How much do you spend on clothes and shoes for yourself?

[Kendodd]

I spend about £80 a year on myself and about £90 each on the DCs, that includes their shoes from Clarks.

On clothes easily 3-4k. I don't think that is much more than average for someone on a middle income . Probably spend about 1/2 to 2/3 of that on dd's clothes.

Dd's figure is on top of mine.

If you have a full time job which requires you to look smart you do need more clothes.

I am still ed! at how much people spend. I consider us to be reasonably well off- all relative, I know, but have a combined income over 6 figures. we also live SE, have a mortgage, and 2 DCs who are JUST supporting themselves.

Adding up my clothes this season, I have bought a coat, £250, 4 dresses @ £70-80 each, a nightdress- silk- a couple of bras, some tights, a jumper for around £55, and that's it since about last August.

I tend to buy good quality and unless something is really worn out, it lasts me 2-3 seasons, unless fashion changes hugely.

I've no idea how much I spend - probably in the £250-£500 a month group (have 3 dc's).

Am pretty careful about what I do buy the dc's and luckily with 2 boys there are plenty of hand me downs. Tend to do big buys for them a couple of times a year for the coming season.

With me - well I do buy 'better' more expensive clothes now and a lot less of the throwaway stuff I would have bought a few years back.

However we're doing major house renovations this year and next so need to keep a close eye on purchases.

Oh and I don't work but wear most of my clothes and those I don't - I give to my niece or sister - can't bear a cluttered wardrobe.

Well when I say I don't work - you know what I mean - still have 2 pre-schoolers so not quite at the lady who lunches stage yet

How much do we think is a reasonable clothing budget then? It's all relative, I suppose.

It's interesting that a lot of the people spending lots are really surprised by how much they're spending.

It doesn't seem completely unreasonable to buy one new item a month (assuming you have a reasonably well stocked wardrobe in the first place), especially if you're working in an office, but if you buy the odd expensive winter coat or new shoes at £150+ (easily done in e.g. Russell & Bromley, even Clarks is £80 for a pair of boots), you could easily average £100 a month excluding haircuts, beauty etc. If you get a haircut even every 3 months at £30 a pop and spend a couple of hundred a year on shampoo/skincare/body lotion etc etc, you're easily hitting £1,500 a year without even trying.

I'm in the process of buying pretty much a whole new wardrobe (lost weight and have no clothes after 3 years of being PG and BFing), and adding up the cost (from mid range upwards, price-wise) of a few pairs of trousers, enough t-shirts/jumpers to get through the week and a new coat, boots and sandals for summer, and I'm hitting a scarily high sum! Never mind the fact that I have to buy clothes for weddings, parties etc too.

kellogg Out of interest, how much do you think someone on middle income earns?

I don't actually have a budget as such - tend to buy things as and when but not nearly as much as I'd like!
I also don't work so don't have the need for a varied wardrobe in that way. And have recently realised my life is such that I rarely see anyone for two consecutive days running, so in the winter can get away with the same few things re-cycled (sad).
I do like clothes though, and would happily buy something new every week if funds allowed - which they don't atm.
I've only bought a few long-sleeved tops so and a dress this year, but we've had an unusual amount of outgoings which hopefully will turn into a bit of income soon, so things could look up!

amelia I am a SAHM, we're not rich but we have a decent family income.

I don't wear all my clothes, I go through phases of loving and hating stuff and I do buy a lot of fashion forward items so things fall out of favour. Embarrassingly I have also been known to buy stuff without trying it and then when I decide it is not appropriate I don't get found to returning it.

I am a teacher earning in the region of 40k, I think that is a typical middle income,

I don't have a budget so was guessing, but a work dress would be about £100, a going out dress would be more . Shoes about £50 - £100. I think every other month I will spend a few hundred. Maybe 2- 3 k although if you include hair, makeup and treatments it would take it back up to 4k.

I dp buy quite a bit second hand.

