Author Topic: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?  (Read 35272 times)

Future Lazy

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What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« on: January 05, 2015, 10:45:10 AM »
Hi Forum,

So I've been seeing a lot of Case Studies lately that list "Clothing" as a budget category, sometimes with anywhere from $40-200/mo allocated to them. Dang! This seems to be listed separately from "Spending" or "Haircuts", etc. Thinking about writing a blog article about this, as I feel that "clothing" doesn't really deserve it's own budget category, and instead is part of "spending", but I wondered what clothing spending in the community looked like as a whole.

I was looking over my spending from Jun-Dec 2014 (didn't track the full first half of the year), and I found my clothing spending to be:

$32.68 - 2 pairs Pants/Jeans, Eddie Bauer
$102.96 - 5 Bras, Dillards; ~$60, 2 bras of this purchase was a present for a parent in need.
$15 - Dickey's men's socks, 6 pairs (for the DH, Christmas)
$25 - 10 pairs XL Hanes Men's Boxer Breifs (also for the DH, Christmas)
$15 - Large sweat pants, unisex (To share, Christmas)
Total: $190.64
Monthly (over 7 months): $27.23

And that's where roughly only $89.68 ($12.81/mo) was spent directly on myself.

The biggest savers for DH and I have been the following:
I learned to whipstitch. If I can sew it up, I keep on wearing it.
High quality Red Wing brand heavy duty work boots for DH - $250 out of pocket at an outlet store 2 years ago, still awesome today. Considering $70 lining repair.
New outfits are not 'for fun'. Buy only what you need, when you need it.
Track the sales, take advantage of them, but still only buy what you need.

So, the questions are:

What is your average monthly clothing cost?
How many people do you help clothe?
What do you spend it on? or Where do you spend it at?
And..
What tricks do you use to lessen your clothing costs over time?

Cookie78

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #1 on: January 05, 2015, 11:00:56 AM »
I bought a few pairs of shoes and a couple other cheap things on sale at the outlet mall the first 3 months of 2014 that I didn't track.

Between April and Dec I bought one bathing suit for <$5 and one jacket (impulse buy a week before I found this forum!) for $205. That's it.

As for keeping costs low:
I generally hate clothing shopping and only go when necessary, or sometimes when I'm in the right mood (rarely).
I mend or alter clothes to suit me when I can. I'm not an expert, but I have a sewing machine.
I love clothing swaps with friends and I accept hand me downs when people are getting rid of clothes.
Second hand stores
I discovered recently I have way too many socks and underwear in a second drawer that I wasn't even using. I've committed to using what I have until they are no longer useable, before I buy more.

Bras are the only thing I haven't figured out how to save much on. I hate bra shopping the most, so when I go I usually buy enough to last me a few years.

Average cost over the last 9 months - $23
Average cost over the last 9 months if I didn't buy that damn jacket I didn't really need - $0.56
Expected average cost over the next 12 months - $0

How many people - 1

I'm a red panda

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #2 on: January 05, 2015, 11:28:01 AM »
Monthly clothing cost?
I am not very mustachian, but I can't imagine buying clothes every month.

We don't technically budget anything, so I can't give a line-item.

Last year:
I started a new, more formal, job last year, so I bought 2 skirts and 5 tops for a total of less than $100 to prepare for that. Those were all from JC Penny.
I also think I got a new pack of underwear (like $8 for 5?) from Walmart- that should last me another 5-6 years.

So monthly, that would be $9 for one person.  The only thing I anticipate, maybe, buying this year are new jeans, my only pair are 7 years old now and starting to wear thin, but I will patch them a few times first- those cost me $20 from Target.  And possibly a few pieces of maternity wear if I can't find someone to give me hand-me downs. I'll likely get those at Target too, but I'll try to make do with what I have first.

cashstasherat23

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #3 on: January 05, 2015, 11:29:53 AM »
Just took a look at Mint. In 2013 it says I spent about $330 on clothes, but I only joined Mint in July 2013, so that is missing some info. For 2014 I spent $936 on clothing, which is way too much for my taste, although the spending slowed to a trickle around end of September, when I found Money Mustache! I did have a large weight loss this year, as well as started a new job after graduation, so had to buy some new clothing for work that fit, and am still working on shedding more pounds.

I think I will begin 2015 with a trip to Goodwill or a thrift store to buy just a few staple items, as I only have a handful of work outfits, but will try to limit it to $100, and that should last me for the rest of 2015.

Goal is to keep clothing spending at $150-200 this year total by making smart choices!

catccc

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #4 on: January 05, 2015, 11:44:34 AM »
I bought zero clothing for myself last year with my own cash, thanks in part to a "no clothes buying" gauntlet on the forums.  I say "my own cash" because I did have an old navy gift card that I used on two pairs of clearance tights, it was probably $5, but was outside of counting for budget, since it was purchased with a gift card.  Oh, also got myself a $10 rashguard, but I considered that to be sunscreen, not clothing.  Yes, I rationalize how I want to...  I plan again on spending little to nothing this year, excepting 1-2 bras, and possibly a swim suit.

DH's clothing purchases last year included 2 shirts from Goodwill, I think about $4 each, two pairs of pants, $20 each, and 1 pair of LL bean boots, about $100.

the kids mostly wear hand me downs, but as they are growing, I think some spend on their clothing is fine.  And still spending on this is probably less than $100 per kid for the year.

We don't spend much on clothing.  It's funny, it's something I used to spend a lot on.  Like, 12 years ago in college I'd go to the mall and drop $500 in one visit and it didn't faze me.

