Frugal Follow-up

[FrugalFashionista]

We've hopelessly lost the old thread. How are you doing ladies?

I need to reawaken the thread as I need to get back on the wagon. I decided to temporarily suspend my shopping ban - it's summery here and I've started wearing summer clothes and I decided to make some purchases now so that I can wear them all season long (in low 20s it's still a bit too cool for my routine sleeveless dress/bare legs summer look). Most of my old summer clothes are in great shape but this is what I needed to update them -

1. white jeans (have lots of denim shirts and blue tops) - straight-leg, non see-through
2. colorful printed cigarette pants (my wardrobe is mostly solid colors - I want to wear prints but not near my face) - found a pair in my favorite colors from MSMG
3. sandals (bored of ballet flats and Havaianas) - black cage wedges, low-rent child-friendly version of the Altuzarra look
4. slingbacks (found a lovely two-tone white/taupe pair on sale)
5. a few bracelets to liven things up

I'm still looking for a couple of high-quality white or cream tops, scoop neck if possible. They seem to be the hardest item to find, but my refound Zara poly-viscose top is surprisingly versatile. Still thinking about a long and narrow snakeprint silk scarf in my best blues and also need to make a decision regarding nude/taupe courts (to go with my summer cocktail dresses).

Spring lasted for 3-4 weeks here and coincided with my 1-month shopping ban. By thinking a bit harder and digging a bit deeper I was able to find all spring outfits I ever needed without any spending! Summer will be around until the end of October so I hope that I will get quite a lot of wear out of my mix of old and new. But I think I'm almost done with wardrobe updates and might go back to tight-fist mode very soon

Shirley it's amazing what you spend when you actually add it up and really clock what you've been spending.

My number one tip for not having a horrendous overspend on clothes is to work out twice a year (early S/S and early A/W) what you need for the coming season and figure out how much budget you can afford for each bit. I find if I don't make a firm plan I end up spending on the 'fun' stuff, then I still have to spend on essentials like t-shirts and knitwear and the occasional coat or pair of boots, and that's when the budget really gets blown. It's made my life so much easier since I started doing it, and means I can afford to buy decent basics when i need them, rather than having to compromise and then replace them a couple of months later.

here goes my list of clothes since January
1 lightweight Trenchcoat
1 Lightweight parka
4 crew necked t shirts
4 long vest tops
3 t shirt bras/2 sports bras
4 silk tops/t shirts
boyfriend jeans
2 jersey skirts
leopard sneakers
4 short sleeved cotton t shirts
1 cashmere sweater
today-orange fitflops and silk/cotton lace edged vest tops X 3
That adds up to 30 items
I wear the crew neck and vest tops every day[sometimes twice daily] for gymwear.The coats i wear all the time,ditto the skirts and jeans.The sleeved silk tops i've worn but not all the short sleeved t shirts.The t shirts i havn't worn are the bright colours like green,periwinkle and orange[as i need a tan].As you can see i am the queen of multiples.

Hopefully I had written all my spends down in a book, but they were on separate pages and not in list form. I also have a 'would like' list in this notebook - most of which if I'm honest I really don't need as I have similar items already.
My spreadsheet has shocked me, and I grumble about my husband spending much less on bits for his beloved bike!
I agree I need to really consider what I need each season, write it down and then search it out rather than impulse buying in sales and on ebay. At least I've got a few months of not spending now to consider my Autumn list....

Multiples are clearly an issue here as well - I have a drawer full of very similar thin cotton layering tops and t-shirts (with a preponderance for green and brown ones!), and a wardrobe full of little neat cashmere cardigans and scarves and indigo jeans... but at least I know what I like!

