Sticking to a Wardrobe Budget

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Angie is co-founder of YLF and its resident fashion stylist.

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Sticking to a Wardrobe Budget

— by Angie

on August 31, 2017

I highly recommend setting a wardrobe budget so that you can track and control the amount of money you spend on this area of your life. It’s especially important if you’re under financial pressure, or concerned about curbing your shopping habits. If you enjoy shopping and don’t stick to a budget, it is easy to end up shocked at how much you actually do spend. Get it down in black and white, do the sums, and be accurate about it.

If you need to, refresh your memory on how to set a wardrobe budget. Decide on a range, establish your needs, prioritize, pick the monthly or seasonal amount, and test-drive the budget. Tweak the amount if you can or need to. You might want to set a higher budget when you’re renewing your style, and a lower one when you’re refreshing for the season.

Budgets will differ greatly across people and families. Remember that it’s nobody’s business but yours. How you choose to spend your money should not be subject to judgments from others.

I established a monthly wardrobe budget many years ago, and I stick to it. Here are some of the details:

It is the same despite the season.
It does not include wardrobe basics like underwear, sleepwear, socks, hosiery, loungewear, and workout wear.
It does include wardrobe essentials. It does not include hair appointments, make-up, beauty products, presents, or wardrobe items that I buy when on vacation.
My Nordstrom Anniversary Sale budget is separate from our monthly fashion budget.

If I exceed the budget one month, I spend less in a following month. I prefer to shop early in the retail season and tend to be over budget during my peak shopping months. I make up for it by barely shopping at all late in the season, and at the end of season sales.

Every once in a while, I have my eye on something very pricey-for-me, which means that I need to save for a couple of months in order to afford the item. It’s a good lesson in patience and makes the item even more special when it’s finally mine.

I tabulate every wardrobe purchase into a monthly spreadsheet. I record whether I keep or return the item so that I have a current and ongoing account of how much I’ve spent for the month. It’s very important that I record my purchases into the spreadsheet immediately if it’s an online purchase, or on the same day if it’s a store purchase. If I don’t, the purchase might fall through the cracks and introduce inaccuracies. This way of controlling my wardrobe budget requires more discipline and organization than an automated system, but it’s working well for me.

Over to you. How do you keep track of your wardrobe expenses? Do you have a wardrobe budget, and how good are you at sticking to it? Feel free to share your process in the comments section. I’m sure we can learn from each other.

Wardrobe Planning

37 comments · Add a comment

Forum conversations about this post

Why I'm not sticking to my budget, and what I'm going to do about it (long) — by Ginger
T-shirt Budget, UPDATE, (tee found)! — by Greenjeans

Ryce

I track after-the-fact based on my monthly credit card receipt. I’m sure I miss some smaller items occasionally, but it seems to work fairly well.

August 31, 2017 at 4:21 am

Karie

(website)

Veteran

I have a monthly budget and keep track of it the same way you do, but I do include all basics and and I have no separate budget for NAS. Clothes I might buy on vacation are included in my vacation budget. I do have a separate budget for jewelry. I wasn’t very good at sticking to budgets prior to this year, but this year I buckled down and have stuck to them. Once you get used to sticking to your monthly budget, it gets easier to do.

August 31, 2017 at 4:24 am

Tanya

Veteran

Great reminder, Angie. I am not sure if you include wardrobe basics in you budget or not, as the second bullet point says no, and the third yes.
I have a always had a monthly clothing budget, but have recently changed it a lot, both the amount and the system, with my new job and very different wardrobe needs. I have also started tracking purchases in a spreadsheet, while before I used to only eyeball it. My new budget represents a chosen percentage of my income and consists of three parts:
1. a twice per year larger sum meant for a couple of nice higher-end work items with longevity
2. a small monthly budget, meant for wardrobe basics, regular items, unexpected needs, etc.
3. a separate NAS budget
I am only one month into it, and so far so good, but report in about a year how the system is working.

August 31, 2017 at 4:24 am

Laura

(website)

Veteran

So fun to see that the tips in that 2013 blog post still hold true!

I need to re-establish a number and stick to it, because it is indeed freeing to set limits and then operate within them.