I'm also working on minimalism in the closet, which is helping.  I got rid of a bunch of stuff last year without feeling the need to replace it, and I'm much happier with less.

lakemom

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #5 on: January 05, 2015, 11:49:10 AM »
When you have kids "clothing" is definitely a budget line item.  We still have 2 at home that we cover all expenses for (8yo & 13yo).  At a minimum we are buying about 10 pairs of shoes (13yo plays 3 sports) and two complete wardrobes (spring/summer, fall/winter) per year in addition to snow gear (boots/coats/bibs/gloves/hats).  Then of course dh and I each acquire several new pairs of shoes per year (he's a runner and I walk daily) as well as replace items in our wardrobes as they wear out. We budget out $200 per month/2,400 per year and of course they also receive clothing for birthdays and Christmas wich comes out of the gift budget.

mm1970

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #6 on: January 05, 2015, 11:59:15 AM »
I'm aiming for zero this year (for me only).  But typically:

For me:
2 pairs running shoes:$130 (total), sometimes I get them for cheaper.  That includes tax.
1 swimsuit: $25
socks: $10
underwear: $10
Shirts: $50
Workout gear: $60
(But like I said, I am going to try and make do with what I have this year.  It varies, I've had babies, my weight fluctuated because of that.)

Husband:
Running shoes: $130 (his wear out too)
Jeans: $80 (2 pair a year, they wear out)
Shirts: $75 (generally 4 a year, they wear out)
T-shirts: $30 (he got two for Christmas and I bought him 3 for $15 from that website on here someone mentioned.  Plain shirts.)
Underwear: $20
Socks: $10

Kid #1 (8)
Jeans: $50 (3 pair)
Socks: $10
Underwear: $10
Shoes: $50 (2-3 pair, but we've had luck with hand me downs)
T-shirts: $30
He gets hand me downs here and there.  Kids this age are hard on clothing.

Kid #2 (2)
PJ's: $20
Jeans: $20
everything else hand me down.  Sometimes the hand me downs don't line up with the season, but they have so far.

That's about $70/month for four.

mm1970

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #7 on: January 05, 2015, 12:03:28 PM »
Quote
Thinking about writing a blog article about this, as I feel that "clothing" doesn't really deserve it's own budget category, and instead is part of "spending", but I wondered what clothing spending in the community looked like as a whole.
Well that depends.  Like another poster mentioned, it's different when you have kids who either wear out their clothing or grow out of their clothing. Clothing isn't optional.  There are ways to get it cheaper, of course - you don't need to buy new every single year.

If you are an adult and have clothing that fits, it can sometimes be "spending".  But personally, I've gotten clothing due to weight changes associated with having kids and losing the baby weight (not really optional).  And I wear through 2 pairs of running/walking shoes a year.  I also wear out 1-2 swimsuits per year.

epipenguin

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #8 on: January 05, 2015, 12:07:21 PM »
It's a process! It's hard for some of us to go from wasteful to full-on Mustachian quickly.

I have had a budget for clothing. But that's because I'm actively working to bring my spending in that area down. The old me would go shopping maybe once every 4-6 months and I would drop far too much money at the mall on a bunch of clothes that didn't always work well together. I also had an overflowing closet of old stuff that didn't necessarily fit, or fit my lifestyle. I didn't even know what I had, so I suffered from the "I have nothing to wear" syndrome and wanted to go out and get new stuff in preference to re-wearing old things. A lot of it I hung on to because I'd spent money on it, and I didn't want that money to go to "waste" (as if having the items sitting in my closet not being worn wasn't wasteful). So I started being more mindful about what to buy so as to make sure my clothing all worked well together, and started purging the old stuff. I'm still not totally done getting rid of old things, but am nearly there. At least now everything fits, and I am trying to wear everything until it wears out. For clothes shopping, the first thing I did was put an item limit on myself per month (no more going crazy in the mall trying to get a bunch of things at once), then a monthly budget, then I started working on cutting my monthly budget.

For the last half of 2014, my clothing budget was $60 a month. What I actually spent was: July: $0, Aug: $0, Sept: $40 (2 camisoles, and two pj/lounge/yoga pants from Costco), Oct: $20 (underwear from Target), Nov: $90 (a fancy made-in-the-USA eco-friendly top, bought from a local store), Dec: $0. I also acquired a pair of shoes that my boyfriend paid for (early Christmas present) and a pair of black pants that I used a gift card on - these were both from outlet stores.

For the first half of 2015, clothing is no longer its own category, but I am including it in a "personal care" budget along with skin care, hair care and whatever other girly nonsense I feel like buying. The skin care and girly nonsense budget used to also be $60 a month, but the combined budget is $100 a month. Still too much, so I expect that for the second half of 2015 I will work to lower it.
« Last Edit: January 05, 2015, 12:12:46 PM by epipenguin »

catccc

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #9 on: January 05, 2015, 12:08:54 PM »
Kids- you can get away with spending a lot less if you buy secondhand, or make friends with some like minded parents and share stuff. (Things like snow boots can go through many kids before being worn out, depending on where you live.  We are in PA.  There's this one winter coat that a friend got at goodwill, and it has be worn by whomever donated it to goodwill, her oldest, both of my kids, and I'm giving it back for her youngest!  Still lots of life in it!) 

We outfitted our two kids (3 and 6) for $108 last year.  But my kids don't play a bunch of sports.  And (maybe I'm mean) if they wanted to, I'd tell them they'd have to choose between them, due to gear cost.

ketchup

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #10 on: January 05, 2015, 12:13:17 PM »
Looking in Mint, I'm at about $230 since 8/2012, so an average of around $8.84/month.  Some of that also includes clothes for my girlfriend, so call it $5/month.

