HOW do I stop spending on clothes

[Bitolderandwiser]

I tried the Shop Your Own wardrobe thread and the no spend thread but only successful for a while.
Well now its coming up to Autumn (sorry!) and I would like to go on a no spend for at least the remainder of the year,(hopefully into next year too) particularly on clothing.
I had a clearout for Anglo Collections but still my wardrobes are bursting. I think I have every shape style and colour in trousers jeans etc, coats for every possible weather condition.lots and lots of tops and tees and skirts in different styles and colours and shoes and boots in various styles and colours. (usuall end up wearing the same ones). That's not to mention dresses, some of which I haven't worn.
Can anyone please help, how do I curb this, is using only cash the best way, or would this be a bad idea in case of emergencies.
I've tried a fixed budget of drawing a fixed amount out of the bank each week but again what about emergencies if you don't have a card .
I'm retired from work now and don't need to have a different smart outfit each day.
Would really appreciate any helpful ideas.

Delete Vinted, eBay and any clothing retailer apps from your phone
Mute any influencers / retailers that pop up on your social media

I just set myself a goal of no clothes purchases in 2026 and deleted Vinted and other clothes shops apps from my phone, and unsubscribed from any clothing brand emails.

If I go into the shops, I know I’m not buying so I don’t look. If I go with friends, I say that I’m on a no buy challenge so they don’t encourage me. If I see something I want, I remind myself buying it isn’t an option. It’s a combination of willpower and removing the temptation.

I also need to stop. Especially shoes.

I need to stop! I’ve gone up a clothes size so that’s partly an excuse.

Unfollow fashion brands and influencers on Instagram. Unsubscribe to all fashion brand emails.

Go through your wardrobe weekly and put together three or four outfits for the following week using pieces that you haven’t worn at all recently. Also, take out anything that you feel you will never wear and try selling on Vinted. Build up a balance from sales and use the balance if you do feel the need to buy something.

Find alternatives to shopping - meet a friend for coffee or a walk, go swimming/gym, enrol in a class, take up a hobby, watch tv, read a book.

Unsubscribe from all emails about sales, new clothing lines, etc as well as deleting all the apps. Have a one in, two out policy. If you feel you really need something, first make a list of the qualities it has to have (e.g. you need a new smart casual jumper - decide on fabric, colours, fit/style before looking) and you have to get rid of two items before you can buy it. Relatedly, if you do add something to an online shopping basket, leave it there at least 48 hours before deciding to actually buy it – you can often talk yourself out of it the next day when the buzz has gone. If something arrives and you don't 100% love it, send it back immediately. There is no room for "OK" clothes. They'll just sit at the back of your wardrobe. If it's not perfect, it's not allowed in.

Also, stay away from all physical clothes shops as if you go in one for any reason, you'll no doubt buy something.

I find selling the stuff I have (which involves reducing the price to peanuts often) ,redoing photos, wrapping, checking innumerable emails is enough to stop me buying stuff - so sell everything that doesn’t give you joy. And I would guess you’ll be thoroughly fed up and deterred from getting more.

Unfollow anything fashion related. Pick out 10 outfits that suit your style from the clothes you have. Store everything else. Realise this is all you need. If you get bored swop out one of your stored items to make a new outfit

Some helpful replies, thank you.
Going to try right now to get rid of emails etc from clothing companies.

Read Patrick Grant's book and realise how bad the fashion industry is for the planet.

Don’t go in actual clothes shops. For online, every time you put something in your basket, go to your wardrobe and assess when you’d choose it over of the favourite items you already have in that category - eg if a summer dress would you pick it over that favourite red one? Or over that lightweight one that is lovely and cool on a hot day? Is it more practical than that one that doesn’t crease or need ironing?

You will generally find it isn’t that exciting. And if you do buy it, repeat the process when it turns up and send it back if it isn’t the number one choice

One thing that has helped me is that whenever I want something, I write it down in my Notes app rather than immediately buying. I go back after a month or so and often find I no longer want it, so I delete it. If an item stays on there for a few months, it indicates to me that I actually want it, so I'll usually buy it.

Instead of thinking how to stop buying clothes (though deleting the emails and avoiding the shops are good option) why not spend time thinking why you compulsively want to buy them? What hole in your life is it filling and how can you fill that in a more productive way?

