Following yesterday's thread on clothes.............

Joesoap

I recently had a clear out and sent everything to a charity shop, some with labels still on.I have so many tee shirts, I could wear one a day for six months, and still have plenty over,its ridiculous,I am not buying anything more this year I dont need to, besides I have had some "scumbag" clear my entire
savings account and they had a super shopping spree with MY money in a shopping mall in Rotterdam.I dont need clothes I need money!

Sorry to hear that Joesoap, 'I hope your bank gets it sorted for you.
One of my relations had the same done to them, the culprit refurnished their house.Luckily they had it all re embursed by the bank.

I'm very pleased that it's now well over 2 years since I last bought a single item. I'm very happy with my current wardrobe but had to have a serious word with myself to stop buying the odd item just on a whim. Ridiculous really considering the amount of stuff I have. Ancient but decidedly ok for me.

If I don’t wear an item of clothes it’s because I just don’t feel right in it. What I am doing is as things don’t look their best, I get rid of them but don’t replace. If I am tempted to buy anything, I sleep on it as I’ve far too many clothes , then if I think I will wear it I go back and buy it. . Those I just don’t feel good in or were bad buys I am giving to the charity shop, so I have a gradually reducing wardrobe of things and left with items I do like.

Thanks to this thread I have re-vamped a coruroy pinafore, it was handmade and I never really liked it, so it just hung there in my wardrobe. I have unpicked the waist and rescued the skirt part, I will have to re-do the waist band but it seems to be a decent skirt

My pale blue woolovers jumper was going to be chucked after this winter but as it is lambswool, I will wash at a hotter wash in the machine and it will felt. I will cut it into a bodywarmer/waistcoat if it is big enough, should be possible as it is overbig now. If it felts and shrinks a great deal, I can cut mittens and slippers

Buying less stuff is certainly good for the planet but it isn’t good for our independents and the wider economy! Not easy to square this circle.

I don't think that this is a good reason to buy more stuff. If we decide to buy less, then I'm afraid the wider economy will have to adjust.
I think the idea of going a year without buying any new clothes is rather draconian. I'm now visiting charity shops when I think I need something new, and only visit a new shop if I can't find what I want. After Covid and lockdown, I'm trying to resist splashing out on new summer clothes, and trying to mix and match what I have - it's not easy.

I've got more than enough for several years (ashamed to say) so I won't be buying more - unless there's a big occasion on the horizon. I cut up a couple of pairs of linen trousers (had 4 pairs of khaki ones)- to make some nice window scrims (have to clear that Saharan dust somehow).

Fashion is responsible for 10% of annual global carbon emissions, more than all international flights and shipping combined. If we continue to use fast,cheap, plastic fashion, the industry’s carbon footprint will increase by 50% in the next 20 years.

What I have never understood is how people manage to afford to be constantly buying new clothes, making impulse purchases.

Even though we are comfortably off, I have never been in a situation where i can casually buy clothes every month or week, especially clothes for which I have no discernable need for.

How much do people spend on clothes every month?

not just clothes but bedding. I cut up a flannelette pillow case and a fitted sheet and made some good cleaning cloths

What I have never understood is how people manage to afford to be constantly buying new clothes, making impulse purchases

Other people’s purchases, impulse or otherwise, are none of our business!
I may choose to spend £80 on a ballet or theatre or opera ticket, someone else will spend as much in the pub or at a football match. Some people will spend thousands of £££ on a holiday and for the pleasure it gives them, that is a considered purchase.
Essentials or luxuries - I think it is simplistic to say I have never understood how people can afford to spend money on new clothes/cars/ meals out/second homes/plants for their garden/whatever

If someone can afford it and they’re not depriving their family then it’s their choice.

I spend a lot on clothes but it is my business. I don’t smoke or drink or gamble. Clothes give me pleasure.