Kellog you are misguided- and I'm a bit that you don't know that the ^average* income in the UK is £26K

You are a high-ish earner, relatively. If you ( or anyone) has a DP/DH earning the same-ish that puts you in the top 10% of income.

When I was teaching full time, pre DCs- I often wore the same clothes daily- maybe change of top but same skirt or trousers.

Hopefully It doesn't seem completely unreasonable to buy one new item a month (assuming you have a reasonably well stocked wardrobe in the first place),

I really don't get this! I mean when do you actually wear these clothes!

I've got some lovely knitwear from Jigsaw that cost me say £50-£60 3 years back, it's still in good condition, and if I add 1 -2 pieces like that a year ( not a month!)then I still end up with half a dozen, and certainly don't wear them all in a week.

I do work from home but see clients 2 days a week when I need to look smart/smart casual so many of my clothes are interchangeable.

But I cannot imagine buying new clothes every month- it would seem so wasteful.

I know what the average salary is. However I don't think teaching is a highly paid job. Neither is it poorly paid. It is a decent middle income. My dp earns less than me. Apart from my teaching friends , many of my friends earn significantly more than me. They are high earners.

I am in a management position in a school with a smart dress code. I am someone who has a reputation for enjoying clothes but I am no Immelda Marcos.

I wear everything I own. Once I no longer wear something I goes to charity or someone else. I have things in my wardrobe that are 10 years old. If I was still a size 10 I could be wearing clothes that are 20 years old.

I do however have a dressing room. I am not claiming to be had done by.

hmmm. good question. Two pairs of boots and a two pairs of shoes - this year that was about £150-£200. Then probably average 30 quid a month on clothes. So if you include splurges and christmas sales probably about £800 a year. I spend a lot more on the boys (mainly on shoes)

Amelia I haven't actually spent that in recent years (I mentioned up thread that my budget for the past 5 years has been more like £20pm), but I can totally see how I could, and I don't think that it's excessive to buy one item of clothing a month on average, bearing in mind that buying a new winter coat or pair of boots or outfit for a wedding could easily use up two months' budget. I think 10 new items of clothing/accessories/shoes in a year is ok, really.

I probably wear out a couple of items of clothing a year (by which I mean, go through the knees of jeans, t-shirts with holes or irredeemable stains on), so even ignoring the fact that I think it's ok to buy something just because you want to, I actually need to replace some of my clothes a few times a year. My work clothes used to last longer (am SAHM), but had to be much smarter, so couldn't be worn until they were worn out.

I dunno, even Martin Lewis says that the only reason most of us ever buy clothes is fashion, few of us wear anything until it actually wears out. I'm not sure that many of us really need to be fashionable in our workplaces/careers.

I'd like to know what typical male spending figures are! DH does need to look smart casual/works full time, & he spends no more than me.

I am not really a fashion person , I just have my own sense of style. My weight also fluctuates which means I have a range of sizes. Some things I wear until they wear out or fade, others I tireof and give away.

Oh for me its about fashion and style - very rarely do my clothes fall to pieces.

But if you can afford it - I don't see the problem really.

300 a year? Maybe?

Ok no that's not right.... 400? 500? 600? I have NO idea!

Oh lord, i am another, who if i added up what i bought, i think i would have to write my husband a serious admissions letter. I have no idea?! I buy things for me and the children as and when i see them.

£200 pcm for me and £50 pcm for DS. By the time I've bought him 3 pairs of Clarks shoes a year @ £35 a pop, 2 pairs of wellies, 2 coats, school stuff and ordinary clothes we easily get through it.

One other thought. Although the national average salary is £26k, in greater London the median salary is apparently £60k (fgs!).

I do not have a budget. I buy whenever I need stuff or see something I like. I have no idea how much I spend on the boys 12 and 15. Just before Xmas DS1 needed new jeans and I think they were about £45 and I chucked in a t/shirt too for him which was about £25, a couple of weeks before that he needed new trainers and they were around £65 so I suspect both of them have around £300 plus a year spent on them, maybe more with summer holiday clothes.