how much do you spend on clothes?

[irregularegular]

I realise this is a bit of a daft question as everyone's circumstances are so different, but I'm feeling in major need of a wardrobe and style overhaul and would like to set myself a budget to work to. I've hardly been spending anything at all lately.

So, roughly, how much do you spend on clothes, accessories, maybe make up etc per month? What does that tend to go on? The occasional expensive item, or more cheaper items? Work clothes or going out clothes? Where do you normally shop? And if you don't mind, for context, what is your rough household income band and how high a priority is spending money on clothes for you, compared to other discretionary stuff?

(and so I'm not asking people for info that I'm not willing to give, we are in the 100-200k total band as a family).

We're lucky enough to be able to afford to be quite relaxed about money and don't have a clear budget generally. But I like a constraint to work to.

it varies from month to month really. this month i've probably spent around £350 but im nearing the end of pregnancy no 2 so have bought some nice and necessary things for maternity leave.

i have a stash of beauty products so am trying to work my way through these before i buy more. i spend maybe £60 at the beauticians on a monthly/6 weekly basis - waxing and nails.

hair maybe twice a year.

household income of around £100k.

Work out a good idea of what a workable capsule wardrobe looks like for you - what colours suit you, what neutral you want to base it on (black/navy/khaki/camel/etc), your lifestyle and what you actually wear for the life you lead, not what you’d like to wear for the life you’d like to have, what you need for home/casual/work/evenings and events/etc.

Once you know your core colours, pick a couple of accent colours that ‘sing’ with those and make sure everything you buy for daily or regular use fits within those perimeters you’ve set.

Pick carefully, making sure that as many pieces as possible can be dressed up or down, and that you have at least one very good quality smart coat and casual coat for winter, and one very good quality smart jacket and casual jacket for summer. One good summer handbag for daytime use (again, pick a style that actually matches your daily wardrobe and suits your lifestyle) and another for evening, and one of each for winter.

Spend well on shoes and boots! As much as you can comfortably spend. They will make or break an outfit (along with coat/jacket and handbag).

Once you have a good base wardrobe it becomes much easier to buy more mindfully, and you can spend a bit more on each item to get good quality, knowing that you’re not buying another black jumper when you’ve already got eight, or whatever.

We have household income around £45k and I spend approx £100 pm on clothes / shoes. I tend to use Next a lot and pay on account. I also pick up bits and bobs in Asda while doing my grocery shop. And I'll buy a couple of items a year from somewhere like People Tree. I have difficulty getting comfortable shoes and tend to buy somewhere like Clarks.

Work place dress code fairly casual so apart from the joggers/trainers/fleece I wear for slobbing/ cleaning/ dog walking, I tend to wear the same outfits for everything else I do. I have an Autumn/Winter colour palette and a different one for Spring/Summer so mostly my clothes co-ordinate.

I have my hair done every 4 weeks by mobile hairdresser which is £35 for colour, trim and blow dry. Eye brows waxed every couple of months £6, shave my legs and veet anything else. I wear very little make up, Aldi CC cream and a natural colour lipstick, and fairly inexpensive toiletries.

£10 per month, occasionally a little more if there's an event I need something for

£100-200 per month.

Of the respondents on this thread who gave household income details, 70% had household income of £100k or above!

£200-300 a month.

Just checking - is this for yourselves or for the whole family? I have two teen DCs and my household income is 20% below the above mentioned average. Whatever it is, it’s always x 3 for everything required, such as new raincoats currently for all of us! Mine is an embarrassment, and the DC’s are too small. Even in the sales I spent £300 on three raincoats. Do you buy the same for your DCs? I would feel bad if I didn’t.

My children are grown up now.

When they were little my financial circumstances were vastly different and I hardly spent anything on myself so that I could afford everything they needed and whatever they wanted, within reason.

The expenditure that I have outlined here is for myself only. My OH doesn’t spend much, he doesn’t buy designer or branded goods really (except for good quality shoes) and is content without collecting too much tat (as he put it). I am a magpie.

Of the respondents on this thread who gave household income details, 70% had household income of £100k or above!

But the OP said her household income was in this band so you're mainly going to get a response from people in the same income bracket.

