One way to spend less money on clothing is to buy a jacket that will go with the different pants and skirts that are already in the closet. Throw a blouse underneath. You will be able to wear different outfits to work and no one will know that you already wore that jacket several times, especially once you add your jewelry.
Another way is to wear a button-down shirt over a spaghetti strap top and leave the shirt open. However, make sure that the top is something you can wear outside of work too. For instance, buy a tank top that has a decorative neckline.
Also, try hitting the department store sales/clearance items. Before each season the department stores have huge sales to make room for the next season inventory that is coming in. This is when you can save a lot of money because they just want to get rid of it.
Thrift stores are a great way to get name brand clothing for very little money. Plus they are also a great avenue for finding accessories like belts, scarves, handbags, shoes, and even costume jewelry to produce that polished look for the office.
If a clothing store in your area is going out of business this is a fantastic place to buy your clothes for work or play without spending a lot of money. Huge markdowns on everything in the store including accessories.
Don't buy clothes that have to be dry cleaned. This will save you a lot of money to spend elsewhere.