Thanks ladies so much - very interesting totals! Inspired by you, I did mine too?
Clothes bought this year: 28 + 3 swapped + 1 warranty replacement underway
*6 pairs of shoes (1 pair of winter shoes, 3 pairs of dressy shoes, 1 vintage pair, 1 pair of sandals)
*6 bracelets (very different styles)
*4 coats (2 evening coats, 1 open cocoon coat, 1 trench)
*4 vests
*2 merino dresses
*1 pair of trousers
*1 pair of jeans
*2 blazers
*1 mohair sweater
*1 scarf
*1 tee

I feared it could have been worse - your numbers are comforting - only after having seen them did I find the courage to do my totals But as it's currently only Week 20 of 2013, this means I have accumulated more than one item per week It also means I have essentially bought all I would need for Project 333 this year. And I've been on a shopping ban for 7 weeks!!! So the actual rate is about two per week

I'm good about rotating my clothes. Everything except two pairs of party shoes and one pair of winter shoes has been worn (bought on a trip back North from a final sale, intended for next year).

I bought too many bracelets - two were clearly mistakes, the rest have been worn constantly. The coats sound like a lot but the evening coats have been quite useful. The blazers are slightly too dressy for my day-to-day lifestyle, one is of disappointing quality.

I updated quite a few of my basics - vests, white jeans, print trousers, merino dresses. All of them have been worn a lot. I also updated my party footwear. I needed nude shoes, but why did I buy 3 pairs instead of one? The vintage Chanel pair is heavely though...

I do not want to continue buying like this. Stopping completely may not be realistic (I will have to keep an eye whether shopping bans actually increase my shopping - the relapses are pretty destructive), but I aim to halve the number of purchases during the rest of the year: 2 per month or a maximum of 14. I will also need to sell/swap/donate one item for every new purchase.

And it strikes me how similar our tallies are - are we members of the same cult? S&B Are we being brainwashed?
Should we have a competition - who can have the lowest monthly totals?
to a spending-free rest of the month!

Oh and Scarlet giggling re: your new FB friend
Our doorman delivers my packages - he knows what's going on
I'm very well-behaved in b&m stores, online shopping is my downfall.

Reduce my total to 25 have decided that the quality of new navy blue jacket isn't up to scratch so shall be returning it tomorrow.

Online shopping is my downfall too. I've been reading more blogs to avoid browsing online shops and am liking www.garancedore.fr/en and www.colourmuse.blogspot.co.uk/ at the moment. The only problem is I keep getting flashes of stylish inspiration from them and need to go shopping. Maybe I need to read blogs about housework

Well, mine is a total of 22 which I've been quite shocked by. So much for minimalism.

Two have been returned (including the only dress which I got in the January sales), two are straight to eBay with the tags still on. 17 of the 22 are eBay or charity shops, which says more about my shopping habits than any worthiness on my part.

I'm sitting here trying to work out how it happened. Seven things have been in the last few weeks since having my colours done, but I think I was kidding myself that I hadn't bought much before then. I am also still buying too many skirts and warm weather clothes. I am manage to accept that we live in a cold and rainy climate and that it's worth focusing on warm, comfortable clothes that fit the day to day reality of my life (school, nipping out for eggs, doing the gardening etc.).

Project 333 has made me realise I have some serious holes in my wardrobe, specifically around knitwear and warm clothing. I haven't quite cracked that yet, so why have I bought the other stuff?

On the plus size, everything (bar the straight to eBay items) has been worn a fair bit. But I'm still buying things and wearing clothes that I don't love and wouldn't be gutted if they went missing somehow. Off to ponder.

scarlet laughed my head off at your Facebook friend!

Fantastic Dig, I might be able to return some items as well!

If anyone still remembers the Willpower book, keeping track is a good way to reinforce behavioral change. I started keeping track of my work hours a year ago and it has immensely increased my productivity. I've already tallied purchases in my notebook but may need to start an Excel with purchase dates and prices to really understand what's going on...

Dig your post made me smile, I love reading style blogs and have a fair few saved on the 'bloglovin' site, they are a good source of inspiration but I am easily influenced and often find myself searching for stuff mentioned (or a variety of) on ebay or pinterest or in the stores....and I have yet to find an interesting blog about cleaning .

I also love a spreadsheet and seeing my purchases all mapped out with dates has really clarified how un-frugal I've been. I always thought my purchases were off-set by my ebay sales, clearly I have been deluded!
Also, I do agree with Frugal - it is very strange that we have all bought a similar number of items since January....it does make me more determined to be mindful in the next few months though (but think I may need to check in here regularly in order to keep on the straight and narrow!).

