Clothes budget

[thedendrochronologist]

What's a reasonable monthly budget for maintaining a decent wardrobe.

With a mix of high street and budget brands and the odd designer label and vinted. Decent shoes (egDM and Nike) decent coat (ran down -now in its third winter) and work clothes (smart casual -modest and no jeans).

I'm struggling and I have a reasonable budget or so I thought. So I am save buying too much or the budget is not realisitic?

I read somewhere that a rule of thumb to apply is 5% of net pay as a budget for clothes & shoes.

This was pre-COL, mind.

@Crushed23 thanks.

Quick calculation shows I am £13 under that.

My budget is £100 a month. I just suppose it doesn't go very far when I want something nice it just vanished quickly. Or I get cheap stuff. £1200 a year sounds a lot though!

I go months without buying clothes then have a splurge when I need to

I do love a bargain throughout the year though when sales are on so I have a useful wardrobe right now for all occasions

I'm very good a mix and matching clothes so my work wardrobe looks much more extensive than it is

Nice clothes from good brands cost money. DMs are upwards of £150 new, lots of trainers are over £100. You’re paying for durability and comfort.
That’s not to say that you can’t ever get decent quality cheaply- I have Primark cotton T-shirts that are over 10 years old.
You can get second hand clothing on Vinted/ charity shops, although over the years I’ve come to realise that most of my favourite, frequently worn clothes are not second hand. People get rid of clothes for a reason: sometimes it’s changing tastes or sizes, but often it’s because there’s something wrong with the colour or design or fabric. For example I rarely see cashmere jumpers in the right size, colour and decent condition, even though I have been on the lookout for years.
I think it’s really important to look after clothes properly, especially you’ve paid good money for good quality.
Having said that, I haven’t had an actual budget for clothes since I was a teenager, it’s more a case of x needs replacing, can I get it on sale/ can I do it this month/ have I checked discount stock/ how much do I actually need it. There have been times ( years) when I haven’t been able to afford to buy clothes even in sales, and have bought only in jumble sales/ boot sales ( much cheaper than charity shops but very varied quality. Being handy with a needle or sewing machine helps.
I probably spend about £1500 a year these days, but a large part of that is comfortable shoes!

I probably spend £200 per month on average. I tend to shop at the higher end of the high street though, although I get the odd thing from M&S as well.

I wouldn't consider £1200 at lot, especially not if including footwear, coats etc.

Yes footwear coats bags sunglasses jewellery the lot.

Thanks for making me feel better!

I have some nice bits from vinted but most of it is a mix rather than a hit! Some nice hush skirts and dresses from there. Things that people won't wear a lot. I also resell them on there too so I sometimes make a profit. Nice Patagonia rucksack for £30 because it a had a few marks in it. Great because I don't mind if it gets trashed.