What is your target CPW? - YouLookFab Forum

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What is your target CPW?

Gigi

Veteran

I am starting to input my paper log of outfits into Excel this week, which has me thinking about CPW (I will eventually calculate it from my spreadsheet). Specifically:

. What do you look for as a target CPW?
. Do you have different CPWs for, say, clothing as opposed to shoes?
. If you have a four-season climate, do you allow yourself a higher target CPW because you have less time to wear things but need a lot of clothes to cover the changing temps?

General

36 replies

Latest reply was from Laura (rhubarbgirl)

deb

Veteran

I do not track CPW. It takes the fun out of clothing for me.

Anonymous

I usually just consider potential CPW when I'm buying something. If it's an "investment piece" that I'll likely have for several years, I don't worry about it. But this summer I bought a handful of $20 dresses that might not see next season. As long as I wear them each at least 20 times, I'll be happy and consider them worth their expense.

Anonymous

I'm with deb on this one. I get what I can afford and what is reasonable quality and just wear it. If I do too much calculating it saps my joy.

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I only roughly use CPW as a way to allow myself to buy more $$$ items. As a reforming bargain hunter, thinking long term of CPW helps me to get that $100 item I might have shied away from in the past.
Ballpark, I look to get my items below $20 as a 'ceiling'. Beyond that, it's all fine by me. Above that amount, and I feel I either a) overspent or b) under wore whatever item is in question.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I don't calculate it. I estimate the probable CPW at time of purchase as part of my decision making, but don't actually track it.

The way I see it, I have some items that end up with a negative CPW. (Stuff donated from a friend, for example -- or stuff I have worn so much that it's at a negative balance -- this happens! -- even with a moderate sized closet! )

Meanwhile, my Nicole Miller dress is sitting now at a $55 CPW and I bought that on sale. It's just that I don't have many occasions to wear a dressy sheath. Doesn't mean I don't NEED a dressy sheath. I did need it, or I would not have bought it.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

No target. It's all about the emotion.

And I'm the only person I know who has to STOP myself from wearing items too frequently because I want to keep them as pristine as possible. Man-coat, Rosie bag, white leather moto, cream go go boots.....and the list goes on.

rachylou

Veteran

I don't track CPW because 1) I'm lazy and 2) I don't know how to factor in wear and replacement. That is, the more you wear something, the faster it wears out, the sooner and more often you need to spend to replace. I suspect there's a tipping point where cost of replacement outstrips low CPW.

I'm more clear about this with suitcases than clothes.

rabbit

Veteran

As a target, I'm shooting for under 2$ within a year of purchasing new clothes as a baseline, under 1$ as a goal.

Part of why I'm placing more of an emphasis on it is because, gulp, I bought around 100 items of clothing this year (this includes shoes, belts, tights, coats, scarves and bags) and I really want to get a sense of how unmanageable or manageable wearing that is.

Halfway through the year, I'm doing well in terms of my CPW goals, but I've discovered that older clothes (about 70 including accessories) are much harder to incorporate and wear because of the sheer amount of new clothes, and so my overall closet needs to shrink a bit more if I want it all to be used. I'm culling older clothes that have done their duty and aren't 10s pretty regularly though.

My takeaway so far is that with a small closet, CPW for some items could be a lot higher initially, because it balances out given time, but with a large closet it's tricker to get even 10 wears in of a 10$ top for instance within a few months just because I have so many. I need to break down items by category more I think and set one in one out limits, that's how I ended up with too many tops, but still having room for growth in the shoe and bag department.

The other thing about tracking wear and cost per wear is it forces me to actually rotate outfits and come up with new ones constantly to increase wears for new items, and to experiment and get creative about how to bring an item into play in another setting or season. In some ways this is artificial, and leads to occasionally wearing okay combos instead of repeating a great one, but I really like it as a discovery and experimentation process.

shedev

Veteran

I'm still working on this. I'm tracking CPW this year to determine how many items I need and what is a good range to spend on them. I don't want to spend $$$ on designer stuff only to wear a couple times, but I also don't want to buy only bargain basement stuff just to up CPW.

Using Mo's 50 wear lifespan, I've chosen $3 as my tentative CPW. Based on this, I think of $150 as my base price for purchases. Above this, I think of the item as a splurge.

Some things I like are unlikely to see 50 wears. Net sweaters come to mind. Other things like coats or shoes will far exceed 50 wears. I think these two sort of balance each other out.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I'm with deb. I have an idea of where the items in my closet stand, and there are many things that are down to pennies per wear, and some that will never get under $50 a wear, maybe even $100 depending on how unusual the item is, and that's OK. It's about the enjoyment and value in more than just dollars.

Caro in Oz

Veteran

I track CPW & have found it very helpful in deciding where to put my money, but I don't have a specific number in mind. It's interesting though I do have a gut reaction to the numbers when I look at them & that tells me what I want to know. Since tracking I find I'm more likely to spend more on items that get used every day than buy something that gets used infrequently.

lyn*

(website)

Veteran

I do fun factor usually ... some items my CPW is less than $1. Some less than 10 cents.... but I'll still keep them because they're awesome!