Thrift stores.  "Business casual" clothes for work.  I don't do new clothes except socks/underwear anymore, and a $50 Kohl's gift card from my grandma each year for Christmas more than covers that.

Doesn't include shoes, which I've spent probably about $100 on (two pairs total) in the same time frame, so another ~$4/month for that.
« Last Edit: January 05, 2015, 12:15:04 PM by ketchup »

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #11 on: January 05, 2015, 12:14:59 PM »
I am single with no kids, so it's just me.

In April 2012, I spent $25 on clothing:  I purchased a hooded sweatshirt with my hockey team's logo--to benefit the hockey team.

In June 2013, I spent $5 on clothing:  2 tee shirts at a conference at my former high school.

In December 2014, I spent $3 on a shirt at a thrift store.

Not sure if everyone counts shoes in their clothing category.  In 2014, I bought a new pair of hiking shoes.  I didn't really want to but my Physical Therapist basically said she would no longer work on my knee/ankle/toe injuries unless I bought new shoes.  I also bought a $3 pair of flip flops to use when camping--if I should need to wade through a creek or visit a hot springs.  I have but used them yet, but I probably will this year.

I still get the e-mails from Gramicci, REI, Campmor, etc., but I rarely open them.  And I think it happened only twice in 2014 that I was actually in a shop that sold clothes.  Both times, I went in for a particular item, bought it, and left.

I have a ton of clothes that I do not use.  I need to get rid of about half of the clothes I own.

rocksinmyhead

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #12 on: January 05, 2015, 12:16:57 PM »
this is a HUGE weak spot of mine and major goal for 2015!!! (I joined the "no new clothing" thread :))

according to Mint, in both 2013 and 2014 I spent just over $1500/year on clothing, or ~$127/month. yikes!!! (I don't even want to talk about 2012... I went from grad school to a real job, aka a ~5x pay increase and a need for business casual clothing... it wasn't pretty :)). in 2014 there were 36 different transactions!! to be fair, most of the time I buy stuff online and sometimes it doesn't fit and I return it, so some of those transactions are returns. still, even 25-30 transactions is pretty ridiculous! looking back, there are only a few things that stand out as memorable and probably truly useful:

-- three bras from Victoria's Secret (I finally sucked it up and admitted I'm an AA and not an A... so much better)
-- a couple running items (tights and a nice long-sleeved shirt... plus other shit that was less memorable/not needed)
-- replaced my two main pair of work shoes, brown and black flats... puppy ate the brown ones, plus they were a really shitty cheap pair that was worn out and probably going to be replaced soon anyway. the black pair were only ~2.5 yrs old but the leather on the heel had cracked and they were looking crappy (I already had them resoled once, I love getting shoes repaired, but this didn't seem repairable...?) the replacement black pair were my most expensive single purchase of the year... with tax and shipping they were $175. I KNOW. they are definitely the most comfortable pair I've ever owned, right out of the box, but I REALLY hope they last many years!!!
-- black sandals to replace another pair that I wear all the time that the puppy ate
-- a $30 black short sleeved dress from Old Navy that was seriously one of the best purchases I've ever made, especially in terms of bang for the buck! I wear it all the time and in all kinds of circumstances (with a light scarf in the summer, with tights and a cardigan in the winter, to work, on the weekend because it's stretchy and super comfortable, to a fancy birthday dinner, to see Book of Mormon yesterday... no seriously I think everyone might need one of these, LOL)

everything else was basically unnecessary. I categorize running shoes separately in Mint so yeah, those aren't even included in the $1500. what. the. fuck!

I am so nervous but excited for the "no new clothes/shoes" challenge... nervous because it's obviously a huge change but excited because I KNOW I can do it and I already have so many clothes and shoes I love and that work well for me.

I have a growing pile of items that need to be mended but I've been a HUGE procrastinator on that... I really just need to take an hour and dig out the supplies and sit down and do it. I don't have a sewing machine but they're mostly little repairs. I have two skirts I might take to a pro because I'm not sure I can do a decent-looking job and they're for work :/

I'm also working on minimalism in the closet, which is helping.  I got rid of a bunch of stuff last year without feeling the need to replace it, and I'm much happier with less.

me too! well, not really minimalism at all, but much less clothing than I had. I've always been pretty good about donating stuff I don't wear, but I've improved on that and now I'm really working on not buying stuff to replace it. I have one small-ish 5-drawer chest, three big plastic stacking drawers in my closet, probably 4-5' of hanging/rod space in my closet, a bin for sweatshirts, an under-bed box for tshirts, and an under-bed box for out-of-season stuff. holy shit, now that I spell it out, that sounds like a lot! :) but it's an improvement... at least, being able to fit everything IN to those spaces without them being bursting at the seams/hard to find stuff so I can actually wear it.

Thinking about writing a blog article about this, as I feel that "clothing" doesn't really deserve it's own budget category, and instead is part of "spending"

I see what you mean, in that at least some of it may be random "fun" spending... but as others have pointed out, not all of it is... plus, coming from someone who clearly has an issue with this, if you're trying to get your spending in check it helps to see what your weaknesses are (and just how bad they are!). plus even when I'm at my own personal "most Mustachian" (totally happy with your spending/priorities), I know I'll want to at least have a small clothing budget even if I don't NEEEEEEED anything... just the way my brain works. also, I guess I've always been a "splitter," not a "lumper" :)

skunkfunk

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #13 on: January 05, 2015, 12:19:23 PM »
I've worn second-hand and what is given to me as gifts for the entire time since I signed on board the FIRE train. I could definitely use some shoes though.