I don’t spend the same per garment on my DC because a) they spend one third of their time in school uniform b) they’ll grow out of everything in a year c) I’m under specific pressure at work to look well groomed and prosperous and my DC aren’t (I know some teens have expensive label peer pressure but mine don’t).

Obviously it’s still quite a lot per year because of factor b.

FishGingers

I meant just for me.

No, I don't spend the same per item on the teens. i wouldn't spend £100 on a raincoat. Not unless it is a birthday/Xmas present. Though actually my 17 year old is now on allowance plus a small amount of earnings so it is up to her.

They are still growing, though 17 year old has almost stopped she is still changing shape. And her tastes and needs are certainly changing. I don't think anything a buy her now has a high chance of still being work in a few years time. And 15 year old is not interested in clothes at all so no point spending more than the minimum.

A lot of show offs on this thread. Surely this can't be the norm?

I meant just for me also. My children are in primary school still, they are Zara and Gap girls! DH shops rarely and buys most everything he needs once a year.

Why on earth is it showing off, and what makes you think it’s in any way the norm?

I’m well aware that I’m very fortunate. I’ve just said that I’ve lived a number of years with very different financial circumstances.

OP is trying to gauge how much would be reasonable for her to spend given her financial circumstances. It’s quite obvious that the majority of people who answer would be in roughly the same income bracket, otherwise what help would it actually be?

The OP was asking what’s normal for women in roughly the same financial position as her, and she’s asking on S&B which is full of women who really really like clothes. It’s hardly surprising that she’s got a lot of responses saying that they spend a lot on clothes.

About £70 per month. I earn £50k, husband earns £40k.

Squirrelfriends show offs as in what? what we spend or what we earn?

I like to spend (too much!) on clothes and I'm lucky or not that DH is a banker... (he says no, wants to retire early unlike me!).

not showing off that's just life.

Income bracket £50-60k but been a tough few years so not much disposable. Probably spend £20-30 a month on clothes but hard to be precise as I buy mostly from supermarkets due to budget and being v overweight. I love reading S&B threads and imagining what I'd wear with more money and less fat.

Oh and hair, maybe cut once a year £65 or if I get highlights £120, haven't been able to for a couple of years though. Buy makeup very rarely, maybe £30 a year? No beauty treatments.

Oh god way too much on clothes.

Today I bought a pair of salmon pink Calvin Klein jeans, a pair of leopard print pull on work trousers and some black flowered cotton trousers with slits up the side, to knee height.

Don't spend much on makeup, I'm a fresh faced beauty

Shampoo is another big spend, if it says 'volume' on the front of it I'm there, waving my credit card like a maniac

I have two (young) teens, two primary DC. The teens are a bit more demanding with labels although not in relation to everything.

Branded trainers are important to them both and DD likes a nice handbag although fortunately MK/ Kurt Geiger/TB all count!

DS likes branded t-shirts but otherwise Next tends to be fine.

Actually DD drives me mad - always wants to buy shit from pretty little things or bohoo and I'm forever saying I don't care about the cost I'd just like you to cover your arse and not to see the details of your underwear.

The youngest are dressed almost entirely from M&S and Next for convenience.

Nope, Squirrel, we are resolutely NOT normal on here.

Abnormal, in fact.

Thank you for the update OP. My DS is not growing anymore and he is wearing his clothes for a long time, therefore he prefers to have a few nice items every now and then. DD is growing, but wants the same as her brother etc ... Or alternatively she is asking to borrow my clothes, therefore it’s one rule for all. I need to look professional at work too and I end up with nice work clothes and nothing much else - hence the overdue raincoat purchase.
Agreed, it used to be GAP, mini Boden end of sale etc ... for the kids when they were younger and I could even resell their outgrown mini Boden on eBay, as it’s such good quality.
I find Zara doesn’t even last the season, I tried Zara last year for DD but most items got worn out very quickly and fell to pieces. But that’s off topic. I feel I spend too much on clothes and would prefer not too.
On myself, the average would be £150 per month. This includes work outfits for several climate zones.

I don't see any showing off. People have different budgets

I earn considerably more than the OPs given band. Realistically I can afford pretty much what I want. I'm not profligate, but neither do I exist in some sort of self imposed denial.