Gigi

Veteran

Thanks for this, everyone! I am surprised that so few of you track CPW...YLFers seem like a very analytical crowd!

It's good advice not to get too caught up in the numbers...I have a tendency to do that. So when that starts happening, I will remember this thread. But more than that, I want to do what Caro and Rabbit and shedev have hit upon: find out where I'm spending my money, and find out if I have too many items in a particular category such that I can't possibly wear them as frequently as I'd like. Or like Caro says, maybe I will find that I need to spend more money on items that get worn more frequently, if I've got a lot of money wrapped up in seldom-used items.

Like Rabbit, I've added a LOT of items to my wardrobe this past year, probably 100 or more. So I want to see where the money is going and what is being worn. It is a bit of an experiment.

I will admit that it's still kind of hard for me to see the amount of money I spend on clothes. Before YLF, I ran *everything* I owned into the ground. I bought somewhat expensive clothing (J. Jill) that would last and last, and by the time it wore out, I'm sure it was less than a dollar a wear. My wardrobe was extremely small, probably about thirty pieces, if that. Now I am at about 130. So for me to have items that don't get worn a lot seems wasteful to me. I know that that is just a product of my background and needs to be tempered with the emotional outlook that so many of you have mentioned. But it does make me prone to always wondering how my purchases break down financially vis-a-vis everyday wear.

Caro in Oz

Veteran

Sounds like you know what will work for you, Gigi I forgot to add I also track JPW - which is joy per wear, it trumps a monetary figure imo

Lyn D.

Veteran

Love this question!
Mine is $10 or below, based on an average spend of $100 per item, spread over 3 seasons of 3 or more wears.
This may sound on the high side, but for a reformed wear it once or maybe twice then purge person, YLF is saving me big Bucks in the long run!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Caro, you are brilliant. Can we clone you??? In soft autumn, of course.

I LOVE the idea of tracking JPW. That is sort of what Angie is talking about. It's an instinctive thing. Even if I only wore my Reiss jacket 10 times, I would still probably consider it worth its very high (for me) price tag. As it happens, I've already worn it probably 20 times in just a few months.

Still...I know what you mean! Like yours, my wardrobe used to be really, really small. CRAZY small, when I think of it -- no WONDER I had nothing to wear. And now I have what seems an abundance of riches....and I want to make sure I am using them or I feel guilty. Fortunately, I DO use them all. But I have to admit there are items in both my summer and winter closet that make me feel uncomfortable. I wear them only once or twice a season.

Even my "ballpark" consideration of CPW has helped me buy for the life I live -- one of Angie's mantras, actually. In other words, I now put my money where I wear it. $150 jeans make much more sense in my life than a $150 summer sundress. Or even a $150 pair of wide leg trousers.

shedev

Veteran

Ideally, CPW and JPW should co-exist. We should wear the things that bring us joy often.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Gigi, I am a very analytical person, but suppose it manifests itself in a very different way. I have no interest in getting down and dirty with the dollar amounts of items in my closet. I don't feel like numbers tell the whole picture. But I adore Caro's JPW standard!

Gigi

Veteran

Yes, Janet, numbers certainly don't tell the whole picture! One of the things I want to see with my spreadsheet is if I am spending too much money on so-so items. I agree with others that if I have an item that I absolutely love, the CPW is interesting but not really something I would take seriously into account.

And Suz, your example of buying jeans instead of a sundress is what I am looking to accomplish also: to make sure I am putting my money toward items that will match my life. If I find that I am investing a lot of money in pencil skirts but can't wear them often enough (I work at home and rarely go out, except to church), then I should consider funneling money for future purchases to a category of items that is getting a lot of wear.

I'm also curious to see if I have an imbalance of bottoms to tops. It's funny...I bought pants and jeans with a vengeance this past year, after not having worn pants for a long time, but I also know after a year of YLF that the only time I wear pants is the spring and fall, and cooler summer days. This isn't much of the year! In winter, I need long, heavy skirts that I can layer under. So I keep reminding myself: No more pants!

The other thing this thread has taught me is the possibility of an estimation of CPW on the front end. Many of you have mentioned taking an item's cost pre-purchase and asking, "How many times can I realistically expect to wear this?" and deciding if it's worth the money. I hadn't thought of that.

Great advice, everyone!

Marley

Veteran

I periodically track CPW because I find it to be kind of fun! I will do it for a few months and then stop for several months. If/When I start in again, its usually because it is the start of a new season - and/or I've bought a bunch of new things and I'm just curious as to how CPW figures with those new items. I don't have a CPW goal. When I track my CPW I also track the Happiness Factor - and then when I go back and look at what I've worn, I focus on the Happiness Factor, rather than the CPW. I'd much rather wear something that scores a 10 on the Happiness Scale, than something that gets CPW down to pennies!