Except for socks. I don't know why but I can tear through some socks. Maybe all the tennis?

Middlesbrough

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #14 on: January 05, 2015, 12:27:12 PM »
I have a personal/clothing expense category for personal grooming as well as clothes. It is basically nonfood personal shopping and it is about $35 a month. I think I add another article of clothing every other month. A new dress shirt and tie, a new pair of athletic shorts, and a name brand sweatshirt splurge in the last nine months. The rest is toiletries and knick knack expenditures.

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #15 on: January 05, 2015, 12:48:45 PM »
Clothing = not so mustachian for me.

Since July, our family has spent $1286 on clothing.  An average of $214/month, or an average of $53.50/person.

I do believe that will average down over the year as that includes some new back to school clothing, as well as new winter clothing for growing kids (I hadn't really considered the additional costs of outfitting for four seasons before, tbh).  ODD started in-school daycare, which necessitated an extra pair of indoor shoes I hadn't anticipated.  Growing feet will be the death of me!  And second hand doesn't seem to cut it at this age, as by the time the kids grow out of shoes, they are completely destroyed.

Some of it is unnecessary, there's no question of that.  It was also a little skewed because DH started a new job that is dressier than his old job, so he needed more dress pants and dress shirts as well as new shoes.

None of the items individually has been extravagant, but there is some extravagance in the quantity.

Over the next year, I'll be trying to limit my own purchases to actual needs (i.e., nylons....my KINGDOM for a pair of nylons that lasts more than a couple of wears), and the same for the kids. 

minimustache1985

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #16 on: January 05, 2015, 01:00:39 PM »
If I look at 2014 it was probably in the $25-$50/mo range, but I expect it to be much lower this year.  Last year I purged a bunch of college attire and bought some more appropriate-for-a-nearly-30-year-old clothing, specifically getting shorts that aren't short-shorts and some casual shirts that aren't college Ts.

As far as actually wearing things out I'd say on average I go through 1 swimsuit, 1 large pack of socks, a handful of undies, a bra, 2 shirts, 2 pairs of pants, 1 pair of pjs, and 1-2 pairs of shoes in a year.  The purchases are spread out though, I bought socks at Costco 3 years ago and still have a new pack I haven't opened yet, enough clearanced Lands End polos to get free shipping 2 years ago, bought 2 swimsuits last year and won't need a new one this year, etc.

I also spend about $100 on clothes for H at Christmas and he probably spends about the same in a given year getting the things I don't buy him (pants mostly since he has to try those on).  In Mint I budget $100 for "shopping" which clothing and cleaning supplies/anything from Target goes into, but I don't have the category roll over and we normally don't max that one.

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #17 on: January 05, 2015, 01:08:55 PM »
last year the budget was $1200 to use for shoes/boots, undies and used apparel only.  We spent $1080. My clothing situation is somewhat unique however, and I will explain at the end.

I listed the $ details over in the don't buy any new clothes thread.

Summary of new purchases: undies, boots (3pr - short dressy work ones), poncho, long sweater for me - super long, DH work t-shirts and 2 pr Tennies (he wears his out, as in breaks them down, he is hard on clothes/shoes), satin nighties for back surgery - really awesome idea, worked great! (read up on satin for spinal fusion over on the spine forum)

The rest was spent on ebay, bought non horse riding jeans (skinning jeggings) since I can no longer ride and the style is totally different between the two. Yes I still have the horse jeans and do toss them on here and there. Other ebay purchases included longer layers for over skinny jeans (a new style for me), hoodies and warm layers.

I donate ALL of my extra clothes to family and some specific items to friends who've "claimed" them. If I've used them gently enough I will even sell them. I purge a couple of times a year and am overdue for a purge. Luckily many family members are around the same size so they can use most of what we give them. It's funny at family gatherings to see my stuff on folks. - btw I run a side business decorating apparel. I use all types of vinyl that I cut into specific designs with my vinyl cutter - many copyrighted, I also use alot of rhinestones in my custom work, so when I see my clothing on others, it is very, very specific. I sell my apparel around town so what is even more strange is to see something i've made when I am out and about, or even on FB, pictures from horse shows etc.

I love to buy off ebay and "up-cycle" for myself or to sell.

MayDay

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #18 on: January 05, 2015, 01:39:15 PM »
With kids, they outgrow stuff.  We get most of their new stuff as gifts, and I try to fill in with either cheap stuff from stores, or occasionally thrift stores.  I have trouble doing much bargain hunting for kids clothes as if I buy ahead at thrift/garage sales, I sometimes get either the wrong size, or too much shirts but no pants, for example.  Also, I can get a basic pair of pants for so cheap at target that I don't save any at the thrift.  I am going to experiment with sewing pants for the kids out of stuff DH and I have worn through, for environmental and ethical reasons. 

DH and I need new shoes a couple times a year (exercise shoes and work shoes for H).  I've never found any used shoes that didn't look like crap except fancy ladies dress shoes.  New socks and undies maybe once a year. 

The biggest thing I am about to have is starting a new job requiring somewhat dressing clothes.  I currently alternate between two pairs of pants and a bunch of t shirts and sweaters.  I can probably make one pair of pants work to be dressy enough, and I might have one other way back in my closet.  The sweaters are pretty schlubby but a few might be ok.  I have no nice shoes as all I've bought in the last 3-4 years is exercise shoes and the odd pair of sandals if I've worn through them.  I am not looking forward to this at all as I hate shopping. 

