effort.
I think that many people underestimate the importance of physical appearance (I will concentrate on fashion/clothing here), and overestimate the effort and cost it takes to improve it. Some of the benefits of good physical appearance are that we appear more trustworthy and competent, on average earn a higher salary, and have an easier time getting a job after an interview. Wearing good-fitting, clean, stylish clothes is a strong signal that we care about ourselves and are therefore also capable of caring for others (consider the opposite case—wearing ill-fitting, worn-out clothes signalling that we are not capable of looking after even ourselves). There are many sources of fashion advice for both genders to be found for free online, catering for every type of budget and body type. Even without increasing our yearly budget for clothes by much, by learning the basics of fashion we can focus on buying only the clothes that look good on us, and improve our lives without much effort.