How often do you buy new clothes?

[User17273637373]

I think I have a problem

I am constantly looking at clothes/buying clothes. I work in the fashion industry so doesn’t help that my job is literally staring at clothes all day online.

I barely have any savings - I am trying my best to save towards a deposit to buy a flat but it’s not going well! I don’t live beyond my means but I should probably have more to show for myself at this point.

I am late 20s living in London, for context.

I do tend to look after my clothes really well and don’t buy things to throw away. Not into cheap, fast fashion although I’m aware any over consumption is bad for the environment so I feel very guilty.

So, how often does everyone else shop? And has anyone been able to STOP buying clothes as often as they did?

Clothes/making outfits are my ‘thing’ so I don’t think it’s realistic to give it up completely, but any tips on how to stop the impulse would be great!

I buy a fair bit of clothing, mainly due to seeing something I like, buying it and realising it gives me confidence (I have little) so then buying multiple of the same thing

I don't buy a lot of clothes, but I do buy fabric to make mine. I've bought around 12 metres since start of November. I try and use up as much of the fabric and scraps as possible so as to reduce the waste.

What I also try and buy from second hand sales if I can - about 4metres was from a reuse shop and cost me maybe £4. But I only go there if I am looking for a specific thing for a specific item I am making.

I find if I just aimlessly scroll fabric shops online, I want to buy more but without any clue what its for. Just to have. Which is plain greed, really. So I only look if I have a pattern in mind that I need to make.

I unsubscribed from fabric shop emails over Christmas, not all though. And I will try not to buy any more until there is a clear gap in my wardrobe that I need - this year was a warm but not waterproof winter coat as my old ones were too small (sob).

Very rarely as I have other financial commitments. I might buy three or four items a year but but good quality so it lasts.

I have a capsule wardrobe and am abit of a minimalist though!

I've got a problem....I've just bought a dress for a wedding that's 10 months away! I'm just making up excuses now 😭

When I was saving for a flat I think my clothes budget was about £15 a month. In reality £30. I shopped a lot in supermarkets and ebay.

I think I've been through all permutations of clothes buying from spending a lot to very little, working in a corporate to very small business/self employed, suit wearing to jeans and fleece, buying Jaegar/Hobbs/Viyella to Primark, etc.

With the exception of underwear, socks and pyjamas I now buy all of my clothes in charity shops and occasionally eBay. There is a £2 charity shop near us and I have found some amazing bargains. I regularly sell on eBay. As a result, I don't think my clothes cost me anything and I probably make a profit overall.

I do find it easier to let go of things with this approach. If I find a new pair of jeans and they fit better than an existing pair I will sell the second pair.

It's great because I still the get the shopping hit without spending very much. I was a bit busy last year so I didn't manage to sell very much and my wardrobe is a bit full. I need to start selling a bit to address this!

The only problem with this approach is that you can't always be too specific about what you buy. Back in my corporate days, my wardrobe was very disciplined and all my clothes co-ordinated. I only tended to buy an item when there was a gap.

Also suggest you set yourself a monthly budget.

When I lived on my own with a mortgage I had a budget for everything!

I think it sounds more realistic for me to allocate a small amount to clothing each month, rather than buying nothing at all.

I think at least for January though I can go cold Turkey as I spent so much on the lead up to
Christmas on different outfits for different occasions. I really do not need anymore clothes for the time being!

Going to throw myself into selling rather than buying over the next few weeks and hopefully earn some money back

I try to sell something before buying new things and buy almost exclusively second hand. I find that January isn’t the best time to sell though as so many people are flogging unwanted gifts, swearing off buying more, or spending their money in the sales, so don’t get disheartened if stuff doesn’t go for decent prices, you might just need to wait a bit.

I keep a list of things ‘missing’ from my wardrobe and consult this list before purchasing, often it prevents impulse buys as I realise I want to wait and buy the stuff on my list that I want more. Other ‘rules’ are only buying stuff that I’m confident I can resell for the same value (or better), and waiting at least 24hours before purchasing something I’ve seen to give me time to reflect.

Selling a good bet - Vinted allows swaps too, which fan sometimes work well. When I was saving my flat deposit I sold quite a bit (low value items so only about £200) and that was basically then my clothes budget for the year, plus any gift vouchers I got for birthday/Christmas, & a bit I earned doing surveys and through Topcashback.

Are you me?!

@LiveFromNewYork’s list was really good. Definitely allocate savings first, not to be touched, then an amount for clothes/beauty/whatever spends. FWIW, mine is currently about 8% of my net pay (not just for clothes though).

Failing that, I can recommend getting pregnant - you won’t want to spend on maternity clothes, and it’s depressing buying things you can’t wear. I’ve only bought a couple of things in the last 9 months, and mainly accessories whereas normally my weakness is clothes, like you.

Signed, a fed up overdue pregnant shopping lover.

I absolutely love clothes and in my 20's (and actually 30's and 40's...) it was one of my greatest pleasures. Still is. You work in fashion and you love it so I don't think just cutting back is going to work. I think you need to think long and hard how you could better monetise your interest so that you could actually save your deposit.

Usually Christmas and Easter when I have present money. I'm justifying this year's because I'm a smaller than I was last year.

