How much money do you spend on clothing annually?

[MossLover]

I see some people out there paying over £100 for a single item of clothing, whereas if I come away from a shopping trip with 8 items for that price, I feel guilty for it… Most of the time, I only get clothing as gifts during, but every other year or so I’ll go out and get new warm weather clothing and new sports bras, if they’ve shrunken in the dryer too much.

But I also grew up with a struggling single mum who commented on how expensive everything we bought was, so I came out pretty frugal.

I’m curious: how much does everyone spend on clothing annually?

Probably 2-3,000. I try not to buy cheap, only wear natural fabrics, plus my feet are a weird shape. I don't throw much away and I have rarely bought something I don't wear frequently.

I buy all my clothes 2nd hand amd most of the DC's too. I even buy 2nd hand uniform. The only new stuff I buy is underwear, kids trainers, basic leggings or cycle shorts for the DC and anything remotely a bargain. At a guess I'd say I spend 500 a year on 2 adults and 2 DC. Month to month I might buy nothing! I never go clothes shopping deliberately, I might go charity shopping but never on a mission and I have to be in the mood to look at the clothes sections! I use vinted sometimes but not every month. I don't even go in clothes shops if I'm in town!

Approximately £1200 per year.

That was my mid-nineties annual spend, @FishOnTheTrain. Don’t know about addiction - I just liked swishing around London in terrifically grand suits. (And my male colleagues all had handmade Savile Row suits with red silk linings, so 🤷‍♀️.)

The past - another country … 😂

Oh I spend as much as I can afford - I absolutely adore clothes. I also collect vintage and have been doing so, on and off, since I was a teenager and it's not as cheap as it used to be. It's also unpredictable. Some months I might spend under £30, all in charity shops, but I probably make a a big purchase, which for me would be around £300, a couple of times a year. I'd estimate that last year it probably came to about £2000 in total. I don't feel guilty - nobody goes hungry and some of my clothes will be very saleable when I die (admittedly assuming the moths don't get them first).

Ive never kept track but I'd say around £2,000 at least, I'd guess.

The bulk of that is spent on coats, jackets, shoes and boots. Technical clothing is expensive, as are boots and trainers. Bras are £50 - £70 each, nice no vpl knickers are £35 each. Good jeans cost hundreds.

This wasnt always the case- I used to love a bargain - but I'm old now and dont have anyone else to buy for.

I allow myself £100 per month, and roll it over until I need something. I put it in a revolut vault on payday. I bought a black wool coat on the last day of the winter sales, which will probably remain unworn until October.

Somewhere between £1000 and £2000 at the moment probably. Just coming to the end of replacing my wardrobe post weight loss.
I'm not too bothered though as it's pretty much my only 'frivolous' expense. I don't have expensive hobbies or eat out. No holidays, no car, no kids.

As long as you aren't spending more then you can afford it doesn't really matter, does it?

Hardly anything this year so far - a jumper in the sale for £60 and a pair of Next wide leg jeans - so less than £100 . I had running trainers as a Xmas present . I know I need a few new summer clothes though so will probably spend a couple of hundred . Spend much more on growth spurting teen boys

It varies. Just logged it on a piece of paper and it's about £2000 since April last year which includes a couple of pieces at £350ish.

I easily spend approx £500 a month on clothes. Sometimes more. Predominately at the higher end of high street and websites such as outlet which is highly discounted, Vestiaire which is pre loved and sometimes full price. I am constantly disappointed with the quality of absolutely everything but still buy in hope.

@yukonparkthatthere- what’s going wrong?

I too shop (occasionally) from Vestiaire and The Outnet, rarely from the High St, mostly from places that don’t have a regular or convenient physical store. I surprised myself with the realisation that I haven’t been in Knightsbridge for shopping purposes in years; the last time I was in Mayfair, Matches still had their overblown townhouse there; I probably zip into the Margaret Howell next door to Wigmore Hall about once a year. The city I live in has a gorgeous branch of Toast. And a Zara. Nothing else I’m remotely interested in clothes-wise. This Spring I’ve bought two jumpers - one £22.99 new stock, after going to a store specifically to inspect it, one originally closer to £600, half price in the sale at an online shop I’ve been buying from for several years. Both are exactly as anticipated.

