How much do you spend on new clothing each year? Buyers remorse after buying?

[VAN]

I spend as little as possible on new clothes. Basically it is when I "need" them, is when I buy them. It is extremely rare that I just go shopping and buy things that I "want" rather than "need."

So, if you didn't really need that new piece of clothing, then I can certainly understand buyer's remorse. The best way to manage that problem is to just stay out of the stores!!

 

[LovableGluttons]

OP, I am so glad you posted this!

I am a clearance shopper for clothing and shoes.

My kids are 15 and 12. Last summer for school clothes shopping, I would ask my kids if the item we were looking at was something they would wear a lot. If they said "no", I'd put it back and keep shopping.

Both of my kids had clothing they grew out of before they wore due to my clearance finds. If a shirt was on sale for $3, but they didn't wear it, I wasted $3. Multiple that by 10, and I wasted $30.

This year, each kid gets a certain amount of money for school clothes shopping, plus an additional fund set up to use throughout the year to purchase clothes and shoes. Once it is gone, they will need to use their own money to buy new things with.

I'm currently stuck at home awaiting shoulder surgery. Coldwater Creek had a sale last week of 50% off and free shipping on their entire site. I had about $80 worth of items in the shopping cart, then realized I didn't need any of it. I have plenty of clothes now, plus a closet full of business wear, barely worn, for when I return to work.

I'm in grad school, but doing it virtually, just need pajamas, shorts, and t shirts for that.

I am going to build an inground pool this winter. When I think of buying something I don't need, I think about my beautiful new pool.

$30 would buy a really nice beach towel for my new pool.

So, yes, I do the same thing!

 

[crisi]

Percentage wise its small. $$$ wise this year its pretty large. After years of skimping on my own clothes, I've decided my warddrobe is important. I have a professional job. Went to Nordstrom, hired a personal shopper, spent a lot of money - will do it again in the Fall and then two or three times a year afterwards - but I have a basic set now, so it will just be a peice or two here and there.

The kids are generally dressed from Target or Kohls or Pennys. They get a back to school budget of $200 - shoes are not included. From that, they have to pick clothes that will get them through MOST of the school year. They've been doing their own guided school shopping since mid-elementary school (I think my daughter was in third grade). My husband is something of a clothes horse though. My pickup peices tend to be from Nordstrom Rack.

No guilt. Saved for it. Had been putting it off and prioritizing other people's wants. And I LOVE everything I bought, it all works together, so I'm not saying "why did I buy this again, it doesn't even look good on me?"

 

[ldo]

we spend more on DD (14) than I would like--but most things are still on sale. But, I knew it would be coming. Up until 12 years old, she wore almost all hand-me-downs.

 

[Zhoen]

Two answers, I suppose... for "new-new" as in, came from a factory to a store and no one's ever worn it before... me and my girls, the answer is "very little." The only way I will buy that is if I am looking for something specific and I can't find it secondhand OR we're in a hurry to have it and I don't have time to hunt for it OR we're out in public and one of them vomits, spills, or has an accident... they are both old enough that I don't carry spares anymore, but things do still happen once in a while. In those cases, we're talking about Walmart, Target, or JCP.

We try to avoid malls and places where they will "fall in love" with overpriced junk.

So that leaves thrift shops and yard sales. My general rule at those places is, if they love it, and the price is reasonable, AND we don't already have something similar, they can have it.. As a result, we have plenty of everything, and they are able to express their own tiny "styles" with minimal pocket-pain for me. As for me... the only "new" clothes I've bought in the last few years fall into the categories above, except for jeans. I buy NWT jeans as needed, but they are the Walmart store brand, so less than $20 per pair... I occasionally splurge on a new funny t-shirt, but even then I shoot for "on sale" and never more than $20, usually less than $10. (I got a "Where's Perry?" shirt at Disney store the other day for $4.99 because it was a boys XL... so happy) And before than was a "Where's Waldo" shirt at Target that I love, and I think that was $14.99...

Most everything else comes from thrift stores...

Now, DH is another story. A whole other story. In another book, in another language, in another library.... wait, strike the library... in a book store, a pricey one!

