How much do you spend on clothes in a year?

Yes Mary but the year isn't over yet so you could outdo me. I shall be counting up any mention of new clothes Mary. You have a full 3 months to go !

I agree with MOnica. It's not how much you spend but how much value to get out of the item that counts.

I seem to spend more than most of you but I work full time. I think the £1042 quoted as the average spend is actually quite conservative. As a percentage of an average wage, it's hardly anything.

I find it's hard to buy decent quality these days. I bought a long cardi from Hush a couple years back; great styling by it literally fell apart after a few wears. I had to send it back. It was £100.

Similarly, some of the Zara stuff is pretty awful quality. I've had to take many a shrunken top back! I love their styling but....

I budget around £50 for a decent top. Jeans, t-shirts etc I don't mind so much about.

Rags! I'd forgotten about them there rags. I know I've got some rug canvas in the loft and I've definitely got a rug hook.....
Thanks CanadianGran for the inspiration.

I haven't attempted to add it up, but know I spend more than that. If I had to guess, it would be approximately 3 or 4 times that. Some years more, some less. I also just realized I don't have a 'pounds' figure on my keyboard.

I do still work full time, so spend a bit more on office casual. My wardrobe could use a good clearing out though. Now that kids are grown I have a bit more money to spend on myself, and I admit I enjoy fashion and try to stay up to date with styles.

Anything older but still in good shape will go to donation shops, and some things made into rags.

I think how much people spend is irrelevant. The only question is do you buy clothes in a sustainable way. That means only buying clohes when you need them, wearing them until they show signs of wear and then give them to a charity shop or putting them in textile recycling bins.

Kate, how very dare you! I have only spent £349.99! .
I buy lots on Ebay, but only new items and rarely buy anything at full price. I'm known as the Voucher queen by my friends. I recently bought a brand new Phase Eight dress on Ebay for £2.20, complete with labels.
Much of my stuff is bought at markets abroad for a fraction of the price here, e.g my famous 100% cashmere poncho for 23 Euros.

I think my desire for nice things comes from having to wear casts off and second hand clothes as a child, not even having a winter coat. We were very poor, due to my father's chronic ill health.

I was reading an article today about Döstädning, death cleaning, perhaps I should try it.
I'm trying to be good, but I think I'm a loss cause. Tonight, I have just bought a coatigan in the preview of M&S sale. .

MOnica, you are right. I was only speculating about working women. I don't actually know who they surveyed and the article isn't specific.
I was surprised at what I read so I just thought I'd post it to add to the discussion.

What a shock when I think I must have spent about £350 so far this year. I bet Marydoll can outdo me ?

grannycool. I would like to see the sample parameters. If it is only working women then, it should say so.

If they say it is the average woman in the UK then it should include a representative sample of all women over 18

Sadly, I seem to be spending more and more on clothes to try and accommodate my ever growing menopausal belly! I tend to shop on eBay or charity shops with a very occasional visit to Matalan, New Look , Primark etc. Most of the stuff I buy on eBay is pretty awful and usually consigned to the charity shop. If you want to return it, you usually have to pay postage to China! It always looks so lovely on the model but it always seems to be tent and I look like a sack of spuds!

For those of you, who like White Stuff, I've just received this 20% off code for full price items.
Enter WSP20 at checkout.

MOnica, I questioned it too, but then I thought that most of those would probably have been working & not retired like many of us. Read it in the Daily Telegraph. It was the Great British Wardrobe Report, commissioned for Ariel, & 2,500 women were surveyed.

Grannycool, I do not believe that figure. I would like to see the questionnaire and know who drew it up for what purpose and what the sample was - and why it was done.

Auntieflo, Thankfully I didn't bruise, I went full length onto flat tarmac and my nose touched the ground but no other part of my head or face, nothing grazed and my clothes survived undamaged or dirtied, so I jumped up and got on with my day.

I got to my meetig and another attendee had the remains of a beautiful black eye, she had tripped in her garden and her face had hit a garden pot. She couldn't go out for a week in case anyone thought she was a victim of domestic violence.

I used to be a bit of an impulsive clothes shopper, and if I liked it, I'd buy it. Even in Sainsburys there'd be a skirt or pair of jeans in the trolley going through the checkout.

Now, after a house move and retirement I have all my clothes together, not enough storage space and enough to see me out if I lived to be 150! Not only that, I don't have much disposable income. I could use what little I have for days out, meals out, holidays. The cost of all the T shirts, tops, trousers bought here and there for no good reason adds up.

I have no idea what I'd spend on clothes, but I'd think nothing of frittering away (maybe) £50 a month on oddments that caught my eye, that I didn't really need. Big things, like winter coats and nice jackets/suits I don't really need now I'm not working, so no more expense there.

I have made a conscious decision (after a thread on GN) to wear all my good clothes weekly, rather than have lots of things hanging up which only see the light of day on special occasions. I am dressing nicely every single day, (unless a day of gardening, floor-washing, etc, is planned!) and using items I felt too nice for daily wear. My plan is not to buy another piece of clothing until I have worn out what I have.

I am saving quite a lot of money.

I have bought various things in charity shops, from furniture to jigsaw puzzles, but I have never yet managed to find any clothes. I’m quite envious of all those who do, particularly for things like a smart coat which I only need about once a year!

Over a grand a year?
...and there was me feeling wildly extravagant after reading ecci58's opening post!

This year, quite surprised, less than I thought: pair of jeans, two short sleeved dresses, thin knitted top, stripey T-shirt and a black jumper, all 20% or more off, and one pair of sandals.
Less than £200.
Oh, and five pairs of navy socks.
Of course, winter is coming, and I am looking longingly at boots and a coatigan, but I do have a White Company voucher to spend.

I've just read that the average UK woman spends 1042 pounds per annum on clothes.

I tend to buy a few things each Spring and Autumn but it does add up to more than £150. Just bought a wool 3/4 coat around £200 which I thought was a bit extravagant but OH said it looks good and thinks I should keep it. I suspect that the cost of clothing is on a rapid upward spiral and have seen similar coats for £400 + so if I keep it may soon view it as an investment!

What I spend varies from year to year, depending what I need/want. I must say my average spend has gone up considerably since I discovered the wonderful Bombshell range of gorgeous dresses, and I did buy a beautiful coat from Guinea. I do also buy from the usual chain stores and charity shops as well, it's amazing what bargains you can find.

Gonegirl
That's never something I've experienced, to be honest. The reason I like wool is that it's the one fabric that is warm even if it gets wet. I do have a good raincoat too but weather can change suddenly. I don't much use an umbrella as on crowded London streets they're a liability.

Can't understand why anyone would wear a wool coat in this day and age. The wind goes straight through them.

You are tall with long slim legs and paint your toenails

Unless I am mistaken, it is GabriellaG’s postman who paints her toenails.
Now what would Dorien have made of that? .

The 'new' coat was £15. A really nice Aquascutum one. My previous winter coat had worn through on the shoulder from my shoulder bag strap and my attempt at epaulettes to cover it didn't work very well (for not very well I mean looked totally ridiculous).