What is your clothes budget?

[crosstraineraddict]

Mine isn't very big; I'd say maybe £50 per month, most of which is spent in Primark, or very occasionally TopShop.

So many people seem to have such big clothing budgets and it makes me wonder how they can afford it. I follow several style and clothing blogs each week and all the writers seem to have vast amounts of money to spend on clothes.

How much do you spend per month?

[Hopefully]

I'm like Amber - need keeping in check! I also (very) occasionally buy quite expensive clothes, and having a budget means I average that out over the year rather than forgetting about it.

[FairPhyllis]

dorsetknob I don't buy designer things. Usually I shop from nicer high street shops like Banana Republic or Great Plains or Warehouse. Or from Boden, but I never pay full price for anything from Boden. And if I do mail order I almost always try to get free shipping and returns. The scary thing is that even shopping from the high street adds up very quickly now.

I think I do get a lot of wear out of most things I buy - I went through my T shirts last night and found a fair few that were quite scraggy or had holes in. I was also very irritated to find that a moth has chomped its way through some nice jumpers . I will look to see if I can mend them though.

I do spend a lot on shoes because like MrsDuvall I have long narrow feet and have to buy from specialist shops - I can't buy shoes on the high street at all. I think I mentally don't count shoes because I have a policy of buying any I find that happen to fit me and are not actually hideous - when you have weird feet you never know where your next pair of shoes is coming from ...

Mind you every now and then if my DM visits she looks sadly at my wardrobe and says "you've got all this stuff!" so I probably do have too many clothes

[FairPhyllis]

Oh yes and there is HUGE variation between seasons here so I do need serious winter kit and barely-there clothes in the summer, otherwise I would perish ...

[Mspontipine]

I buy the odd nice scarf from Primark Apart from that .... I don't think I spend more than £100 in a year on clothes. Most jeans come from charity shops, I have lots of furry coats, also from c. shops.... sometimes get lucky in the Next sale and feed in a few new tops etc

Ds has more, what with growing etc Maybe spend about £300 on him.

[Brycie]

I'm with Duttons. Nothing, until I need pants or something wears out.

[ShotgunNotDoingThePans]

I'm frugal through necessity rather than nature. Heading into 3 teenagers territory, which is one thing, but I usually find that this time of year it's hard to justify spending on myself when Christmas approaches and one of the DCs has a birthday.

That said, I have a list of things I reckon I need this year, so will aim to get them somehow. Have spent the last couple of winters with minimal knitwear, due to changing weight, plus I need a coat and boots. Oh, and some new ballet shoes. So that's about £400+ depending on where I find them.

Last month I spent about £150 on 2 pairs of trousers and 2 tops from Oasis, and a scarf from Monsoon.

I don't consider them expensive shops, and I'd gladly go down the designer route, but since DH holds back on buying clothes for work I couldn't justify expensive clobber for my bit of volunteering.

[shineonucrazydiamond]

Hard to say but maybe £250-300 a month. Too much probably.

[October1st]

I buy things from charity shops all the time so it does add up as I seem to be always buying but when I look at the makes I am buyin the style I like I save £££s compared to what they are in the shops

[ShotgunNotDoingThePans]

Why is it whenever I go into a charity shop the place is full of polyester blouses and bobbly viscose jumpers? I do have a friend who, whenever I compliment her on something she's wearing, invariably says it's from a charity shop.

Not sure whether I believe her - although I suppose it's possible she drops in every week or so which would make a successful trip more likely.

[Alibabaandthe40nappies]

Shiney - what is too much though? Can you afford it without starving your children? If the answer is yes then spend away

BoPeep - I am the same as Amber, if I didn't give myself some kind of vague budget then I would go overboard.
For example today I went into town, DS2 was asleep in the buggy so I had a mooch round some shops, which I never do. I have seen 3 dresses in Monsoon which I am coveting big time, and at least one of them really needs ankle boots (which I don't have atm) so now I am contemplating a pair of those as well.
But I've spent most of my budget already, so that is why I came out empty handed.