I often see disappointing stuff - online or in person - wrong provenance, thin material, poor finishing, total absence of design, odd proportions, nasty prints, over-embellishment, banality, mediocrity … But I cannot for the life of me remember the last time I was disappointed in a garment I’ve actually bought.

Are you just giving your money to the wrong places? Or is there a problem with your ability to distinguish good from poor quality at a distance? Are you too busy elsewhere to spend the necessary time? I would be a river of tears if I were constantly buying and never thrilled with my purchases.

I think about £100 a month plus extra in the sales or before a big party. Maybe £1500-£2000 a year including the occasional splurge

Not really sure. So far this year, I've bought

A new t-shirt for a particular occasion £14

3 long and 1 mid-calf leggins for exercise £41

3 pairs summer trousers £112.

If I hadn't lost weight (due to changing diet for health reasons), I'd have probably just bought one pair of trousers for something new for the summer, rather than the above leggins and trousers.

Later in the year, I'll need a couple of new hoodies and a couple of pairs of jeans (due to losing weight).

A lot.

I bought a Max Mara coat before Christmas (sale) and treated myself to an Hermes cashmere scarf, as part of my 2024 efforts to buy one really lovely version of something rather than 10 decidedly mediocre versions.

All in I guess last year I spent about £5k on big purchases and then maybe same again on bits and pieces.

this year I’m focusing on quality over quantity. I’m going to upgrade my pleather cropped trousers which I get far more wear out of than I anticipated I would when I bought them to real leather.

I’ll also continue my hunt for the perfect soft leather tote after Celine discontinued the best one I’ve ever had.

I think this is where I'm going wrong.

I'm never thrilled with anything I buy, just satisfied, as I find that there's always something not quite right. Often, i keep them as i need them and 'they'll do.'

As I live in a shit town, i have to rely on shopping online and I find that colours in particular are hugely misrepresented - they often look rich and bright online, only to reveal themselves as dull and dusty when they arrive.

I have some drama in my body architecture and I like to acknowledge that in my clothing but so often, the majority of items are pedestrian, safe and twee.

I’ve no idea tbh. Probably up to 3k

So what are your thoughts after reading your thread, @MossLover?

People vary a lot. I think it's interesting

I spent £3k last year. I go through phases of wanting to buy EVERYTHING interspersed with phases of not really being interested in clothes. I keep my clothes for a long time and have been the same size for a while so have moved to buying higher quality things compared to my post-uni days, which obviously costs more.

I've tracked it and it's about £500 a year. I honestly think unless you have a very good base wardrobe to start with, dress 100% in Primark/Vinted or never go to a wedding or need specialist things like sports clothes it's very difficult to actually look vaguely smart for under that. Clothes inevitably wear out after 2-3 years now and so it's a constant cycle of replacing them. A new coat or pair of boots alone is a fair chunk of an annual £500 budget.

I daren't even begin to try and calculate it. It’s mortifying. I definitely have an addiction.

But why are you ‘mortified’ @BlueEyedBogWitch? Is the nearest man ‘addicted’ to his Audi / Volvo / Range Rover - which I guarantee cost more than your wardrobe.

I’d never end up with 8 items on a single trip unless it’s a five pack of socks and pants

not sure I’d get 8 items in a year ( including bras)

i would spend over 100 on something good quality - rainproof outdoor gear or a decent jumper

I wear to destruction happily

My boots are still smart at nearly 20 years old
my coat was replaced this year - it replaced a 10 year old one that got compliments but was no longer waterproof- you shouldn’t need to replace things every 2 to 3 years to keep looking smart ?