Think I'm going to do no spend 2017 - anyone care to join me?

[Advice0nscarplease]

I did no spend 2014 (ended up buying a couple of bits, mainly stuff I really needed for work as I have to dress smartly but generally stuck to it).

Anyway since then I've been a bit better with clothes shopping, thought more about what I actually need and what I'll actually wear eg I've stopped buying pretty dresses and high heels that I'll never wear as I'm mid-30s and no longer go out on the town.

I've also been keeping track of my spending as this year I've spent £100 per month on clothes and beauty. I've filled some gaps in my wardrobe and bought a few investment pieces (leather jacket, new winter boots) so I'm thinking I have what I need now and could probably do another no spend (or at least low spend) in 2017. Anyone else?

I'm in !

I tried last year but failed miserably. This year, I want to save up for a brace and a car - which would be easy if I just cut down on spending excessive money on clothes each month.

I definitely have enough clothes to see me through the year, as do the kids - so have got a couple of months to try and get into the right mindset !

I'm going to set a limit of £30 a month (from another thread, worked out this year it was roughly £100 a month).

I am going to choose one item a month too. I often find that I see something, desperately want it but if I defer buying it, I lose the 'have to have it' idea. If I tell myself I can't buy anything, I feel deprived and end up splurging.

I'll do a No Spend January ................. I'll have bought all my jumpers by then and I have enough winter coats.
Last year I only wore one coat because the others were too warm, but this year I'm already reaching for my thicker ones, maybe my Menopausal flushes aren't so firey this year?

I don't buy online (but I do browse online to buy instore)
I detest TKMaxx with a passion so that's not a lure for me.
And I started a self imposed rule of if it doesn't grab me 100% then walk away and come back in 24 hours (or next week depending on when I can get back)

I can't commit to Zero Spend 2017 but I reckon I can do a Month-To-Month?

Same here - I am going to try month to month. I have a decent capsule wardrobe in the making & lots of make up bits that I've been using up for over a year now.

I've also spent & returned over £700 of clothes in the last few weeks. Disappointed with everything. Roll on Jan 1st!

Not sure if I can manage no spend, but I'll join for low spend month to month if I may?

I have spent silly amounts on clothes this year - I think because I lost weight due to illness at the beginning of the year and had to buy a lot of new things (from underwear out), but then sort of got stuck in the mindset that "if it looks nice and I can wear it to work, I must buy it - I need new clothes!", long past the point where I actually needed anything else new. I now have an overstuffed wardrobe in which I can't find anything, to the extent that I dreamt the other week that I'd found a VW Campervan down the back of it. DP and I are also planning doing some work on the house and I'd like to have money for furniture etc. rather than having frittered it away on eight million tops.

So for 2017 I'd like to:

• Declutter so that I only have things I really like, not "I'm sure I'll wear this someday/you can never have too many plain t-shirts" items.
• Be much more mindful about what I'm buying: in particular avoid falling into the habit of "I have one of these, so I clearly need more of them!" (I have, eg, more or less the same jacket in three different colours, only two of which actually get regularly worn, ditto some almost identical jeans)
• "Shop the wardrobe", which will hopefully help with both points above.

I've tracked items that I have worn since Saturday and it is quite illuminating.

I tend to think that more expensive items are great investment buys - but some of my most worn items are either very old or very cheap or both!

I also now understand why I struggle with a minimalist wardrobe: dressing monotonously for cold and rainy workdays, not counting socks and underwear, I have already worn close to 30 items! I have not gone out or done anything special.

My most worn items: a raincoat (6 wears), pyjamas (5 wears), a gray Heattech top (3 wears), gray leggings from H&M (3 wears). All items together are worth less than £100!

Will continue tracking and data mining!

RE - Expensive stuff. My DH brought me a North Face winter coat for £350. Which seemed like loads of money.

I've worn it almost continuously for 3 winters on the trot and for most of one summer when it did nothing but rain here.

It's definitely had more than 30 wears - and still going strong.

I am definitely going to try this items-worn-tracking malarkey, I suspect the results will be interesting.

Coats and jackets are definitely a weakness of mine - there's always some way to rationalize it ("It's practical!" "It's the only part of the outfit people will see!") and then I just keep wearing the same two or three (currently: Seasalt raincoat, big tweedy Toast coat, All Saints down jacket). Though you will pry my All Saints cargo jacket from my cold dead hands, even though I keep not wearing it because it's too hot/cold/wet: when the weather is right, it's perfect.

Leedy great goals and great analysis!