August 31, 2017 at 4:43 am

skylurker

Veteran

I budget for the year and it includes all things that are not rent-food-bills-taxes. I just can’t go over budget (otherwise rent etc couldn’t be paid!) but I tweak the amounts between categories (buy less clothes if I want a new phone or whatever).

August 31, 2017 at 4:50 am

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I’m with Laura. My budget was fairly expansive (and expandable) during the period when I was building my wardrobe from scratch. I am past that period now and would like to establish a new limit and some guidelines for myself based on my shopping style, which is seasonal vs. monthly.

August 31, 2017 at 4:52 am

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

My budget shifts a lot from month to month, so I don’t have set amounts for anything. It is easy for me to leave money in my general account and not buy clothing. If anything, I’m likely to go the other direction and eye clothes with tags still on in my closet when that account starts getting low. Right now there is a pair of blush pants I’m wondering about. I’d been wanting to get in on the blush thing, and there they were, just right for me. That was nearly three months ago, but those months have been summer, when long pants aren’t practical here.

If I ever wanted a really expensive clothing item, I’d shift my other spending for a month or two like I just did for a weekend getaway trip.

August 31, 2017 at 4:57 am

gryffin

Veteran

I have a max monthly budget and a preferred number not to exceed 3 pieces (excepting underwear/sock replacement etc). Same as you if I am over I must spend less the next month. Ideal is only one planned purchase for month max. For NAS or items I’ve been stalking I will make exceptions which is why the high number is 3. I’m ok with that and if something I’ve been stalking pops up at the right price point I will pounce. I keep a list on my phone, year, month, returns so I make sure I have a firm handle on what I’m purchasing. Not fancy but it works well. Fall is my dominant season so I am slightly over, 3 items NAS and the R13 black crossover jeans I was stalking showed up on ebay, pounce. Hair is sacrosanct and I don’t count underwear, socks to the 3 item max, but they must fall within the monthly budget. Simple but consistent and generally I try to buy less except during fall wardrobe replenishment.

August 31, 2017 at 4:58 am

rachylou

Veteran

I operate monthly generally, with certain sums designated for a new puffy and NAS every year and work/walking shoes quarterly. All other clothing is part of my entertainment budget. I review prior to Summer and Winter… Huh. You know, this is probably another contributing factor as to why I haven’t been able to achieve my ‘goal,’ lol, of spending a whopping amount of money on a top or bottom (as opposed to a coat or shoes). I have no way to think about such a thing…

August 31, 2017 at 5:15 am

Eliza

Veteran

Good to read about the variety of ways to break down clothing budgets, Angie. Tracking purchases provides a lot of information and it would be worthwhile to develop a system here. I tend to get a few pieces going into a season, look at high impact options during NAS and coast through without major additions in between apart from a late winter wish for a new piece or two. The ebb and flow of purchases has been organic, as in “Eliza should have a spreadsheet”. It works because I keep it all inbounds, yet I am missing useful data points that likely would refine my shopping. Another goal…

August 31, 2017 at 5:20 am

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Quickly chiming in from the Netherlands. Tanya! Good catch. It's been corrected. My budget does not include wardrobe basics, but it DOES include wardrobe ESSENTIALS.

I'll be back to comment more later.

August 31, 2017 at 5:30 am

Ledonna N.

Veteran

I do a wadrobe cull 4x a year. During that time I assess what needs to be updated and or replaced. I write down my budget and list in my phone memo pad and then go while out
Under garments I stock up on regularly. I’m on a very restricted budget as I am a single new parent. I’m thankful for having a great wadrobe and budget and really don’t see purchasing big items withing the next 4 years of my daughter being in a learning center.

August 31, 2017 at 5:31 am

Beth Ann

Veteran

I like to think my creativity offsets my lack of planning….lol…..or at least that my choice of husband-who-loves-details-and-speadsheets helps!
I do an inverse-budget: deciding what I need/want to bring into my closet, estimating the amount of money needed, and then setting about to set aside the funds, or figure out other places to economize to free up funds. This worked well when my mom and other family members were all basically clothing my cute little children (mom had a Gymboree Visa — thanks, Mom!). Now, my teenagers are dipping into funds I used to have for little ‘ol me! I guess it makes sense that I seem to come up short every year for the big items, like a new coat, or good boots. I am keeping track of my spending more carefully now, so I can use this data to inform my future budget. I think I might plan on seasonal capsule budgets, rather than monthly. I have 8 seasonal capsules (and I can add workout, lounge and travel capsules, too).