DH doesn't do secondhand, when he's just dressing to have clothes on, he'll head straight to JCP... though I've slipped him plenty of "clearance at KMart" and he's worn it without knowing the difference. For work, he has to wear a suit, and gets a clothing allowance for that, so he heads to "Men's Wearhouse" and very sweetly buys anything the young ladies there tell him to. He can't tell the difference between the $50 shirts they sell him and the ones I give him at Christmas that were $20 boxed with a free tie included... (because they're the same brands, I just shop on Black Friday... duh!) We simply don't talk about his clothes shopping-- it's his money, he can spend it... but I AM confiscating the $150 in "rewards" they just sent him (yeah, think how much he'd need to spend before they kick back that much!) and I'm going to use it to buy gifts for male family members for christmas)

So to answer your question... very little, and the only remorse I get is how much he spends that I can't convince him otherwise... the suits are a necessity, the shirts could be gotten for less...

The only thing I've ever bought to wear that I had remorse over was when I bought a BEAUTIFUL set of champagne topaz for a christmas party from JCP... they were lovely, on sale, and I figured it was an acceptable purchase that would hold value in the long run. Imagine my chagrin when I got home and noticed the tags said "CZ" as in "cubic zirconia." I was SOOOOoo angry, at myself for not looking more closely, at the sales assistant for not knowing her product... at JCPfor selling cubic zirconia for that high a price!!! I took it back the same day, which was a big step for me, because I'd always been shy, hated to return things, hated to point out when something was wrong... I'd been raised to turn the other cheek... but this was a LOT of money... as much as I felt bad that the sales assistant would lose out on that commission, she was the one who had sold me CZ instead of topaz... If I'd kept them, I would have regretted it, but in returning them, I grew. It was one of those "defining" moments like in a movie. Funny, huh?

 

[dzorn]

We buy when we need something not just want. I would rather spend money doing things with the girls than spend it on clothes.

Denise in MI

 

[ilovejack02]

No clue what I spend on clothing. 95% of the time, I buy on sale or clearance.. the kiddo is almost always clearance, he has been a slow growing kiddo since birth so I can stock up for next season or I buy ebay I get quite a bit of his Ralph Lauren on ebay. I did pay full price for a purple r.l. polo with the yellow pony ... LSU colors for his 8 yr old bday pictures, you can NEVER find that color on sale and he is still wearing shirt a year later, I don't feel guilty. I try not to go over board, I keep only so many pairs of shorts , pants , tees , dress clothes etc and don't go nuts just because it is on sale. I also will buy him things at garage sales or thrift stores , but I don't shop those places as much anymore.

I never feel guilty about spending money on my clothing, though as I said , usually on deep discount. I want to look nice, I feel better when I look put together and heck my hubby likes it too. I wore the same 5 hoodie sets one winter, good sale and next winter rolled around I pulled them back out and hubby told me he NEVER wanted to see me in a hoodie set again and to go buy new clothes LOL. SOOO it seems hubby wants me to look nice too and not wear old ragged out stuff just to save a buck. Every couple of years I splurge, hubby and I had a nice date night planned about 8 months ago. I ran out spent about 150.00 on new outfit as I had no notice to shop earlier. He LOVED it and I have worn both pieces together and separate at least a dozen times each and always get compliments .

SHoes are a different story, DH doesn't buy new shoes so when I can convince him it is time, we buy what he likes .
DS8 I can always buy on clearance , grabbed a brand new pair of Nikes for school this am on 6pm.com for 20.00 .. they have discounted shipping today 2.95 which a deal for them.
I buy on clearance and full price for myself .. or heck even thrift or garage if new . I wear my shoes for years , so full price isn't a biggie as I get the use out of them.

 

[ilovejack02]

percentage wise its small. $$$ wise this year its pretty large. After years of skimping on my own clothes, i've decided my warddrobe is important. I have a professional job. Went to nordstrom, hired a personal shopper, spent a lot of money - will do it again in the fall and then two or three times a year afterwards - but i have a basic set now, so it will just be a peice or two here and there.

The kids are generally dressed from target or kohls or pennys. They get a back to school budget of $200 - shoes are not included. From that, they have to pick clothes that will get them through most of the school year. They've been doing their own guided school shopping since mid-elementary school (i think my daughter was in third grade). My husband is something of a clothes horse though. My pickup peices tend to be from nordstrom rack.

No guilt. Saved for it. Had been putting it off and prioritizing other people's wants. And i love everything i bought, it all works together, so i'm not saying "why did i buy this again, it doesn't even look good on me?"

good for you !!

 

[eliza61]

I know what you mean. I bought a shirt at Eddie Bauer and plan on returning it. It was $27 and I can get two at Penney's for that.

but don't get fooled by the dollar amount. I did the same thing. I went to kohls and brought 3 polo's shirts for my dh and they were crap. they shrunk and faded after 1 wash and the 2nd batch I brought after returning the first was just as horrible. I returned them and went right back to Lands end. Yeah the shirts cost me 20 bucks but they will last and look good. That's the better value.