Stargirl, that is worth a try, though Im prone to impulse buys when cutting through one shop on the way to another.
Temporaryname, you are right but I know why I do it, but I can't find a substitute.
One of the reasons is I think, is that I don't like my looks which I can't alter but I can be the best dressed that is possible for me.. (oh getting to close for comfort now!)

Posie Perkin, I have tried that strategy and to a certain extent it worked but not enough.

I do one in, one out and think about a purchase for 24 hours before I make it. Deleting shopping apps is a good idea.

Shopaholic here. Still working on it but things that have helped me (and it's not total no buy).

1. Make a list of where your wardrobe gaps are and only shop for those.
2. If you buy something, you have to get rid of something. Is the new thing worth giving up an existing thing?
3. There are only 365 days in a year.
4. Buy better. Don't buy lots of small cheap items. Spend more on less. For example I bought a couple of nice handbags. Now when I see cheaper handbags in say M&S they don't stand up well.
5. Know your colours so you end up with a set of things that all go together which means you can endlessly mix and match and that you aren't attracted by random colour things.
6. Feel guilty about the environment. We all have far too much stuff.
7. Find a new hobby

I also have a one in one out policy. I detest having a wardrobe that is so full I can't see everything properly so I had a big clear out and reorganisation last year and now I can clearly see what I have. It stops me forgetting what I already own and is much calmer. So if an item of clothing is coming home with me I really have to love it and something mediocre has to go. I'm basically editing my wardrobe I suppose.

I have a "wish list" in my phone notes that I will add an item I want to. Often I find that if I go back after a while I'm no longer that bothered and I can remove it from my list. Or I still really want it. I've had a perfume on there for months so the next time I empty a bottle I'll buy that one as I clearly really want it.

Try to stay away from the S&B board as every thread on there is enabling. Every time I’ve looked at one of the ‘no spend’ threads, there are people posting pics of items that ‘accidentally’ found their way into their online baskets. And ‘shop your own wardrobe’ is still basically looking at pictures of clothes which can result in ‘hmm that’s nice, let’s just have a little google where I can buy one’ etc.

I think you can hide the topic.

Unfollow anything in anyway fashion related you follow on SM and make sure you stop clicking on anything which is appearing due to your current algorithms, they should stop appearing after a while.

Unsubscribe all your emails from brands/shops. Log out of eBay and Vinted., Pinterest etc. Hide/unfollow on SM.

You could actually spend a few hundred on getting someone to sort and curate your wardrobe so you don't have the "nothing to wear" feeling. It might pay you back quite soon.

Find something else to do with your money maybe save up or donate to charity, so you can see it totalling up.

I was just going to say everything the first poster suggested, I do it sometimes - unsubscribe from any fashion related emails (including beauty ones for me!), delete Vinted and instagram completely, maybe hide the S&B board on here.
I don’t to the extremes like deleting IG or hiding S&B, I don’t really have a bursting wardrobe but I certainly go through spells of buying more than I really need considering my lifestyle. I love wide leg trousers but I open Vinted and instantly see 3 pairs of black ones that I like. But I already have 2 pairs and realistically how different do they look? And what’s so special about the new ones? NOTHING!! I’ve done the hangers in the wardrobe trick this year and I’ve worn about 60% of what’s in there - I’m already working out what I can donate/pass on because there are things I can see myself not wearing again, it’s been a really useful exercise tbh.

Every time you want to buy something transfer the money into a new savings account instead. Decide what it is that you would prefer to spend the money on….a holiday, day out, home improvements and watch the money pile up to achieve your goal.
if you really NEED something then sell stuff on Vinted first so that you have the money for it and at the same time have gotten rid of more items than you are buying.

If you have multiple wardrobes crammed with stuff, you have pretty much infinite choices of outfits. Replace the dopamine of buying with spending on a day’s consultation instead.

A good stylist will work with your existing clothes, assess everything, get rid of unflattering pieces, and find ways of combining stuff you already own in really fresh and unexpected ways. It’ll make you feel like you own a whole load of new outfits, and hopefully stave off the urge to shop for long enough to break the habit.

And yes, delete, unsubscribe and stay off fashion websites/SM feeds and out of the shops!

I agree with buy better. Only when you need to replace something, replace it with the best version you can afford at that time. You stop wanting cheap disposable fashion.after slowly building a collection of nice things, and you value and care for what you have more.

I have the ideal solution that is 100% infallible.

It's called: --- Drum Roll please.

WILL POWER