Oh and I am finally going to get around to reading the willpower book. I have downloaded it but seem to be avoiding reading it for some reason... will start tonight!

Hello all, have been posting sporadically and lurking a lot. Just joining in to say how much fun I have been having following this - and how much it has helped. Have picked up some great tips. I have been logging all my purchases, and aside from hosiery and some essential bras (post breast feeding I didn't have a single one that fitted) I have bought 11 things, this includes some real successes that I am loving, a necklace that broke on its first outing (from cos, but I have not managed to return) a viscose skirt which was a poorly considered attempt to buy a work staple but crumples and so doesn't look great in office lighting and isn't very warm. Also my first full on beige trench which was expensive, but I love it. Overall, I am on budget, but am promising no more purchases until I have made some needed repairs. I find that is a good way of stalling the spending!

Hi, all, just checking in again as it's been a while (I've been following but not posting). I wouldn't like to think how many new pieces I have bought this year but I suspect it's similar to the numbers above. On the plus side I have sold things to fund this and charity shopped the unsaleable. I have now realised my wardrobe consists almost entirely of neutral, some in browns which aren't a great colour on me although not so bad away from my face. I seem to nearly always buy things that are reduced or in the sale. I then file them in the wardrobe until I do something more interesting than usual or because it was a bad choice. I seem to keep things for best too much so I'm downgrading all my 'good' clothes to everyday wear.

I had decided at end of January to keep a spreadsheet but stopped doing it at end of March and it shows!!! Since beginning of April I have bought 16 items - I nearly fainted when I realised. Since beginning of January it is 41 items - 4 of those are a multiple buy (a perfect T). 3 items were not good buys and with a couple of others it's too early to judge. That said, most of what I bought I have worn. I did a run through the list and 20 of the 41 (and this includes the 4 perfect T's!!) count as 'really good buys' and I think my wardrobe is much better for having them.

Feb and March, when I was recording purchases as I made them on the spreadsheet, have the least number of items purchased (3 in Feb and 6 in March) and 7 of those 9 items are on the list of 20 'really good buys' - a good example of how being mindful pays off. In Jan I went a bit crazy in the sales and since beginning of April I have been very stressed with work and some personal stuff and I have been comfort shopping - in addition to the 16 items I kept in that time I have also bought and returned an additional 15 items!!! Not good at all....I am not going to do a ban as that never works for me but definitely going to be disciplined about recording the shopping.

Also the endless returns are getting me down - it becomes just another task and I am sick of spending Saturday in the post office. And I have had to chase a couple of refunds so more time wasted reconciling my credit card statement and following up with retailers.

I share your hatred of returns. I've decided to just buy in real live shops as far as possible unless it is something like a t-shirt where the fit doesn't have to be so exact. The upside if this is that it can make shopping more fun - actual human interaction, no forgetting your login, not so much wasteful packaging, interesting fellow shoppers to look at...

It's amazing how much difference recording the shopping makes for me. My friend always used to log every single purchase whenever we went travelling together which drive me nutty but a) it's sensible and b) it's an interesting record too.

The amount spent is interesting too A I'm sure many people are in denial if they don't keep a record (I know I am).

There are often threads on here asking about and comparing clothes budgets. Lots of posters always about others with seemingly enormous set budgets (I remember Amber getting a pasting once)

But I wonder how much less those claiming "oh only a few items a month" do actually spend.

I thought I was quite frugal, but I've spent well over 1k this year on clothing and accessories. That averages out as £36 ish per item, so not exactly high end.

A total ban is not practical for me - back at work after ML plus still breastfeeding so a changing shape - but I will definitely set a budget from now on. That way I won't feel guilty with every purchase, something I'm also prone to. Also hopefully I won't get this massive shock/guilt/horror feeling when I do this again in a few months!

I thinkthe denial thing around shopping is fascinating - I regularly talk to clients about budgeting and most of them think they spend next to nothing, but are buying a couple of 'nice' high street items a month at least, plus a good handful of big expenditures a year - winter coat, boots, wedding outfits etc - which all adds up to quite a lot when you think about it!

I have just ordered some basics (including a new cardigan after my cardigan trauma the other day), but am determined that i will be attempting some mix and match when i try them on to make sure they are sufficiently versatile in my wardrobe.