MawtheMerrier

^What I have never understood is how people manage to afford to be constantly buying new clothes, making impulse purchases^

Other people’s purchases, impulse or otherwise, are none of our business!
I may choose to spend £80 on a ballet or theatre or opera ticket, someone else will spend as much in the pub or at a football match. Some people will spend thousands of £££ on a holiday and for the pleasure it gives them, that is a considered purchase.
Essentials or luxuries - I think it is simplistic to say ^I have never understood how people can afford to spend money on new clothes/cars/ meals out/second homes/plants for their garden/whatever^

DH and I both have a clothes allowance which comes out of our joint monthly income . We have " pots " online for everything . I never get near exhausting mine and have built up a good balance but I just love buying new clothes . I pity my family when they have to clear them all out when I am gone . Perhaps if I get some warning I could dispost of some before that happens .

I did have a "no buy" year in 2019 and was surprised how easy it was. I sent a lot of stuff to the British Heart foundation and they reported back 89 pound and 75 pound respectively. I did regret some stripey tops which are now fashionable again and a couple of large handbags. I could not believe I got rid of them.

I am trying to buy in a more considered way now and if I see something I like I wait a bit to see if I really want it. It's really hard though and we are bombarded on line with shopping websites.

I do a mix - occasionally buy something, have a review when the weather changes. Sometime I find a forgotten gem, sometimes a real 'why did I think that was a good idea?' Clean but not for me go to the Charity Shops.

I'm trying not to buy much. I'm getting through a pile of ironing = lots left for ages and found some nice T shirts and shirts to wear when the weather improved. Wish I could shift a few stubborn pounds to get into the white jeans I bought last year - they were fine before the lockdown pounds caught me out.

I have pretty much emptied my wardrobe (about 90% doesn't fit), and have had great fun replacing everything. I've really enjoyed my being a new woman, and wearing what I want regardless of colours, and styles.

This refit has included shoes, and they couldn't be louder if I tried. Great fun

I still have some items I was wearing 30 years ago!

If only I could get into things I wore that long ago!!!

Just spotted this thread, missed it yesterday! The reason? I was putting the finishing touches to a massive wardrobe clear out (over half my wearables!) and am now the proud possessor of TEN bags of clothes which are certainly good enough for the charity shop. I threw about ten articles into the recycling dumpster near me as they were tatty and gave a further bag to my daughter-items she has coveted for a while! All told it must be stuff going back sixteen or seventeen years! I’ve realised that my tastes have changed and also I’ve at last reached awareness of what is appropriate for me to wear now (unfortunately) and it’s taken a lot of heart searching! It would be so much easier if clothes no longer fitted me one way or another but as I’ve always been the size I am now I don’t even have that get out clause!

I buy black cotton jersey casual trousers from Lands End. I was shocked to see how many I've accumulated over the years. As they started to fade they were demoted to gardening and cleaning duties. Recently I thought I'd have a crack at dyeing the greying ones in the washing machine. It's been a great success and prolonged their usefulness... back to black!

Nipsmum. I have the same problem...5ft tall and have great difficulty in finding clothes that don't swamp me. It would be sheer bliss to just walk into a shop and be able to choose from umpteen outfits. Likewise with shoes, as I take a 3 1/2 extra wide fit, and nothing looks elegant on me.
I live in trousers (usually shortened) tee shirts and sweaters (hand knitted so the sleeves don't cover my hands. Any clothes that fit me well are cosseted and treasured.

Daftbag I was the same after I lost 2 stone and went down 2 sizes. My only regret was a really nice dark grey wool winter coat, which DDiL is still wearing, It took me several years to find its replacement.

I tend to buy on a whim and buy far too much, especially for the Summer. My aim for next Winter is to buy one or two complete outfits at a time, rather than buy a separate and bring it home, only to find I have nothing to wear with it. At the moment I have a double wardrobe crammed with Winter clothes and a walk in wardrobe crammed with Summer stuff. I also have 2 large boxes of handbags and 4 of shoes -as I said far too much. I'll be retiring at the end of the year, so things are about to change!

Message deleted by Gransnet. Here's a link to our Talk guidelines.