August 31, 2017 at 5:50 am

SusanG

I use my Nordstrom Visa card to budget and track clothing and beauty purchases. I don’t put any other types of purchases (groceries, gas, etc.) on the this card. It’s a simple and accurate system that allows me,to monitor and adjust in real time.
Along with ease and simplicity of recordkeeping, I earn Nordstrom points.
I rarely return items, so I keep a hand written record that helps me make better choices.

August 31, 2017 at 5:59 am

anne

Veteran

I go for an annual budget, but it is an approximate figure. It’s on the low side, so I don’t stress if I go over by $100 or so, and if it is more than that I carry it over to the next year and take it off. Mine includes every item of clothing plus jewellery.

Some years it has been higher to deal with particular situations – like adjusting to being a mother (prior to that my casual wardrobe was tiny – suddenly I needed multiples with a baby), starting back in the workforce, etc. In between I have quite small years, where I just replace things that wear out and maybe get a couple of new items. Footwear is by far my biggest expense, as I wear orthotics and have other fitting and comfort concerns.

I’ve always liked having a clothing budget and have had one most years since I was 16 and got a clothing “allowance”. For a non-buyer, rather frugal type like myself, it represents me saying, “yes it is ok – you must spend this on clothes!”

August 31, 2017 at 6:01 am

lisa p

I keep my clothing budget in my head, and because I don’t buy a lot on a monthly basis, I am thinking ahead to what I really want or need to spend my money on . I would like to set up a tracking system, but have not done that in many, many years and never seem to take the time to get one set up and follow through on it. But again, I’m not buying so much stuff these days that I can’t keep track of it in my head. In fact, I’m going into fall with only one thing on my mental list to buy , and when I see the right version, I’ll pounce.

August 31, 2017 at 6:05 am

Style Fan

Veteran

I have a yearly wardrobe budget. I have been using this amount for 2 years. It includes everything related to my wardrobe (undies, workout gear, footwear, essentials, statements and accessories). My budget does not include make up or grooming items.
My calendar is from September to August. I review my needs at the end of August and look over what I have purchased for the past year. I keep track of my purchases in a notebook. Then I plan my purchases for the next year.

August 31, 2017 at 6:07 am

anchie

Veteran

I budget all aspects of our family life, and wardrobe is just one part of it. There is no category that I exclude because at the end you need to have enough money for everything. I do a yearly budget because not all expenses are monthly. Then when I calculate what is the yearly amount per category, I can spend it at different intervals through the year. Wardrobe category includes everything needed for the whole family and each person gets percentage of wardrobe budget, my share being the biggest. My husband and son are not big on fashion and they usually shop twice a year to replace worn out items with the set budget. My daughter is more unpredictable, she is still growing and I usually have to replace her complete wardrobe every few months. Sometimes I have to redistribute some money from my part of wardrobe budget to hers. And then I spend my part on smaller monthly purchases as need arise and few bigger seasonal shopping sprees. I track all spending with MS Money and can always easily tell how much is spent and how much is still left in the budget for each category.

August 31, 2017 at 6:14 am

Penny

Veteran

It’s worked best for me to track the items I keep (excluding returns) and have an annual amount in mind, which generally means I will not have spent more than half by midway through the year.

I track all clothing, handbags, shoes, jewelry, and other accessories, although I don’t track underclothes, alterations, or beauty-related items.

Because I’m happy with my wardrobe, selective about new additions (since I do one-in-one out), and may have a rare month of several successes followed by a month or two with few or no purchases, this works for me.

The act of tracking alone helps me immensely: it crystallizes for me the pleasure of adding just-right items for my style and wardrobe, and that spending a bit more evens out when buying fewer pieces.

August 31, 2017 at 6:17 am

April

Veteran

I was better about budgeting when I was a single parent with a very limited income. Then I married my SO and since then I have been more relaxed about paying attention to spending.