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #19 on: January 05, 2015, 01:57:30 PM »
Let's see.  We spent $335 for a family of 5 last year.  $236 at Walmart (3 new shorts for me, probably a few packs of undergarments and socks for various members of the family, maybe 12-15 shirts/pants/skirts for our daughters, some clothes for Mrs. RoG).  $30 at the thrift shop (12-18 articles of clothing for the 2 year old, a few things for the girls).  $69 at sears (new shoes for 4 of us). 

For this year, we just spent $16 at the thrift shop for 13 new (to us) shirts and pants for the kids and a brand new purse for Mrs. RoG.  It's amazing how you can get brand new (or very close to it) stuff for under a buck. 

Elliot

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #20 on: January 05, 2015, 02:11:16 PM »
My partner goes through socks, undershirts, underwear, and sneakers at an alarming rate. I've never figured out why 10 underwear will last me 2 years and last my partner only 4-6 months. That's where most of our clothing budget goes, and we only buy other clothes for replacement. Item reaches end of life, item gets replaced. We spent 50 a month, sometimes more if and expensive item is what wore out last month.

LadyStache

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #21 on: January 05, 2015, 02:33:05 PM »
I have a separate category for clothing/shoes/accessories in my budget because it helps me keep things down. Last year I spend about $1000 on this category and I just realized about half of it was shoes. I'm going to try not to buy new shoes for a long time. Thanks!

charis

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #22 on: January 05, 2015, 02:44:41 PM »
We are 2 adults and 2 kids (18 months/ 4 years).  According to Mint, we spent $277 last year on clothes.  If you subtract costs for the tailor and shoe repair, it's $179.  It is not entirely accurate b/c we picked up some socks/underwear at Target the other day that I can't separate out in Mint.  And I also do about $40 in dry cleaning 3x a year as well for my suits for my business-attire profession. 

When we buy clothes, they are from Goodwill or ebay, except for socks and underwear unless they are brand new.    I stop by often to look for specific brands (j. crew, ann taylor, banana republic, etc) in excellent condition and shoes in almost new condition.  I picked up several pairs of pricey shoes with no visible wear for less than 10 bucks.  I use gift cards to full advantage when I buy the rare new clothing item.

The kids clothes are exclusively hand me down, thrift, from grandma, or one insane sale online where I got 80% off everything.  I can always find "used" children's shoes with no wear.

It is actually very easy to dress well at a fraction of retail prices.   

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #23 on: January 05, 2015, 03:10:16 PM »
According to Mint I average $29/mo for clothing and shoes for myself and 2 kids. DH's and I budget separately, so his clothes aren't tracked even though I know he doesn't spend much.

However, I also spend a healthy (or unhealthy) amount on "Hobbies", aka sewing and knitting supplies. Sewing supplies are used almost exclusively to clothe the kids and I since I spend the least amount possible to get the needed item. Knitting stuff falls more into the hobby category since I buy fancy yarn without much regard to how far it will go.

That's just a long winded way of saying it actually costs us more than $29/mo to clothe ourselves. Probably more like $70/mo if I were to buy retail ready made items like a normal person. I think that's not terrible for 3 people living somewhere with 4 seasons.

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #24 on: January 05, 2015, 03:39:54 PM »
I spend very little on clothes for myself. I work in software so I don't need to dress up to even "business casual" standards. I typically wear jeans and a collared shirt to work, but will revert to a free t-shirt from my employer once or twice a week.

At this point I basically only buy clothes to replace worn out items. Each year I'll wear out one or two pairs of jeans ($14/pair at Costco). I just paid $30 for a new pair of daily wear shoes, which will probably last me about a year. I also just bought six pretty nice button-down shirts for $4 each at Goodwill after clearing about that many worn shirts out of my closet. That will probably be all the shirts I buy this year. I also buy about a half dozen pairs of underwear and socks per year. I'm often able to get these on clearance or in open-package returned condition at Target or Fred Meyer. Let's say $20/year on these items.

I might also replace one or more of the following in a year: hiking boots, hiking pants, swimsuit, sandals, sunglasses, raincoat, winter coat, light jacket, watch band, dress shoes, dress pants. Many of these items can be more expensive, but they also typically last me several years. I'd say an average of $150/year for these.

All told I probably spend less than $300/year ($25/month) on clothing. I think my wife spends about the same; she might make a few more frivolous purchases than I do, but she's even more of a Goodwill shopper than I am so it's all very cheap.

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #25 on: January 05, 2015, 03:47:23 PM »
I really splurged last year.

2014 - 1 waterproof jacket - $130 (half price at a sale)
2013 - underwear - $12
2012 - underwear $14

Total per month: $6 including anything needed to repair clothes.

These were all new. I don't have a budget line for clothes.

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #26 on: January 05, 2015, 04:01:32 PM »
I really splurged last year.

2014 - 1 waterproof jacket - $130 (half price at a sale)
2013 - underwear - $12
2012 - underwear $14

Total per month: $6 including anything needed to repair clothes.

These were all new. I don't have a budget line for clothes.

I don't have a budget line for clothes either. I think the last thing I bought was a jacket for ~$22, which I use all the time. Not even sure that was 2014, though...could have been 2013.

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #27 on: January 05, 2015, 04:33:12 PM »
Ways we hold down cost:

- For the boys, all the pants that get knee rips turn into summer shorts.  Turn inside out, cut them off at the rip, cuff twice, then sew two lines around the bottom about 10mm apart.  Same stitch that was on my husband's khaki shorts and no one knows they were originally pants. 