I have so many clothes. I’m amazed when I hear colleagues saying how much money they have saved wfh not buying clothes. I must have not got that memo about stopping buying clothes. Barely a week goes by with me getting at least one delivery. I browse my favourite shops online every day! I buy anything I see I like. Like other posters I have forgotten what I have. This month I am going to organise my wardrobes better and try and wear what I have more. For me it’s clothes, makeup, products and accessories. I’ve also started buying preloved designer bags too despite barely going anywhere atm. I need to get a grip! So I am definitely following this post for tips! x

I buy way too many clothes. I very rarely pay full price and defer buying something I love until I can get a decent discount, or it goes into the sale. If it sells out, it sells out. The only exception to this in 2021 was an unusual dress from Other Stories. I loved it (still do) and knew I’d get lots of wear out of it. I don’t buy fast fashion and try to stick to recycled fabrics, organic cotton and non-mulised Wool etc.

I have now bought a sewing machine and plan to make clothes, using some new fabrics yes, but also up-cycling.

Try not buying anything new for a month and see how it feels.

Direct debit into savings account that you need to give notice, so no dipping! At the end of the month if you have spare cash then buy yourself something nice, or leave alone till next month. That way it builds up and you can get something special. Savings are off limits, only emergency and I do mean emergency dipping... eg your car broke. The trick is to think of your savings as not your money, it's not there, its not spendable cash. Have two saving accounts one thats a no go area and one to save for holidays and when life throws you a curve ball. Hope that helps.

Almost never, apart from knickers bras and socks when necessary - everything else I buy from charity shops, as I care about the environment and fast fashion is not green at all, quite the opposite, but I do buy from charity shops most months as I like to look smart and elegant - and I often see items in charity shops that are still on sale in actual shops - I got a pair of beige knitted h and M trousers for a couple of pounds that I still see on the racks in h and M - fast fashion is nuts, and I often score items that have plainly never been worn, spare button still attached or pockets still sewn up - we can't go on like this if we cate about the environment - also I can get better designed things made from better fabric, natural not man made, items like cashmere cardigans that have lasted me for years with careful habdwashing - we have to stop mass buying crap clothes and then just dumping them, following fashions that are mostly dictated to women by men and are badly designed, badly made and ridiculously overpriced

If I shopped in the charity shops near me, I'd look like my Gran but scruffier. I think location, demographic & size plays a part in being able to shop charity and not look like a bag of old rags.

I don't use ASOS or Boohoo type places. I do buy in supermarkets if I need jeans. Otherwise mid-range places. I do keep clothes for bloody years though! And probably shop twice or three times a year for the season.

If I shopped in the charity shops near me, I'd look like my Gran but scruffier

I'd be accused of cultural appropriation. It's nearly all sarees.

I probably buy about 6-8 things a year max. I also prefer good quality, so I'll buy a cashmere sweater, a silk blouse, jeans and linen trousers or shirt and a couple of tees and summer dresses.

DS is into high-end fashion but he's very good at selling things on (often for a profit if he sells to USA) via sites like Grail. You could cull your wardrobe more often and use the income to buy new pieces.

I suggest you audit your wardrobe and curate yourself a capsule collection plus anything you really want to keep. eBay or depop the rest if it’s worth selling, recoup some cash.
I never buy clothes now. I have a full wardrobe of nice clothes but currently I don’t wear because at home with the kids I wear ripped knee jeans (ripped through changing nappies haha not designed like that) or leggings plus breastfeeding friendly tops. I’ll wear some nicer stuff to go out but some of it isn’t breastfeeding friendly so I’ll wear that when I’m not breastfeeding so much.
I do need some new long sleeve basic tops and some jeans. I try and buy second hand if they’re good quality and good condition - makes me feel better that I’m not contributing to landfill etc. I also sell stuff I no longer wear or want if it’s worth selling. Pre kids and pre lockdown I was at the shops every week, and now, I find that not going to shops in person you don’t see what they have so you end up buying what you need rather than what the marketing people they employ convince you to buy. I haven’t got a clue what’s in the shops currently. It’s good for the wallet but crap for the high street!!

I definitely have an issue with buying clothes and have been slowly getting it more under control over the past few years. Probably the thing that’s helped me the most has been writing down everything I buy, when and where I buy it and the cost. This will most likely only appeal to you if you’re a data/list nerd like me…

This helped me massively by:

1. helping me see that there were certain times of year when I bought things out of boredom which I then rarely if ever wore. Key times for me were January-March and August - basically times before new collections were out. I now avoid buying things at these times of year.

2. I could also see that the pieces I wear the most are dresses. Tops and most skirts rarely get worn so I just stopped buying them.

3. There were certain shops (Whistles) where I would buy lovely dresses that aren’t cheap, but have a really high cost per wear, so I generally stopped buying from those shops too and focused on the things that I could look back and know they were in high rotation.

It might take you a while to get into this but I found it really helpful because as long as you write everything down you’ll be able to see the cold hard facts. In 2018 I bought 78 items, 2019 I was down to 42, 2020 was 32 and around 35 in 2021 - I know this will be way more than a lot of people buy but this is great progress for me - I love clothes. I feel much more in control of my spending and also, have more to wear because I know what works.
Good luck 😉

My advice is to stop reading fashion magazines although maybe difficult if you work in fashion as this is how I often get tempted. Also for things you do want make a Pinterest board for them so when it’s your birthday or Christmas or you get a bonus perhaps you have your list ready

@User17273637373 having just re read your OP and you live in London and buy good quality stuff, why don’t you see if there’s clothes swaps near you? Swap your stuff you don’t wear or want for something new , satisfy the urge to get something new but you’re not spending and you’re helping someone else do the same thing