How much do you spend on the following?

[eveningprimrose]

Trying to be a bit more rigid about budgeting next year- but also to demonstrate to DP that I'm not in fact very extravagant..hopefully.
So roughly what percentage of your disposable income do you spend on clothes- lotions and potions- hair - make up - manicure/ pedicure/ facials if applicable?
By "disposable" I mean money that can be spent as you like - how much of that spending is appearance related as opposed to say entertainment , hobbies or whatever other things float your boat?

[cabbageroses]

oh god- this has been done so many times!

You will find varying sums- some MNs spend £5 a year others £500 a month!

Surely it is irrelevant what anyone else spends; what counts is what you can afford as a couple.

I honestly couldn't tell you- have never added it up.

I go for months without buying any clothes, then might spend £200 on a few items. I think I once worked out that with fares added in ( to London) I spend about £500 a year on hair cuts and colouring.

I use fairly top end make up and skin care but don't buy new stuff until it is all used up- and that works out around say £40 a month or less , depending on what needs replacing.

[ruddynorah]

I don't know. I just spend as I like. Roughly I have £400 a month to spend on myself. But that includes boring stuff like petrol.

[Hassled]

I don't really have a set amount but I'm quite low maintenance - moisturiser at £5 - £10 a pop rather than the £30+ I know is out there, probably spend an average of £20 - £30 on clothes a month (but yes, months without buying anything, then I go nuts in Zara or somewhere). Make-up - as and when I need it but usually cheap Boots stuff. I spend more on foundation - Bobbi Brown or Chanel at £20-£30 a go, but that lasts ages.
I never have manicures/facials etc. Hair cuts are few and far between and probably cost about £30 a go.

[eveningprimrose]

oh god- this has been done so many times!

Sorry - I joined in the autumn and honestly I have not seen this one before - though I have seen loads of threads about how much people spend on household shopping:)

I asked about percentage of income rather than amounts because I appreciated that £100 pwill be a lot of money to one mumsnetter and a drop in the ocean to another.

[Hassled]

As a % of income, my personal spend is very low. We spend probably disproportionately more as a % on holidays, for example - we all have different priorities.

The bottom line is what you can afford. Very little of this stuff is strictly necessary - work out what disposable income you actually have, divide it fairly. And if your DH would rather spend that on holidays or entertainment then you have some negotiations ahead!

[madammecholet]

I cannot possibly put such a thing into writing, my DH sometimes peeks on here.

[LaurieFairyonthetreeEatsCake]

I buy way too much. Probably twenty per cent of disposable income a month.

[flowerytaleofNewYork]

Does it matter if you are being extravagant though eveningprimrose? If it's your own personal disposable income then it's entirely up to you what you fritter it away on surely? Presumably the amounts of disposable income yourself and your DP have are set after bills/mortgage etc, so are genuinely to dispose of however you like?

[ivykaty44]

i shave,

dry hair cut

own manicure and pedicure

cream face hands and feet

salt baths at home

[SummerRain]

I have rotten skin so use fairly good skincare stuff but try and make it last... current favs are La Roche posay Rosaliac mosturiser, Roc Purifying Toner and La Roche Posay Rosaliac Make up remover. Dp bought me ROC e-pulse for eyes as a treat but wouldn't normally spend that much and it's running out very quickly so don't think it's a habit i can keep up (sob, it really works too!)

clothes... I can go ages without buying anything other than the odd charity shop item but if i go to the sales with money or have the chance to shop somewhere i don't noramlly i might spend a couple of hundred... annual event if even that.

I rarely have my hair cut... last time was July and i need another but am procrastinating due to cost.

Herbal essences/tresemme or the like for shampoo and conditionar but will buy more expensive styling stuff if i have an event.

Perfume: Christian Dior Hypnotic Poison, bought June 2009 and still half full

no other luxuries... shave or epilate hairy bits and never go to salons or beauticians. The one time in my life i had my nails done my friend did it as a favour as she was training as a nail technician at the time and was glad of the practice.