- Hand-me down clothes.  We benefit from having two boys so we technically only need to purchase one wardrobe.  But a good majority of the DS1 clothes originally come from other people.  Usually we will pay them some wine or beer when they give us a box/bag of them, which guarantees a steady stream of supply. 

- 1-2 pairs of shoes per season.  Summer - sandals and tennis shoes.  Winter - tennis shoes.  Another benefit of boys. 

- We don't purchase PJ's.  The boys wear white t-shirts and either sweats or shorts that can serve double-duty as needed.  Grandparents have purchased some in past as gifts. 

- Purchase any necessary winter clothes at deep discount.  The clearance prices at Kohl's and JC Penney are ridiculously low if you are patient and not overly-picky on the style. 

- DH and I aren't fashionistas so all our clothes are traditional styles.  Shoes are also kept to a minimum.  I work hard to get out stains and patch any rips before they are an issue. 

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #28 on: January 05, 2015, 05:20:58 PM »
I'm set up for zero costs in this category for the year. Employer provides uniforms and boots. Pretty nice, though I wish they let me know about uniforms before I bought $60 worth of Dickies last year.

In my previous job, I'd estimate $15-20 a month, consisting of boots and dickies. The boots last a year, the dickies....well I have a 12 year old pair, they last a long time.

I think clothing is a unique enough category to warrant its own column. Sticking it in "Spending" is like putting restaurant and groceries in a single category. Fashion clothes should definitely go into a "spending" category, with the goal of hitting as close to zero as possible.

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #29 on: January 05, 2015, 05:22:05 PM »
My partner goes through socks, undershirts, underwear, and sneakers at an alarming rate. I've never figured out why 10 underwear will last me 2 years and last my partner only 4-6 months. That's where most of our clothing budget goes, and we only buy other clothes for replacement. Item reaches end of life, item gets replaced. We spent 50 a month, sometimes more if and expensive item is what wore out last month.
same here

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #30 on: January 05, 2015, 05:38:18 PM »
I'm probably around $20/month just because I usually get a new pair of running shoes every 6 months or so.  So glad I get to wear hospital scrubs at work.  Comfort, no wear and tear on my own clothing, and no laundry.

step_away

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #31 on: January 05, 2015, 05:44:59 PM »
I don't set a separate budget for clothing. 

My budget is about $1,000/month.  After accounting for fixed expenses ($600 rent, $73 medical/dental/vision insurance, $80 public transportation and $10 internet) and $100 lunch allowance, I'm left with $137 to buy everything else including clothes. 

If I'm overbudget this month, my next month's budget will be reduced accordingly.  If I'm under, I add the unspent amount to next month's budget.

With my recent weight loss, my clothing expenses are up.  But I usually don't pay full price for them by mainly shopping from Ross or when there are sales online.  So far I was able to offset my clothing expenses by reducing other variable expenses including lunch.
« Last Edit: January 05, 2015, 05:53:24 PM by step_away »

caliq

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #32 on: January 05, 2015, 05:49:46 PM »
I only just started tracking things but I would guess the last two years have averaged out to at least $50 a month between my husband and I.  I buy things at Goodwill or cheaper stores and try never to pay full price for anything.  I don't need much and probably $10 of that is actually for me.  However, I'm pretty sure my husband did absolutely zero clothes shopping during his time in the Marines and after he got out, until we got together and I had to point out that he had holes in all his socks and sweats and boxers.  He still wears threadbare army green undershirts rather than buying white ones... He finally stopped wearing his 15+ yr old hockey club jacket (from childhood!) this Christmas -- we went to see his parents and he literally ripped a hole in the leather pocket when he tried to put something in it :/  So HOPEFULLY now that he has proper attire for a normal adult male, our monthly costs will go down significantly because we won't be replacing a new thing that falls apart every other month.  At least for the next ten years or so :D

socaso

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #33 on: January 05, 2015, 06:00:05 PM »
This made me wonder about my own budget so I did a little quick math and I came up with $525 for last year. You could maybe round that up to $600 in case I'm forgetting anything. One thing I know for sure is that $225 of that was purchased with gift money. I like to use my birthday and Christmas money to splurge a little. It keeps me from going crazy the rest of the year. Some of the money was spent at thrift stores and the full price items were generally things I couldn't find like underwear and the occasional pair of shoes.

My kid is 2 so he grows a lot. I went on two shopping trips for him this year, both were kid's consignment sales and I spent $140 total. I estimate that he will be fine for most clothes except pants until at least early summer (unless he blows out the knees of every pair of pants, which is distinct possibility)

Hubby I don't know about. On the one hand he may have only gone on one shopping trip this year but on the other hand it's usually kind of pricey when he does so I'd say maybe $300 for him.

LouLou

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #34 on: January 05, 2015, 06:01:50 PM »
I don't budget clothing items separately. I rarely buy clothes. I won't buy casual clothes for a very, very long time!

Unfortunately, I will need to spend a significant amount of money on clothes this year. I need suits for work - higher-quality ones for client visits and court (I'm an attorney, representing corporations). I know every secondhand store in my area that sells high quality clothing, and have bought many normal work clothes there. But I can't ever find a used suit that would fit because of my proportions. I also need higher quality shoes for work as well. I have an easier time buying these on sale, and only need a couple of functional pairs at a time.

This year, I need to purchase three suits and one pair of shoes. Even with sales, gift card strategies, ebay etc, this will set me back hundreds!