Op, I'm not sure what % I spend on clothes. basically I focus more on getting quality items for the lowest price. I'd rather spend 100 bucks on a pair of black pants at nordstroms, have them look great for a couple of years than buy a cheap pair at kohls (I don't like kohls every thing I buy from them has been junk.) and have them look nasty after 3 wears.

I also try to purchase only when I need some thing, as opposed to simply because there is a sale. I'm trying to be a more thoughtful shopper.

We don't really do "back to school" shopping. Here in NJ it's still hot when the kids go back to school so they wear their summer clothes. Luckily I have boys which usually means lots of jeans and kahakis.

 

[furb & dez]

We buy when we need something not just want. I would rather spend money doing things with the girls than spend it on clothes.

I'm with you. I'd rather spend my money on memories and experiences than "things".

We're now at the point where the only time we buy clothing is when something begins to be unwearable, and even then, we just replace that one item.

but don't get fooled by the dollar amount. I did the same thing. I went to kohls and brought 3 polo's shirts for my dh and they were crap. they shrunk and faded after 1 wash and the 2nd batch I brought after returning the first was just as horrible. I returned them and went right back to Lands end. Yeah the shirts cost me 20 bucks but they will last and look good. That's the better value.

If you buy good quality merchandise, it lasts longer. I just realized that on the photo on my work badge, I'm wearing a shirt that I still own and regularly wear to work (6 years later...). Also, if you rotate clothes in and out, that also extends their life (example: I have about 6 pairs of khaki pants I wear to work, and since they only individually get worn once every two weeks or so, they are in great shape).

 

[crisi]

good for you !!

(it was really a lot of fun, too. I'd been saying for years "someday, I'll just start over with my work wardrobe")

 

[deedeecee]

I think I probably spend 1-2% of our income on clothes.
In the past, it was much more. I spent so much on clothes for my daughter when she was younger. Even though I always bought when they were discounted, it still was a lot of money. She had a lot of clothes, most of which got worn very little.
Now, I am a fan of thrift stores. There's some really great, new or next-to-new stuff at the thrift stores, and the prices can be fantastic but I am definitely paying with my time. I don't mind; thrifting is sort of a hobby for me and I look forward to my weekly trips.

 

[momto2girls]

Percentage wise its small. $$$ wise this year its pretty large. After years of skimping on my own clothes, I've decided my wardrobe is important. I

This is our family too. However, I don't work. I've finally decided that I feel a lot better when I'm happy with what I'm wearing (losing 20 lbs. helped too ). So, now I update my wardrobe every season without *too* much concern for the cost. I spend a good bit on my daughters' wardrobes too, but I try not to go overboard like I did when they were younger. I buy them cute things, but try not to have more than is necessary.

The amount I spend probably would sound high to many, but it is a tiny percent of our income.

 

[sparkyboy]

I spend very little of our budget for clothes as I mainly shop at the thrift stores and score big when they have 50% off. Bought Ann Taylor and Talbots suits this week end for me and spent $15.00 total for the two suits. DH needs ties and slacks for work (grocery store mgr) and I generally find these at garage sales as he is extremely hard on his clothes. I shop for shoes for me at consignment stores too but he buys his at full price. I also shop for kids at garage sales and tag sales.

 

[ilovejack02]

Op, I'm not sure what % I spend on clothes. basically I focus more on getting quality items for the lowest price. I'd rather spend 100 bucks on a pair of black pants at nordstroms, have them look great for a couple of years than buy a cheap pair at kohls (I don't like kohls every thing I buy from them has been junk.) and have them look nasty after 3 wears.

AMEN to that ! I finally replaced all my Jcrew shorts this year, hitting 38 this year and finally decided maybe its time for a little longer shorts ( much to DH's dismay) haha! The shorts I have look great, going on 4 years with them . I bought 5 pairs of Jcrew bermudas , black, navy, kakhi, pink, gray . Should last me at least 3 summers , if not longer. I wash cold and hang to dry. I try to shop quality and on sale, sometimes it does not always play out lol.

 

[disneyofcourse]

(it was really a lot of fun, too. I'd been saying for years "someday, I'll just start over with my work wardrobe")

That's just so awesome. It's what I always tell myself I need to do and I will eventually.