Gracie

Veteran

I don't track CPW either. I keep track of the wears per item (but only for bottoms as I haven't cataloged my tops) and note which ones have fewer check marks and then bring them out to play. Some naturally fall back to fewer wears than others, but there's no guilt or regret about having purchased those items. Few of my clothes ever wear out, I just get tired of them and take them to consignment when the love diminishes.

carter

Veteran

I don't track CPW either, but at the time of purchase I do think about how long an item will remain in my closet to find the "what feels right" price that I'm willing to pay. For instance, summer work tops last 1, or maybe 2, seasons, so I'm not willing to pay more than $30-$40 or so. Summer work bottoms last 3-4 years in my closet, so $60-$80 feels right. Dresses spend an average of 8(!) years in my closet. Sweaters average about 8 years as well. Winter work pants stay around about 4 years. Attaching numbers to those is a "feels right" number, not a target $/year number though. I must say that the vast majority of my wardrobe is "classic", not what I call trendy. Straight leg and bootcut jeans may hang around 6 or 8 years, but I only expect boyfriend jeans to be in my closet for a couple years, so I'll spend much less on those. All a little wishy washy, I suppose, but I don't find myself regretting either pricey or inexpensive purchases because I feel like they served their time by the time I'm done with them.

rachylou

Veteran

One thing I did, which was not CPW but which I think gets at some of things CPW does, was to assess how I really spent my time, and I've worked to get my wardrobe divvied up along the same lines. That might top my list of brilliant Angie wisdom. So I don't have $$ numbers per item, but I have a sense of what I do wear or need to wear. The result has been skyrocketing wardrobe satisfaction - and a smaller one to boot.

Adelfa

Veteran

I don't track CPW but I notice if an expensive item isn't getting worn. Or if a tee that cost $7.50 has been worn once or twice a week since I bought it.

One thing I wonder about is Cost Per Wear Per Outfit. So to give a simple example, if I wear a $50 dress 10 times then obviously that's $5 per wear. But what if over the same 10 days I wore instead a pair of $50 jeans, a $50 top, a $50 belt, and a $50 topper. All of those things now have a $5 cost per wear, but the outfit each day cost $20 ($200 total expenditure) as opposed to $5 for the dress.

That's why CPW on its own seems very incomplete to me. I wear separates a lot, as do a lot of fabbers, and I think it gives a better picture to think in terms of everything I'm wearing at one time.

Lyn D.

Veteran

Good point, I hadn't thought of it that way Adelfa!

Anonymous

I started tracking cost per wear only recently. It is interesting to see the types of clothes that get a lot of wear (lower CPW) and those that I just don't reach for much at all. I find I have very low CPW for bottoms (skirts and pants). My goal is to get CPW for bottoms down to less than $1, but I am happy if it hovers around $5 CPW. Based on this information, I can easily afford to purchase higher end pieces because I know they always work out to be worth the price.

Tops are completely different. I would love to see a CPW of about $5, but that is not the case. CPW can be anywhere from $1 to $80 (with a median of around $15). Based on this information, I either have to buy lower priced items or reduce the number of tops in my wardrobe because a lot of them just don't get worn all that much. I am still working out a plan for buying tops. I don't want to buy cheap tops so that means much fewer tops that get worn more often. I think Mo once said something about 12 tops per season. That seems about right. I'll just say I exceed 12 tops.

Shoes are similar to tops in terms of CPW. I don't even assign a goal for shoes because I buy them based on other criteria: comfort, walkability. When I find a pair that meets all the criteria, I just buy them and wear them happily.

Elizabeth P

Veteran

I inadvertently track CPW. Because I use StyleBook, it automatically does it for me. Initially I wasn't putting in the price of a garment, but the geek factor took over at some point, and I figured why not. But that number isn't necessarily very accurate... tax or shipping may or may not be included. Conversion from US to CAN $$ may or may not have been done... I don't go back and scour my Visa bill, sometimes I think that would be too scarey

But I don't really do anything with that number other than look at it. And wonder what other fabbers do with it. I find it far more useful to see how much wear a garment is getting. I'm often surprised at how few times I've worn something, when it feels like it's seen a lot of love. Like many, how a garment feels and looks tends to be more important to me than the price tag. But perhaps I'm still a bit new at it all, and as time goes on I can use it as a more accurate evaluation.

Joy

Veteran

I consider CPW when buying and see it justifying buying quality items for my casual life style, especially jeans. OTOH, I don't want to spend much on something I'm trying out or is an obvious trend..things I don't expect to have very long. I am noticing that I wear pieces much more often when I've had them long enough to settle into my wardrobe, so a second or third season sees more use. Maybe my eye has to adjust, the item seem less precious, or that I know how best to style it from experience.

MsMary

Veteran

I've been tracking CPW for my 2014 purchases and it's been really interesting. It's only been half a year, but it looks like within the first season almost everything gets under $10 CPW, and the real workhorses get under $5 CPW.

But Adelfa is right, of course, that CPW per garment is only a small piece of the puzzle. I realized a while ago that the number that really counts for me is "total annual expenditures on clothing and clothing-related items (e.g. dry cleaning)/365." For me so far this year it's about $12/day. Which is a gigantic improvement from last year, which was close to $20/day. (And yes, I realize that leaves out the residual cost of last year's clothing... still working on that.)

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