[Alibabaandthe40nappies]

Shotgun that happens to me with charity shops too. My aunt has a huge amount of clothes, all purchased in either charity shops or Matalan, and she always looks really fab and pulled together - and about 45 rather than 63!
I never see anything I like in either of those places so I've rather given up.

[Hopefully]

My sister buys a lot from charity shops, but she is child-free and pops in to a couple most weeks for a quick browse. I think it a very different thing racing around with two screaming DCs trying to sift through the acrylic shite. I tend to order pretty much all my clothes online TBH.

[foofooyeah]

My budget at the moment is 0.

I love reading threads in this section and making up imaginary outfits.

I dont resent those who spend more, I damn well would if I could. In three years time I shall be much more solvent and shall have a mini splurge at the start of each season.

[dinkystinky]

I have a splurge a couple of times a year and spend between £300-£400 to buy stuff but my criteria is to only splurge on stuff I love (and often its tops/dresses/suits or shoes for work) - I can go for months at a time without buying anything/going in a shop to buy stuff and have a great wardrobe with a good mixture of clothes I love.

[AmberNectarine]

I would like to state for the record that I am a great fan of TK Maxx, Outnet, EBay and charity shops. I also go to sample sales and am at Selfridges first thing in the morning on boxing day without fail, so although I spend a lot, my wardrobe is worth significantly more.

[Absy]

I have literally no idea, but I have recently spent more than I typically would as the moths ate my jumpers, and the idea of going through winter with 1 unholey jumper was a bit depressing. So I bought 3 jumpers (which will, unless the moths come back with a vengeance, last a few years). Then I cleared out my wardrobe and got rid of a buttload of stuff, bt have no money to replace it for about 6/7 weeks.

[AmazingBouncingFerret]

Probably about £200 a month. More if the kids need anything. They usually do.

[Absy]

If I bought everything I posted on here, or fantasised about in my many hours faffing around on the internet, I would spend A TON more.

[Chubfuddler]

I do find good stuff in charity shops quite often (not necessarily high end stuff although I do occasionally) but I go a quick shifty round the charity shops on the town where I work about twice a week.

[Tertius]

Don't know as go for long periods without buying anything then suddenly need to replace essentials and do buy... Then weddings etc add necessary wasting.

Believe the cost per wear thing worth keeping in mind but it's hard to do....

[Doshusallie]

Am feeling guilty tonight because I spent £140 online from new look last week another £50 online from Next just now!!! Shoes and troos and jumpers. I buy clothes every month it is my real weakness, I am a hoarder. My wardrobe is overflowing. My sister told me to work out what I have spent on clothes in the last 12 months and I daren't it will be a ridiculous amount that could be spent on something much less indulgent. . I do love all my new things though....

[Doshusallie]

Am feeling guilty tonight because I spent £140 online from new look last week another £50 online from Next just now!!! Shoes and troos and jumpers. I buy clothes every month it is my real weakness, I am a hoarder. My wardrobe is overflowing. My sister told me to work out what I have spent on clothes in the last 12 months and I daren't it will be a ridiculous amount that could be spent on something much less indulgent. . I do love all my new things though....

[Doshusallie]

Look that's how guilty I am feeling I had to tell you twice.

[Meggles76]

More than I should. I make all the justifications that I work hard, deserve a treat, don't have credit cards etc... probably around £300 per month.
Next year we need to spend some money on the house. We are also spending money on tuition fees for DC so will need to reduce spending to about £100 per month max.
I need to stick to the rule of only if I love it. Hence, I am on my way to the post office tomorrow to return a load of stuff to Johnnie Boden!!

[Beaverfeaver]

I have spent just under £500 this month, but it is my birthday and I always like to stock up on winter boots, jeans, dresses, jumpers and underwear at this time of year as I love the seasons clothes,
Don't tend to spend much the rest of the year, but might treat myself to a nice pair if Kurt Geigers every so often.

I tend to want specific clothes and put them on Christmas/birthday list and that keeps me going,

I live in small cottage with lack if storage so I tend to have to clear out the old before I buy new, so it's a good deterrent to not splurge too often