Inspired by you all I have just completed a spreadsheet of my clothing purchases to date this year. By going through my bank statements I found two items that I had forgotten about so my actual total is 27, it's quite shocking to see it all written down but is something that I will definitely continue to do.

I've had an epic frugal fashion fail this morning! I decided to freshen up last years white lace up pumps by washing them rather than binning them and buying a new pair. They now look as if they are covered in tobacco stains there must be a layer between the outer and the lining which has leeched the colour out. Quite annoyed as these were sold as Eco sneakers, not very eco if you can't freshen them up, will need to buy a new pair now

I love that every single one of us is between 20 and 30!

Crashing in to answer a question that maybemyrtle asked a page back about cost of alterations...

Obviously I have no idea what hopefully pays, and costs will differ from tailor to tailor, but I thought I'd link to a couple of price lists for guidance -

here

and

here

I have short arms and have most of my shirts/jackets/coats' sleeves shortened, and I pay between £10 and £20 for this, depending on how fancy cuff is/how many buttons etc.

Trousers and jeans hemming is £8. Skirt hemming is £10.

I've had a couple of smart jackets re-lined (with awesome purple and red silk) and paid £45 for each, including the fabric, which I thought was a great deal.

I also had a pair of leather leggings tailored (small vents in waistband, and tapering in leg to snug them in a bit) at a cost of £25. Also a great deal, I think.

IMHO, tailoring bargain clothes (vintage, charity shop etc) is a much, much better value option than buying expensive new items. It's not always cheap, cheap, but it is eco-friendly and, dare I say, frugal?

Anyway, I'm back to lurking (and gradually building motivation to embark on a frugal adventure one day.)

• V

Thanks Vonne, I completely forgot to answer Maybe! The alterations I'm having done at the moment are all fairly major (significant tailoring and reconstruction of a coat, and even the pencil skirt taking up involves re-making the vents at the back) so they're a bit non-standard, but in general I would expect to be paying a minimum of the first price list, but since often I'll be asking for a few things to happen in one go, it's not as simple as saying I want x, y or z. Bu as Vonne says, on the whole you can buy much better quality second hand, as long as it isn't worn out (and, to be honest, not many people wear out their clothes. I have friends who are amazed when I complain of wearing through my clothes).

As you know, I wrote to People Tree and asked them if they could possibly sell more basics and stuff without patterns in the future. Got a reply!

"Thank you very much for your email.
I will certainly pass your feedback on to the design department for them to consider in future collections. This isn?t the first request we have received of this nature so I hope that this is something we will provide more of in the future.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact us."

Yay! Did someone else here write to them too?

It's really fascinating that we have all bought similar numbers of clothing.What does this say about us?If i could rein in my compunction to buy multiples this would surely help me!.To that end i am returning the vest tops and orange sandals purchased yesterday.They don't look right on me[and tops are too tight].I would rather buy one Brora silk/cotton vest and really like it instead of 3 inferior ones.I went shopping yesterday and went into so many shops,to see nothing i really liked.I think i was determined to buy something,otherwise in my mind it would have been a wasted shopping trip.I can't just browse and not buy.Isn't this a bit weird?
So,i now have bought 26 items of clothing this year

I've no idea how many items I've bought since January and I'm not sure I want to know.

I really admire people like hopefully that can come up with planned purchases and stick to it. I do think very carefully lately before I buy anything and will return things if they're not right but I'm too easily swayed by new stuff hitting the shops. Considering the amount I buy I actually have very little in my wardrobe as I am good at getting rid of stuff, either through selling, giving away or to charity. I guess the last 2 years have seen a lot of changes for me, having dc3 and giving up work so I guess my wardrobe reflects that. I'm also so terrified of falling into the 'frumpy/mumsy' category that I buy new stuff to overcompensate. this is all getting a bit too deep for a Thursday lunchtime! During the past year of being on MN and Pinterest my tastes have changed too. I really like ditsy/quirky prints and had a few things from fat face and white stuff last summer but again, I worry tht they're mumsy/frumpy. I basically need more confidence in myself and not worry about what others think of my clothes...