Also, I feel for parents. I was basically just a series of growth spurts until I hit my current height at 12.

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #35 on: January 05, 2015, 07:43:28 PM »
Annually I consumer roughly

2 pairs of pants, $60.
1 pair of shoes, $40.
Three dress shirts for work, $15.
One package of socks, $10.

Underwear are a negligible expense.  I buy a new coat for about $100 roughly every five years. 

Adding it all up and dividing by 12, I get $12/month.

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #36 on: January 05, 2015, 08:14:57 PM »
It used to be $30/mo, for two adults and two toddlers. It got bumped up a bit recently, but I can't recall what it is now (maybe $40?), and it'll probably go back down in a few months when we redesign our budget. We get just about everything except socks, undies, and most adult shoes from the thrift store which makes it very feasible as long as we get the newish clothes and not the already worn out ones, lol. We purposefully don't have a ton of clothes, though. Just enough to make it until wash day rolls around again.

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #37 on: January 05, 2015, 09:18:10 PM »
     I line dry my clothes and always have.  My stuff lasts forever.  I have a dozen or so 80's sweaters.  My former employer gave me several heavy coats.  I have 72 shirts and 50 or so were free. Three of them are 33 years old.  I last bought shirts 30 years ago.  Got a dozen or so shorts never worn in the closet. Never wear pants but I have a couple in the closet. Also got about 50 free pairs of socks from employer before I left in 08.  Undies last a long time and I get them as gifts from time to time. 

     My only annual purchase is 2 pairs of running shoes.  After 500 miles I use them for everyday shoes.  This might put me at 150$ annually. 

     I don't think I'll ever buy clothing, aside from running shoes, even if I live to 100.

MrsPete

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #38 on: January 05, 2015, 09:24:21 PM »
I don't really have a monthly cost, but I do have a system.  After I had my second child, we were short on money, and I fell into a bad pattern.  I never bought anything for myself.  This was okay for a year or two, but then SUDDENLY it was time for me to begin teaching in the fall, and I realized that EVERY item of clothing I owned was a complete and total RAG.  I was forced to hurry up and buy some things because I needed to look professional at work.

So I developed a system to avoid finding myself WITHOUT again: 

- We live in an area with four seasons, so every spring and every fall I buy myself two outfits -- typically they're clearance-priced items bought at the end of the season, but this means I always have SOMETHING that's new and fairly well in style.  Typically I pick up one casual outfit and one work outfit, but it does vary. 
- And every spring and fall I toss out something that is worn out.  I'm always a bit amazed when people talk about jeans lasting them 5+ years; perhaps it's because I have fewer pairs, so they are worn more frequently, but I only get about two years wear from a pair of jeans.   
- I replace coats, jackets and under garments when they become worn out.  I've been wearing my casual coat since the year I started working at my current school (so this is its 14th winter), and I just noticed that the elastic waist and cuffs aren't looking so good -- in a couple months, Lands End will clearance them, and I'll buy a new one for next winter. 
- I only buy quality items.  I used to buy Target-type clothing, but I've experienced too many pieces shrinking or turning out badly after only 1-2 washes.  Similarly, since I stand up all day, I only buy good quality shoes.  I don't own a huge selection; rather, they're all basics that match multiple outfits. 

As for my husband, he's on a system too:

- Every Christmas I buy him two LL Bean shirts (actually, I buy them in February-March when last year's patterns and colors are clearanced).  He loves them, and the quality is great. 
- Dockers has great sales on men's clothing around Father's Day, and I usually buy him pants on an "as needed" basis around that time. 
- He's responsible for his own shoes. 

RapmasterD

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #39 on: January 05, 2015, 09:36:25 PM »
If I detailed what I spent on clothing last year, a gang of you would drive to my house and put a cap in my ass.

So let's say that I spent about 1% of AGI on clothing. And this year, I'll reduce spending by about 90%.



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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #40 on: January 05, 2015, 09:36:37 PM »
My budget is $300/year which covers me and DH. We tend to buy a couple high quality items each (think REI - things good for heavy use and will last forever). The rest is thrift shopping or discount stores (Ross, Marshalls, etc)

Elliot

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #41 on: January 05, 2015, 09:58:25 PM »
If I detailed what I spent on clothing last year, a gang of you would drive to my house and put a cap in my ass.

So let's say that I spent about 1% of AGI on clothing. And this year, I'll reduce spending by about 90%.

I wore a custom wool cape over my dress yesterday so I won't judge you. I supported a US small businessperson, got a classic garment or impeccable quality, and look real great to boot, so I regret nothing.

greaper007

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #42 on: January 05, 2015, 10:56:38 PM »
Who knows, I get most of my stuff at thrift stores or on big discounts at the end of the season.   I really need to start sewing more though.

The only thing I can really account for monthly is booze, I'm not going to post that number here...(relax it's not that big, I'm a home brewer).

minority_finance_mo

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #43 on: January 05, 2015, 11:50:40 PM »
$2023 last year - yep, that bad. Most of it was spent in the summer of 2014; basically my entire wardrobe got updated. I'm participating in the no clothing gauntlet for 2015, so that number will be nill (except socks/underweaar, maybe) this year.

