Wednesday, January 13, 2016

How much do you spend on clothes?

I just added up numbers from 2015. Since I keep track on all our spendings I can accurately say how much goes on any aspect of our life.

Last year I spent 275 euros on clothing.  Yes, per year.
I did't buy any outerwear -boots or coats. So in case I need to do this this year, this number will be bigger. I try to budget my indoor and non-winter outdoor clothings and buy expensive only when I need a good pair of winter boots, a winter coat etc.  Winter around here is harsh - last week we had -30C (-22F) :) Also all bags are meant to last.

Most of the money was spent on replacing items, but I also needed to buy a dress to go to my friends wedding and some hot weather essentials for Thailand trip.
For no good reason I got myself a cashmere sweater, and it has been proving itself as a lovely luxurious essential ..and another pair of yoga pants..
I got one new bag - backpack for my laptop. But I didn't include this in the count because I got it as a birthday present.
I often try to buy second hand, but if I don't find what I need from there, I'll get it as new. If possible locally made or somehow ethical. But around here it's quite often not possible.

photo from Unsplash


I noticed that investing in good amount of thin hangers saves money from buying clothes. If every item is on it's own hanger and there's enough space, I can find pieces I like from my own wardrobe instead of feeling the need to get new. 
Using the same hanger for multiple items of clothing and overcrowding the closet space make me feel I need more clothing. So the less clothing I have in my closet, the more I find something to wear from there.

Another important thing I noticed is the evil of credit card. Having a credit card means mindless online shopping for me (like those yoga pants I mentioned). I do appreciate online sopping, since going to the stores is not my favourite activity. But I could use some less shopping, IRL and online.
So I plan not to have a credit card in 2016. Since my partner has one, I can use his card when I really need it, but having my own seems to direct me to the wrong path.

Do you have a budget for buying clothes? How much should a person spend on clothing?

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