How much do you spend a month on clothes?

[snottagecheese]

I know it's a bit of a pointless question in a way, as it depends on people's incomes/budgets, which vary enormously. But having just splurged a bit and felt guilty (especially as I'm on maternity leave and only on statutory maternity pay), it made me wonder what's a 'reasonable' amount/proportion of your income to spend...

If I am over my ideal weight then nothing. If I am a size 8 then hundreds.

That is a bit sad really.

Around £100 a month, never impulse buys though. It's usually one or two things I have had my eye on for a while.

All in, including clothes, make up, hair gubbins, etc, around £200 a month

Usually 100 a month ish. But am paying off my overdraft finally this year (have been living in it for 10 years ) so nothing. Surprised I don't miss it yet and it's been a whole since I bought anything. Not going to the shops at all or buying magazines means I don't really know what I'm missing!

Under £20/month. Plus about £7/month on shoes (that's an average, so really 1-2 nice new pairs a year).

I could afford a lot more. Am not interested, hate waste, trying to declutter.

About £300 pa.

dexter at "buy a goat/bench with the rest of the money" you are right,i read these sorts of comments on any thread that discusses buying designer bags/clothes.

i do two big shopping sprees a year and buy few things in between specially when on sale,but i would not say that i shop on a monthly basis.i do tend to spend much more on my autumn/winter clothes though.

I think a better thread but be ' do you buy what you don't need?'

I am pretty frugal with clothes even though I could afford them simply because my lifestyle does not necessitate anything other than smart casual at best- i work from home.

I spend more on maintenance- dentists, hair, make up and skin care- not £££s but a steady stream- and also on private health care insurance/ top ups they won't pay for.

Clothes come bottom of the list and I buy less but better quality which lasts a couple of seasons at least- good coats, boots, cashmere knitwear, bags ( not Mulberry darlings even though I could, think it's a rip off).

I just don't buy much- can't see the point if it's hardly worn.

For the last year I have averaged about £350 a month. I have been losing weight though so things have needed replacing when otherwise they would't. That includes makeup and skincare.

Why would buying what you don't need be a better thread Bella ? You could apply that argument to so many things people spend their money on - great food, a new sofa, exotic holidays...people derive enjoyment from different things. If all of us only bought what we really needed the economy would grind to a halt!

Nowt...well, not nowt literally but it's been years since I went shopping properly iyswim. It's been that long that I've lost all interest in it, which I suppose is a good thing really.

I agree with pp's; I ain't exactly helping the economy but there's not much I can do about that.

When I worked, about £250 a month - now a SAHM and nearer £40 or so, maybe one item a week costing a tenner from a charity shop or Peacocks / New Look. Tbh I have shedloads of clothes though so am trying to go a full year without buying any at all. I have managed two weeks so far and am ridiculously proud of my progress am wearing a Wildfox tee today I have had for months and never worn...

About £20 a month including shoes. That is from our money. If I have birthday or Christmas money I might spend an additional £50 on a pair of shoes or a jacket.

£20 a month is about 0.6% of our income, after tax.

anywhere between £0-£200 per month, depending on what I need, what I want and what other expenses I need to cover. I never get into debt, all essential bills are covered and we save monthly too.

Interesting thread. The last 12 months I have spent £275 a month on average, but that included the latter half of pregnancy and also our (tiny) wedding. The 12 months prior to that it was only £110 a month on average. I expect to stay in the £200+ range for a while though as I am now back at work but with a bigger bust/slightly different shape.

I've been tracking my spending over the past year and it all works out at £54 a month, for spending on me and DS - so for me alone it's probably about £25 a month, including shoes but not including beauty/cosmetics. I love getting new things but I've started a strict 'one in, one out' policy for my wardrobe so I've been avoiding buying new stuff as I don't want to have to get rid of old things! The stuff I have bought are mostly for specific purposes (gym stuff, things to wear in a different climate, for a particular occasion) rather than impulse buys.

It is a tiny percentage of our joint income, less than 1%, so we could spend more. But we have a real savings habit as we're keen to overpay the mortgage at the moment.

I spurge a few times a year. Probably averages to £150-200 monthly.

splurge even!

"If I am over my ideal weight then nothing. If I am a size 8 then hundreds."

This exactly!! At the moment I just lost weight and am down to an 8 so I have spent a FORTUNE on clothes. AND I DON'T CARE

It depends - I have hardly bought anything this year so far, as I don't need anything other than what has worn out.

So some months I spend nothing at all, other months I'm happy to spend loads.

on average £120 a month but that's across me, dh and a teenage dd.

Barely anything for 4 months because the weather has been so awful - hooray.

I got a James Perse maxi and a Velvet maxi, both new and lovely, but both came from ebay for less than a packet of fags.

I buy in dribs and drabs, so I'm not sure. Probably averages out at £1000-£1200 over a year.

That looks awful written down. I'm an emotional spender

Some months £0-£100 others ££££.

About a quarter of my disposable income, after mortgage, bills etc but before food (which is probably half).