In some ways, this has been good. I have weaned myself from an addiction to sales (that led to a lot of wardrobe orphans), and I don’t obsess over out-of-reach items like I did when money was tight.

In some ways, it’s not so great, because I could be more systematic and disciplined.

August 31, 2017 at 6:53 am

DonnaF

Veteran

I don’t have a budget but perhaps I should. I DO track my purchases, however, as well as what I paid. I can look back to 2013 and see what I bought in any given month. Since my wardrobe is now pretty much rebuilt I should either restrict myself to an average of a certain number of purchases per month or one in, one out or both. Having a dollar restriction might warp my choice of purchases.

August 31, 2017 at 6:57 am

Patience

Since you’re talking about budget, I have to put in a plug for ynab.com which is what I use. It ranks up there with ylf in quality and just like ylf has for fashion, has grown the way I approach money. The educational aspect of their company is phenomenal and their software is a whole lot nicer than spreadsheets.

August 31, 2017 at 7:20 am

Greenjeans

Veteran

To date, I’ve yet to set a formal budget because after over a decade of not shopping (only purchasing 100% necessary, utilitarian items when beyond desperate) I am building wardrobe from scratch again. It is slow going. I am picky, and budget conscious, and by nature a cautious shopper so don’t binge. In fact, I think I have an opposite problem where somehow I’ve made it not OK to buy new clothes? Anyway I do have a comfort range for individual items and am working on allowing self to spend more than I may have in the past on categories like t-shirts and underwear and pants where I’ve tended to go for the most inexpensive, utilitarian thing possible (like the 3-pack of Hanes from the drugstore). Once I’m further along, I can see valuing clothes enough to set a monthly budget, (Anne, I like you’re idea of creating a budget as a way to to say yes, it’s OK to get new clothes!) but am not quite there yet. With still so many wardrobe holes everything feels necessary and justifiable. I am not spending wildly and still learning to say yes, and allowing self to make a mistake here and there and not feel like I’ve done something terrible.

August 31, 2017 at 8:35 am

Scarlet

Veteran

In the past I had a monthly budget for all clothing related expenses, where if I slightly exceeded it one month, I reduced it for the next month. That worked pretty well for me. Today I am writing a check to put my youngest into daycare, so my new budget for anything non-essential is $0. That’s no fun. I just have to tell myself it’s not forever.

Patience, thanks for the tip. I am going to check out that website.

August 31, 2017 at 9:22 am

Scarlet

Veteran

Also, forgot to say this was another great post.

August 31, 2017 at 9:23 am

Dana

(website)

Veteran

Okay, I need to do this! I’m always surprised at the end of the year when I look at what I’ve bought. I really like the spreadsheet idea.

August 31, 2017 at 9:45 am

Dianna

Veteran

I make an anual budget because it is easier for me that way. Almost everyhting goes in there, basics, essentials, accessories, and footwear. The only exception is beauty products, which go in a separate budget. I do not spend the same every month, and need more summer clothes than winter clothes. I do make a list of my needs, and try to look for ítems in my list first, but I do not make a detailed plan about what to shop for. I do not keep track of my purchases. This system has worked for me so far. This coming year I will have to change my system. This coming year, I will need to plan my purchases better, since I want to make some changes to my style. I am trying to change jobs, and I need to add dressier but still versatile pieces. My wardrobe is heavy on dresses and accessories, and although I like it that way, I am planning to add a few toppers, as well as separates. This, along with some life changes will require me to keep a closer look at what I buy and how much I spend.

August 31, 2017 at 10:30 am

Gaylene

Veteran

I have our yearly budget on a spreadsheet, so I think in terms of a year instead of individual months. Having said that, our projected budget does provide for individual monthly “allowances” for personal spending. Personal spending covers everything from clothing to gym membership to art supplies to beauty treatments to books to electronics–whatever I choose to buy for my own use. Any funds left in these personal allowances at the end of a month are rolled into a joint virtual “savings” area instead of being carried forward individually. Either of us are free to dip into this “savings” area throughout the year to fund a bigger purchase. We’ve both agreed to never exceed the amount in our virtual savings to remain debt free

Both of us have our own credit cards which we use for our personal expenses, so theoretically it would be easy to track our purchases. but, in reality, we rarely do so. I did try to use commercial budgeting programs a few times, but found they were too cumbersome to adapt to our needs. For us, having a personal allowance keeps us accountable to our overall budget but allows us to remain independent in our spending choices.