I have been buying for pretty much the same reasons you have - particularly workwear (if it looks nice I must buy it - result: worn a couple of times over the past year) and if it feels great, I must buy another (result: both items are worn less, more clutter, more guilt).

Tracking seems to curb my shopping impulses. Getting to #5wears requires focused effort - getting to #30wears requires major commitment! I also think letting go of items would be easier if I had actually tried to wear them more. The most guilt-inducing items are expensive unworn or nearly unworn items.

I've just charity shopped a large bin bag of clothes. Some were bnwt but I haven't got the head space to Ebay/sell them. I'll have another go in the New Year, hopefully I'll find some long line cotton vests to replace my Primark fading ones (couldn't find a single one in store yesterday).

Like someone further up this thread I will go no spend from 31st Jan, I would like to get a few bits in the sales.
I have got a fair few new items this year. One or two ££££
I totted up & reckon have spent around 2K this year. (Yikes)
My plan is to put aside £150 a month that I might have spent on clothes and put it towards new carpets for the bedrooms.

I'm in. My only exceptions will be:

• Replacing staples that tear/are otherwise unwearable...like jeans.
• Underwear
• A new swimming costume and maybe a wetsuit
• A pair of deckshoes as my toes poke out of mine now
• May need a new winter coat, mine is starting to look scruffy but may do this year.
• Sunglasses perhaps.

Anything I do buy needs to be well planned as I try to stick to a fairly minimal wardrobe. I am overweight however...if I ever decide I need to lose it I may need new clothes!

I'm in apart from hair! And vouchers. (Ie club card vouchers etc).

Had a baby last year, still have to lose a stone so essentially have a full wardrobe to get into... would so love to do that rather than buy new things.

Must check I don't need to stock up before Jan 1!

Might try six months and see how I get on though

Have you been able to resist Black Friday madness? I felt mildly tempted but have resisted so far.

I've continued tracking what I wear. 38 different items worn during the past week, 21 worn twice or more. My pjs, leggings, two wool scarves, three coats and a pair of gray chelsea boots have been worn more than 5 times this week.

A thought exercise: try to wear each item so many times that the cost per wear is down to £1/1€ per wear. Relatively easy for some cheap H&M items. But are they sustainable, can they be worn 30 (or 100) times)? I buy selectively there, only items that seem well-made, but still not sure.

For pricey items getting down to a CPW of £1/1€ would take years - will they last that long and, critically, will they and also stay current looking?

Since deciding to try this I have become very aware of how many emails I get about offers and how many offers on social media. I never really though that they effected me...but even if I don't buy as a result of them it's like they are reinforcing the idea that it's normal to buy new stuff all the time so I don't feel bad about it...or They are putting the idea of shopping in my brain.
I am going to have to try hard to stand form!

I'm going to join in with this in 2017. I'm hoping for an academic year off work in 2018/2019 to finish my degree so I need to curtail my spending. I was very good at tracking spends a few years ago but life is just too busy at the moment. I'm going to make it one of my resolutions though!

I'm in. My focus will be wearing what I have and decluttering.

I don't tend to go to crazy with the purchases but I still have too much stuff.

Signing up for this. Debts to clear and absolutely no need for extra stuff.

Will replace toiletries and make up like for like only when run out. And jeans when my chub rub makes them unwearable!

Everything else should last a long time, especially if I lose weight like I need to and can wear all the stuff that's on the wrong fit pile.

Want to do the same with my food cupboards too but that's not for Style and Beauty!

I agree Squiz. I had a big purge cancelling random catalogues that get sent to me, saying no tp each and on Facebook and marking emails as junk...so many still get through though!

Can I join please?

I don't think I'd be able to manage a no spend year, but I'll try to go for minimal spend. My house is in chaos and could really do with a good kondo-ing and I really, really need to start making a dent in my current wardrobe and makeup stash before buying anything new.

I'm single, childless and have no mortgage, so this past few years I've really got a bit carried away with money and haven't actually got much to show for it now. Looking forward to being a bit more frugal in the new year!

I'm in for a no spend on beauty (at least until my stash is used up, which should be most of 2017!). Fashion needs to be considered purchases to fill a gap - I know I will need new jeans and bras in 2017 at the least. Haircuts are definitely still in!

I've been tracking how much I've spent on personal things in the month of Nov and it's come to £294 so far i thought this was a relatively low-key spend month as well

Quite eye opening, I'm going to continue tracking what I spend every month and aim to keep it under a reasonable amount (am planning low spend next year). Am looking forward to seeing it I can keep it under £150 for dec

I would love to join in and planning to spend as little as possible on 'stuff''. Love the idea of tracking what actually gets used and how often.