EngineerMum

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #44 on: January 06, 2015, 12:48:35 AM »
I haven't tried adding it up before, so this is for my own benefit -
2 or 3 new bras per year, est $25 each - sum $75
packet of target knickers , about $10
couple of packs of socks, $20
typically 2 or 3 new work shirts, usually mum buys me (the nice) one for Christmas and I buy a cheaper on or an opshop one - say $60
work suits - haven't bought one in a few years now, but several are starting to look a bit worse for the wear. I can't find shops that sell women's suits anymore so I may have to suck it up and go to the tailor, so that is likely to be in the order of $800 or more, annual average - $300
tshirts, trackies, around the house jumper (ie exercise or gardening clothes) maybe 4 or 5 items a year, 10 - $30 each - $100
nice tops, skirts, pants, dresses - usually one or two items a year, est $70 - $140
PJs, one summer and one winter set - $60
shoes - one work pair, one casual, one sneakers - $250

So total spend - just under $1000. That feels about right. I'm happy to buy at op shops but that does take more time, and while DD is little I find it hard to find that time. I try to buy classics, and quality on sale rather than cheap stuff that doesn't last, but I think I can cut down on the good stuff for a few years with what I have now.


GardenFun

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #45 on: January 06, 2015, 07:28:15 AM »
- We live in an area with four seasons, so every spring and every fall I buy myself two outfits -- typically they're clearance-priced items bought at the end of the season, but this means I always have SOMETHING that's new and fairly well in style.  Typically I pick up one casual outfit and one work outfit, but it does vary. 
- And every spring and fall I toss out something that is worn out.  I'm always a bit amazed when people talk about jeans lasting them 5+ years; perhaps it's because I have fewer pairs, so they are worn more frequently, but I only get about two years wear from a pair of jeans.   
- I replace coats, jackets and under garments when they become worn out.  I've been wearing my casual coat since the year I started working at my current school (so this is its 14th winter), and I just noticed that the elastic waist and cuffs aren't looking so good -- in a couple months, Lands End will clearance them, and I'll buy a new one for next winter. 
- I only buy quality items.  I used to buy Target-type clothing, but I've experienced too many pieces shrinking or turning out badly after only 1-2 washes.  Similarly, since I stand up all day, I only buy good quality shoes.  I don't own a huge selection; rather, they're all basics that match multiple outfits. 

As for my husband, he's on a system too:

- Every Christmas I buy him two LL Bean shirts (actually, I buy them in February-March when last year's patterns and colors are clearanced).  He loves them, and the quality is great. 
- Dockers has great sales on men's clothing around Father's Day, and I usually buy him pants on an "as needed" basis around that time. 
- He's responsible for his own shoes.

This is a really good idea.  I recently went through the closet and purged a bunch of clothes that no longer fit correctly (i.e. cheaply made) or had wear/stain spots that made me avoid them.  Was interesting to see how many clothes were actually being worn with any frequency - FYI it was about 30% of what I owned.  Got rid of at least 25% of the clothes, and have another 25% red-tagged.  If I don't wear any of the red tag items within the year (timeframe due to 4 seasons), they are getting donated.

cynthia1848

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #46 on: January 06, 2015, 07:58:13 AM »
I spend a lot on clothes - probably $5000 last year.  It makes me happy to be in style.

Bob W

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #47 on: January 06, 2015, 08:23:30 AM »
I'm very much in style with my thrift store clothing line.   Today it is a Herron Club lined knit shirt, khakis, and nice slip on tassel shoes.  The shoes were a gift from my boss from her deceased husband (4 pair).   My total cost of wardrobe today including my thrift store new ski jacket = $10.   

I don't know about monthly but let's say my closet overflows and needs some serious pruning. 

My clothes are almost all thrift store and name brand quality stuff.      I would guess I spent $10 per month last year on clothes for myself?

That versus $500 I spent on my rapidly growing 13 year old daughter in December!   I don't do that often so maybe another $300 throughout the year.  Growing girls are a tuff nut.

My 7 year old son is hard too as there are few thrift store shoes or pants in his size.  Seems boys wear these out.   So with him we usually keep just two pairs of shoes active and some of them are hand me downs from cousin. 

I will start tracking this number this year.   

I'm a red panda

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #48 on: January 06, 2015, 08:29:44 AM »
This is a really good idea.  I recently went through the closet and purged a bunch of clothes that no longer fit correctly (i.e. cheaply made) or had wear/stain spots that made me avoid them.  Was interesting to see how many clothes were actually being worn with any frequency - FYI it was about 30% of what I owned.  Got rid of at least 25% of the clothes, and have another 25% red-tagged.  If I don't wear any of the red tag items within the year (timeframe due to 4 seasons), they are getting donated.

I turned all the hangers in my closet backwards last January 1, with the idea that this January 1, anything on a hanger that hadn't been turned back (as in- I took the item off the hanger, wore it, washed it, and rehung it with the hanger facing the right way) would be donated.  I am donating only 2 items.  I'm pretty impressed that I actually wear all my clothes.

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Re: What is your monthly clothing cost? What does it buy?
« Reply #49 on: January 06, 2015, 08:29:52 AM »
In 2013 we spent a bunch of money on clothes. I don't remember the exact figure but it was probably in the $2000+ range. After doing an end-of-the-year assessment and realizing how much we spent by just going to the outlet mall a couple of times a year, we made a conscious effort not to do that anymore. Amazing what a difference you can make by just choosing to go hiking or something instead of going to the mall!

2014 we spent around $500. Most of that was new running shoes for me or various maternity/nursing wear that I couldn't borrow from friends. I am smaller than most of my friends and so spent some $$ on maternity clothes for work. I also spent a princely sum on a number of nursing bras, tops, and a maternity bathing suit. Even shopping online, I found that when you are shopping in such a niche corner of the market, the prices are really jacked up!

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!