How much do you spend on clothes in a year?

Cannot believe that so many of you seem to ‘smuggle clothes in’ or pay on a separate credit card or whatever, so husbands don’t know what you’ve bought or how much has been spent.

Pathetic.

I thi k I would find it difficult to work out what j actually spend after I've ordered on the internet and then sent stuff back. For instance, yesterday a blouse and a cardigan together £120) I had ordered arrived but the cardigan was very short and the blouse was an awful colour so that's £120 I might have spent but didn't.

It's only fairly recently that I have felt happy spending money on myself gilly - now I love it! Not just clothes but flowers for arranging, flower arranging courses, plants. But i dont take it for granted.

More than £150. I used to spend hundreds, probably thousands. For years. I'd think nothing of spending £300 on a pair of 'reasonably priced' boots!

I spend a lot less now due to the fact I'm not in the best of health so I don't get out as much as I used to.

I am not sure it matters how much we spend on clothes, unless it is causing us to run into debt or cut back on food or heating. We all make our own choices about how we spend our money, there is no inherent virtue in spending very little.

The concern nowadays is the quantity of clothes people are buying and its environmental impact. Better one garment for £50, that is good quality and long lasting than 5 garments for £10 each that get worn a couple of times, then thrown away.

I think spending over £150 on clothes for a new baby grandson is excessive, wasteful and out of step with the spirit of our times. I'm sure he already has plenty to wear from other grandparents and family friends, so why not save the money for him to enjoy when he's older?

I would never have to smuggle things in. If I'm out with DH and see something I like, he says 'buy it'. I usually don't.

On the radio it stated an average woman wears a new clothes item 5 times before discarding it!! I found that very hard to believe

Yes, I heard that and quite frankly I did not believe it. The questionnaire it was based on was probably written by the people who write most of the questionnaires on GN - and they are slanted and written to get the answers that are wanted.

It was probably carried out by the PR department at Primark and all those interviewed were under 25.

Just found this absorbing thread. Thanks Baggs

I don't have time in my life to either buy or wear many new clothes.
This year I bought a pretty dress to wear to a Summer wedding which I have worn on every semi-posh occasion since.

I have been looking at winter coats because my ancient, 30yr old, duffle coat is really too bad much as I love it. Has anyone else seen the price of woollen coats?

I used to make my own clothes, but the price of nice fabric shot up and it's not easy to get hold of. Now, after reading this thread, perhaps I should indulge,.

I have a few items of clothing that I know I will never wear again although I still love them and they are in excellent condition . It would be brilliant to have a kind if swap shop where you could take good quality items to swap for something else . Or somewhere where you could take clothes and they would sell them cheaply on your behalf.

I can't believe how much some on here say they spend on clothes!

I probably COULD afford it (I'm still working) but I just can't see the point. I have enough. If I DID need something for a particular occasion, I'd buy it but... I have things already so...

Like Kitty and Maw I spend far more on clothes than I could when bringing up children. I try to make sure I wear most of them. It’s a temptation to wear old stuff in the house but as we are here most of the time we may as well wear the recent purchases.

I'm a bloke with no interest in clothes, unlike most of my family. So including shoes I must spend well under £100 much to my wife's disgust

I can't believe this is turning into an "I can't believe" thread.

Actually, cancel that. I can.

My bloke spends MUCH more than me absthame. Problem is he keeps both the new and the old stuff. He has over 50 shirts and god knows how many pairs of jeans/trousers.

AND I have to help him choose when we're going out. I try to ignore his, 'what shall I wear?', but if I don't respond, he starts dragging them out of the wardrobe and bringing them to me, two at a time.

GET A GRIP!

I have spent no more than £150 so far this year., probably less. Bought some bras and packs of pants (M&S) a dress, a pair of cotton trousers, a couple of T shirts, a cotton jumper , and a summer skirt in the sale ( only cost £9) I wore it loads . The rest gets re- worn until it’s too shabby then will buy a few items again. Sometimes have clothes bought for Christmas presents. Haven’t got much money so very careful with clothes buying.

Maybe we could set up a swap.

Very rarely buy full price items. Brand Alley is great for bargains with good quality smart or casual clothes from brands such as Pure, Crew, Joules, Boden etc. M&S is off my list now due to the drop in quality. Just won a £100 voucher from Boden so that should buy 3 items at sale prices.

Not enough ... looking at my (lack of) style!

I can’t believe I’ve got to the age of 65y without (a) a capsule wardrobe or (b) any sense of ‘what goes with what’.

I buy (infrequently, I hate shopping for clothes - probably because I’m overweight and get little pleasure from it lately) on impulse. If I walk past an item and the colour/style shouts ‘buy me!’ I’m in there. Then I get home and think ... oh dear, what do I wear with it?

My wardrobe is full of impulsive kindnesses to myself.

On the one hand I then think - look, there’s far too much consumerism. What would Greta say about it all?

But on the other hand I think - it’s no good not supporting our retail industry - what if the sector tanks and I’m partly responsible for its demise?

Oh god, it’s not easy being woke.

However, when it comes to lipsticks, handbags, shoes, salon appointments - I’m your woman! Note that none of these purchases have anything to do with weight or figure shape!!

As Liaise says we really need to wear all our clothes and not keep things for “best”
Being retired may mean fewer occasions to wear our smarter things or to work at a total look but sometimes I see a woman in a supermarket or coffee shop who looks stunning and I think “I could easily have made that little extra effort” so as there is no point in saving things for the future I hereby resolve not to wear my scruffs except for actual gardening!

Well said Maw!! I'm off to dress for dinner.

£150 a year to me is frugal, however everyone’s circumstances are different, we all choose to spend money on what we want!

I spent more than £150 in the last year because (a) I finally got my long-awaited pension so I could afford to, and (b) my 8year old duffel coat got too scruffy to wear to church. I bought a lovely warm, red knee length coat for £30. The rest of my clothes shopping came to around £150, including shoes (4 pairs for £26 in a sale) and underwear. I asked for new pyjamas for Christmas and my husband bought me a tunic top for my birthday.

Cannot believe that so many of you seem to ‘smuggle clothes in’ or pay on a separate credit card or whatever, so husbands don’t know what you’ve bought or how much has been spent. Pathetic

I operate on a ‘need to know’ basis.
No-one needs to know what I choose to spend my own money on.
Not pathetic at all.

Inspiring thread, inspired me to get rid of some stuff tomorrow, the scruff that I no monger need for the allotment that I no longer have, the house maintenance that I no longer need to do. Will do for the rag bin and perhaps I will unearth a few items for the charity shop. Anyway it is almost summer to autumn changeover time and that will allow me a good sort

Starting with tights that end up with the crutch too far down and wrinkled ankles. Going upstairs in a mo to start

I've just done a quick, rough calculation of what I've spent so far on clothes (including shoes) so far this year, and it's under £100.
I actually feel guilty about one of those purchases because on impulse I spent £15 on a jumper on sale that I didn't need. Yes, I have worn it and will no doubt continue to use it for many years, but I already had enough jumpers and I actually like most of them more than that one. I could have put that money to better use!
That expenditure includes knickers too - from Primark, very cheap but just as good (once I got the right size) as any i had bought from BHS in recent years.