August 31, 2017 at 11:18 am

Keix

Veteran

I track all of my purchases religiously–also with a manual spreadsheet method like you, Angie–but I admit that I don’t have a budget. I just look at the summary number every month and if it’s surprisingly high, I double-check what I bought that month to see if all of it was “worth it” or just frivolous. I’m fortunate to have enough discretionary income, and medium-level tastes, that I can afford not to keep a strict budget these days.

August 31, 2017 at 11:20 am

Diana

Veteran

I’ve never had a wardrobe budget but since I put everything on cards ( and pay them off in full every month) my card statements track my spending for me every month. If I’ve spent a large amount the past month I’ll rein it in a little the following month.

August 31, 2017 at 11:21 am

smicheller

Active Member

Thanks so much for this post. It’s so easy to get carried away with online shopping these days! I am guilty of making impulse buys due to the influence of social media, email blasts regarding sales, etc. I really want to set a budget for myself and my family, and your post has really inspired me to! Do you or anyone else happen to have a same budget spreadsheet that you could share?

August 31, 2017 at 6:05 pm

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

For a long time my wardrobe budget has been funded by resale proceeds. This is fun but leads to a lot of frivolous purchases. I am ready to focus on fewer and better, and reading this is giving me inspiration.

August 31, 2017 at 7:04 pm

cindysmith

Veteran

Oh lordy, I didn’t want to read about wardrobe budgeting today. I’ve gained weight, so I’ve had to buy many new clothes. We’re building a house, so my budget is limited. I haven’t been keeping track of my spending very well, so when I went to pay credit cards I was a bit surprised.

I started with clothes, because they’re the most visible. I just bought until I had enough to work with until I see what works and what didn’t; now I’ve moved on to undergarments. I’m done with that now, so it’s time to start assessing what new clothing works and what doesn’t, and set a budget that I actually stick to for tweaking my wardrobe.

I am not going to like the results, since I need to be buying things for the house instead of going hog wild buying clothes LOL

August 31, 2017 at 8:23 pm

bridgie

Veteran

I do not have a strict budget. I play it by ear. If have a big car repair bill one month, I don’t even think about buying clothes. Then when expenses return to normal I will buy something new. When I feel I don’t have money in my budget for clothes, I shop my closet, wear the newest and best for whatever occasion. And I am more likely to donate at this time than any other, and feel like I am getting to the point where I have less but better. This works better for me and is more satisfying than the one in one out (which I try to do, but it is difficult).

August 31, 2017 at 9:17 pm

Tessera

Active Member

I have a monthly budget that includes one amount for clothing/accessories/makeup and another amount for pocket money, but I shift funds between the two as needed. I use one credit card for personal (rather than family/houshold) spending, and I also record purchases in the Notes section of my ipad as I make them. Otherwise, it’s too easy to forget how much is being spent during the course of a month and I don’t want to be surprised when the credit card bill comes. Right now, I’m over budget due to a flurry of finds in the past couple of months, so I’ll back off spending for the next few months. As long as I’m within the yearly budget by the end of December, it’s all good.

September 1, 2017 at 9:25 am

Laura G

Veteran

No budget here, and for now I’m fine with that. I’m building a wardrobe from scratch and more concerned with getting it right than with how much it costs. The best thing I can do for my “budget” is to make sure I buy things I’ll actually wear, and not more of them than I need.

I record the cost of each item in the ClosetSpace app, but it’s not a budgeting tool. No way to query how much you spent this month or year, or on any particular category. I know I’m not capable of maintaining a spreadsheet right now (have trouble maintaining a meds schedule), but the data is there, and at some point I’ll make use of it.

September 2, 2017 at 9:47 am

Lyn D.

Veteran

I have a seasonal budget that allows me to buy at any time during that period.
It is restricted to 8 items that sometimes includes alterations and accessories.
I allow myself 1 statement piece per season too.

September 2, 2017 at 3:21 pm

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