I've spent £402 on clothes and shoes this year

[BadabongBadaBing]

This is the first year that I have written down everything I have spent on clothes, from charity shops to socks to shoes. I haven't been particularly frugal and I like to think I make an effort most days with what I wear- with the odd few harems, trainers and jumper days thrown in when I'm not at work. I guess I wanted to know how it compared with our spending in other areas. I've been looking at all of it this year.

I think I'm doing ok. What do others spend? Or make of this?

[molesbreath]

Wow I'm quite taken with this idea of finding out how much I spend.

That doesn't sound like an awful lot of money to me but as long as you are happy with what you have - well done you !

[brakespeare]

I think that's a good amount as in, just right. I'd say I've spent about that but then I'm probably not counting my beautiful camel cashmere jumper that was stolen on route to my home country, which was 100 :( I really agonize over every purchase, which drives my friends nuts!

[HappyGirlNow]

Oh god, I spend much more than that in a month... 2-3 times as much... I do need to cut down but seem to be in a habit. I'm on a good wage and can easily afford it but I have so many things with the labels still onus ridiculous...

[WellTidy]

I think thats brilliant. I know that I have spent much, much more. I don't have a budget, I just buy whatever I like or think I need or whatever would be useful or whatever is reduced and I don't want to leave it, or things that would make an existing outfit etc.

I would benefit from this type of exercise, definitely! Its not that i can't afford to spend what I do. I don't go into debt for it. But I have definitely lost track of it and it would be interesting to see how it compares with spending in other, essential and non-essential areas, I agree.

I think I must have spent about 1,200 - 1,500 on shoes, coat and clothes for me this year so far. I don't have particularly expensive taste - I buy on the high street - but I am a petite fit, and I live in fear of things going out of stock as I don't have many alternative places to shop.

[DrewOB]

Well done!
I spent way too much money on clothes :S I think, upward of 2/3k a year :S

[specialsubject]

that's quite a lot, but if you were replacing worn out items or buying things you needed (e.g. to meet a work dress code) then fair enough.

[RoseyHope]

I think I've spent about £160-200, but then I am very, very poor and all my clothes have holes in them If you can afford it, why not?

[daimbardiva]

I am really scared to tot up what I've spent this year...it would be more thsn that, I'm sure. I am going to start keeping a record from now. I really need to make myself more accountable.

[HelloitsmeFell]

I don't think I want to know.

mind you, what I spend now is nothing compared to what I used to spend, when I was younger and slimmer and shopping was more fun and less of an exercise in self-flagellation.

[NickiFury]

I'm going to do this next year. It's a great idea. I've spent far more than that two pairs of Uggs but maybe this would keep impulse spends down.

[mirpuppet]

Last year I wrote down everything I purchased (and all the returns)

Total for 2013: £318.4.

This year I expect the figure to be about the same.

However, my total did not include shoes & boots. I have fussy feet and don't think I should moderate my shoe purchases. While I have way too many clothes.

Also I have not purchased a new coat in the last 2 years.

[TheHobbit]

I've bought one top at £10 and a pair of shoes also £10 so that's £20 this year so far lol. But I do have quite a lot of clothes and I get given loads from my colleagues. I work in a very wealthy village and people are always redoing their wardrobes so I offer to take their old clothes off their hands. I get binbags full of their old designer wear. I hate spending money though, absolutely hate shopping so this suits me to the max!

[BadabongBadaBing]

molesbreath and welltidy keeping a list has actually shown me that I spend less than I thought.

I love fashion, read lots of blogs and magazines and enjoy what other people are wearing so do actually spend a fair bit of time on it.
I don't want it to dominate our spending though! And this exercise has shown me it doesn't.

TheHobbit that sounds like a great arrangement. I used to live in a v posh village and the charity shop was a treasure trove! I hardly spent anything on clothes then!

[Twinklestein]

I think amazing and you should pat yourself in the back.

I spend 1000s, even my husband doesn't know how much I spend. (It's my money).

[LittleRobots]

I've probably spent less than that. We don't have a lot of money and I find it hard to spend on expensive things/my shape keeps changing. I want some boots that are 120 but I'm wondering if I can wait until xmas sales. Similarly a monsoon dress I love but can't justify so hoping it will come up reduced.

[Achangeisadgoodasarest]

welltidy I'm a petite (size of a 10 year old!) and can't seem to find anything to buy on the high street!! Please share your tips, I'm getting desperate!

Sorry to hijack your thread OP, my answer is I've spent bugger all, nothing fits me!

[WellTidy]

Achange I am not a skinny petite anymore, but I am short (5 foot 1 inch tall), and I have narrow shoulders and short arms and all that. I am a petite size 10 in M&S, Boden (where I spend a fortune), Wallis, Gap (only online, but their petite range is excellent) and Banana Republic (which assumes I have a waist and I don't, unfortunately). This is where I buy nearly everything I own.

But there are petite ranges in Dorothy Perkins, Topshop, Counyry Casuals and Debenhams too. And then there are the specific petite cobcessions like Precis and Minuet.

I buy masses online and use click and collect. I try it all on there and then, and return what I don't like.

[Achangeisadgoodasarest]

Thanks welltidy I also do lots of ordering and returning, never get to keep anything though! I'm 5'1 as well but size 6, well a 4 in topshop but that's just ridiculous! I do have an hourglass shape, but just in miniature, so boden, m & a, next, gap etc all ruled out due to smallest size swamping me. Will try banana republic though, never looked at that one.

Of course if I had any idea what I should be wearing it might be a but less frustrating - no sense of style or fashion whatsoever, I just wear jeans and hoodies, like an actual child!

Thanks for replying x

[BadabongBadaBing]

Achangeisasgoodasarest have you tried Johnny B - Boden's teen range. My petite friend swears by them

[AmberNectarine]

Wow, I'm impressed at all you frugalistas! I wouldn't dare keep track. I could take a very rough guess which would probably be on the low side and even that is obscene. Will be better next year.

[BadabongBadaBing]

Try it for a month or two Amber. For me it focussed my mind on whether something was really good enough to make more numbers on my list! I also made extra sure that all the 'not sures' got returned. I'm a bit competitive with myself though (weird)

It also made me feel less guilty about spending £35-40/ month as my dh spends on beer, nice food (luxury items) and hobbies and if he does buy clothes he does in one big spend once per year and once suits etc are factored in it doesn't come in too much lower than my figure.

[velourvoyageur]

Inc shoes perhaps 1.5k and that's a conservative guess. I'm really not supposed to spend that much.

Sold loads on ebay tho!

[Achangeisadgoodasarest]

Good tip badabong will check it out, thanks

[Farfromthetree]

I used to spend hardly anything on my own clothes, but have recently discovered Ebay, which is rather addictive... There's a risk involved, but you can also get great bargains, so it feels a bit like gambling. I finally have some nice clothes now.