[SummerRain]

Oh... make up... my mother buys me most of my make up as gifts. She got me a Chanel foundation 2 years ago that's still half full so I don't go through much and she liks to buy that stuff for me for birthdays/christmas

[eveningprimrose]

Poncey - I always think you make money from
work - but you also spend a proportion of what you make looking decent for work.
Tell that to my other half and he says - huh? Maybe the sane doesn't really apply to men??

[cabbageroses]

sorry evening- wasn't having a go!

To go back to your question re percentages- the simple asnwer is I haven't a clue!

I honestly do not know what is left each month after our necessary outgoings.

We are quite comfortable, but we also have a big mortgage and 2 adult children who have just left uni and still need a bit of financial support, so we haven't saved much over the last 6 years!

I work from home 75% of the time, so need few clothes- or can get away with smart casual most of the time.

I am a bit rare perhaps in that I agonise over whether to buy anything I don't "need" eg bought a new winter coat last year so didn't buy this year.

My entire clothes spend over the year includes maybe 3-4 pairs trousers, a few tops, couple of skirts and dresses, few pairs of shoes, a few undies, and a few jumpers- but I like Kew and Jigsaw so I would spend £100 on trousers and £60 on a top. I just don't buy many!

We rarely have hols overseas and if we do we are lucky enough to have savings which we could dip into if the current acount was not full enough.

My only extravagences are skin care- moisturisers and night creasm etc around £30-£40 a pop- but as i said, I use all my make up until it's gone and rarely buy a lot-eg have 2 lippes and that's it until I need another!

Sounds like you need to sit down and budget for your lifestyle.

[AliBellandthe40jingles]

DH and I each have about 20% of our disposable income each to spend on ourselves - holidays, days and meals out etc are paid for out of the other 60%.

Of my 20% I probably spend well over half that on clothes, haircuts, toiletries, makeup etc. It is high atm and has been for a couple of years because I've been pregnant, BFing and now pregnant again and I keep changing size and shape so have to keep buying new clothes!

DH wouldn't dream of questioning how much of that money I spend on different things, because it is my money to do as I like with.

[higgle]

About a third of my income is disposable, and I spend about 1/2 of that on clothes, hair and make up.

[muminthemiddle]

I don't know with regard to percentages. I do like to treat myself though. I like a good hair cut and colour so spend more on this than say manicures (which I cannot justify!).
If I have spare cash then will often splash out on expensive make -up or creams.

I am trying to cut down on clothing expenditure but am itching to go and look in the sales, which I have so far resisted.

[TheMonster]

It probably works out at about a tenner a month but used to be A LOT more. I just don't have time to think about it.

[bibbitybobbitysantahat]

I have my hair cut 4 x a year £30 a time.

I buy all my toiletries in the supermarket. Except for shampoo, which I buy at the health food shop, about £5 a bottle, lasts me 3 months.

I probably spend about £50 a year max on moisturiser and makeup.

I have an epilator and never have any beauty treatments (manicures, for eg.) other than haircuts.

Hth.

[eveningprimrose]

it is hard to be accurate but I think last year I spent about £1800 - £1900 on matters related to my appearance. This is a little less than half of the money I have to spend on myself (although the sum I have to myself has to include train fares and lunches)
Anway £500 + on hair - I am crap at doing it myself and have salon cut and colour regularly. In the year about £1200 - £1300 on clothes and jewellery - but I did buy stuff like boots and new swimsuits which I wouldn't every year. Make up nil - cheap toileteries bought from supermarket. One annual pre holiday pedicure.
Our family income varies due to makets but is relaiably over £100k. We have a reasonable but not huge mortage and no other debts.
he doesnt question what I spend as such - but he doesnt half bang on - albeit in a jokey way -about how much I spend on frippereis and personally I think it is a drop in the ocean in our family income. Does anyone agree, or, as they say on another forum AIBU?

[biryani]

Hair-£200 pa; nails-own manicure or scrounge from friend; lotions and potions/ makeup-about £20 per month. Clothes-probably £500 pa but don't get out much! Main expenditure for me is my car, so that's my priority.