 

[disneyofcourse]

I think what bothers me is that I get buyers remorse for clothing. But for things like weekend trips or mini vacations I'll just book the package and not think twice about it. I could be at Target and decide I need a new bedspread with zero remorse or a new bath towel set. I think its from family who used to comment on my money habits and so I feel bad about purchases but not experiences(such as travel). All the comments are from people who themselves buy, buy and buy. Yet, I shouldn't waste my money is what I constantly hear. Of course, I have no issue buying to donate or as gifts. hmmmmm

 

[MrsPete]

I don't know what percentage of income I tend to spend on clothes, but it isn't large.

For the kids, I buy heavily around back-to-school time and the beginning of summer. First I survey what they have left from last year, and I make sure they have at least 5 pairs of GOOD/can be worn out of the house jeans (or shorts for summer) and 3 nice skirts /dresses. Shirts and sweatshirts never seem to be a problem -- they just seem to accumulate.

For myself, my goal is to buy two outfits every fall and two outfits every spring (and to discard two outifts every fall/every spring). This way I never get to the point that EVERYTHING is worn out at once. For myself, I know I'm going to keep it a while, so I won't buy anything that isn't good quality and isn't going to last. I never buy at Target because it never seems to look good after a couple washings. I'd much rather buy a single quality used item than a couple cheap items. And because I stand up ALL DAY LONG for my job, I always buy good quality shoes. Also, I think I wear the world's most common shoe size (6.5 - 7) because it's never, ever available on clearance.

As for buyer's remorse, I have that pretty often . . . so I've developed a system: I go ahead and buy what I think I want, but I leave it in the bag (with the tags and receipt) for at least two weeks. If, after that "cooling-off period", I try it on and still like it, I keep it. But I've returned more than one item because it just didn't look as good on me as I thought it did at first glance. And other times I come home and realize that I really didn't need that item; for example, recently I bought a cute little coral-colored dress that I really liked . . . and I totally forgot that I already had a very similar coral-colored dress already (you'd think I'd have remembered that in the store). One was slightly longer than the other, and the necklines were different, but -- really -- I didn't need a second solid-colored casual summer dress in coral. So the new one went back. I used to do the opposite: Go home and think about it, then come back if I still wanted it . . . but too many times my size was gone when I went back. This works for me. I never have "keeper's remorse".

 

[Taja]

I'm solo, so I only have to worry about myself. That said, I tend to be rather frugal.

I have difficulty buying RTW, as my body does not meet manufacturers' standards--regardless of size. It doesn't matter if I'm thin, average or Pooh-sized, RTW just does not fit me! When I consider buying something, I have to look at whether or not it can be altered.

Most years I purchase 7 days of lingerie, three pairs of shoes (two comfortable dress style, one casual--Birks or sneakers). The dress shoes usually last quite a few years, so I have different height heels (flat to about 2"). Occasionally, I'll find a pair of dress shoes that I love and I'll pick up two or three more pairs of the exact same shoes (same colour, even!) on clearance at the end of the season. In that case, it's doubtful I'll purchase dress shoes for the next two or three years.

Since I rarely dress seaonsally (my idea of a winter wardrobe is to add a coat and have a pair of ratty sneakers to wade through puddles!), I may purchase either RTW or fabric to make the following: 1 or 2 jackets, 4 pairs of slacks, 1 or 2 skirts, 5 or 6 tops, something to dress up existing outfits for the holidays and a swimsuit (live in the low desert).

My wardrobe has to look professional, but I try to avoid clothing that has to be dry cleaned--it's horrendously expensive here. It also has to handle temperatures ranging from 40 degrees to 110+ degrees. Clothing that can't be worn to the office (starting to look a bit sad around the edges, but still has plenty of wear in it) is recycled to wearing for non-professional times, then the tops and pants--and an occasional jacket--goes on to become part of the "grubbies" category. Worn only for cleaning and gardening! *LOL*

I don't really have separate wardrobes for work and casual. Almost everything I do preceeds or follows work. *rolleyes* That's why I like to have a few accessories to dress up an office outfit for the evening. I do have a couple of sets of exercise clothing and sweats, but that's about it for casual clothing.

Percent of income? Probably less than .5% most years--may be as much as 1% if I have to buy a coat (every 5 or 6 years), or just neglected to update things for a year or two.

Buyer's remorse? Rarelly. But occasionally I purchase RTW with the intent to alter it and find it doesn't work quite as well as I had expected! *LOL*

 

[charming23]

It is just me in my clothing budget and I end to be very furgal. I always shop the clearance racks first, love Target for this. I also have come to love thrift stores. A friend recently took me to one in our area that specializes in bigger sizes and since i am losing weight I hate to spend $30 on a pair of capris that will not fit next summer. I was able to get 2 pairs for $7that were in great shape and will get me through the summer.