YouLookFab Forum » Topic: Anyone Else Counting?

YouLookFab Forum » Topic: Anyone Else Counting? https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/anyone-else-counting Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Fri, 10 Apr 2026 23:47:55 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 <![CDATA[Search]]> q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php thimblelina on "Anyone Else Counting?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/anyone-else-counting/page/2#post-1413854 Sat, 20 Dec 2014 19:41:33 +0000 thimblelina 1413854@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ No harm no foul! I've just seen how easily feelings can get hurt when people start to feel shamed or judged. My numbers need revision because I started making mistakes here @ the end & am shipping a few things straight back! Shopping moratorium now I think... My year was weirdly skewed. When I was out of work & actively interviewing Jan-April I only bought two items: a cheap ponte knit blazer & a rather nice handbag. By May I was getting on the sub list in preparation for the start of summer school in June. That's when I came back to being active on YLF & began my Pinterest lists. So my purchase totals represent 2/3 of the year. In the end I bought 33 items between May-December, 35 with the two previous to that time. This year I'm shifting my attention to higher priced 'investment' pieces from brands like Eileen Fisher, Rag & Bone, etc so I will no doubt buy less. Last year I didn't really give myself a budget. This coming year it's $100 per pay period ($2600 annually) but it needs to include ALL my girlie needs: gear, underwear, make up, and haircuts in addition to clothes. fern on "Anyone Else Counting?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/anyone-else-counting/page/2#post-1413792 Sat, 20 Dec 2014 17:41:55 +0000 fern 1413792@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I track & count, but not including underwear/socks. I started including gear this year since, I admit, I wear my gear while working from home. My goal (with the counting) is better wardrobe management: to have everything I need in my wardrobe and not more, and to buy high quality items I can wear often for several years (or more). I bought 28 items this year, and already got rid of 2, and 6 need some adjustments or they will have to go. <ul> <li>1.5 Coat/jacket  (.5 because I couldn't decide if it was a coat or gear)</li> <li>1 shell/T </li> <li>3 Shirt / topper</li> <li>2 pants/ 1 shorts</li> <li>3 skirt</li> <li>2 dress</li> <li>3.5 gear shorts / yoga tights / gear shirt</li> <li>3 sweater</li> <li>0 dressy</li> <li>6 shoes</li> <li>2 accessories / 0 bags</li> </ul> Extra shoes this year to replace my summer shoes - hopefully I got those figured out and I will get a few years of wear from those. The best purchases were full price items that I took my time trying on at home, and Ebay was generally a mistake. I will get this lesson imprinted sooner or later. Janet on "Anyone Else Counting?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/anyone-else-counting/page/2#post-1413736 Sat, 20 Dec 2014 15:06:01 +0000 Janet 1413736@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I like Carter's point about giving away more than buying. Even though I bought many pieces this year, I gave away or sold even more. My shoes have more breathing room on the shelves, and I have empty hangers, which I did not have a year ago. My out-of-season storage bags are mostly empty. I'm not one for numbers when it comes to wardrobe, but I am increasingly aware that I can only wear so many things in a day/week/month/year. These days I'm feeling a little less inclined to experiment with my purchases, and a little more content with a small variety of silhouettes, colors, etc. It's now been since the start of November since I bought anything for my wardrobe, and the shopping itch has not hit me yet. The few times I've wandered through a store while out running errands, very little has appealed to me as much as what I already own. I do note that I bought a few great essentials this year. My successful purchases this year tended to be either modern classic pieces (i.e., the JCrew turtleneck), or distinctive pieces that might be trending but are so "me" that I foresee getting a lot of wear out of them (the blue Modern Vice booties, the black long BCBG jacket). Then there are some wild cards that have been more hit-and-miss. Fortunately, the more "miss" ones have tended to be the cheaper ones. Sometimes I'm just too seduced by a great color or print, and overlook a fit or cut that is somehow problematic. It's good to know I haven't wasted a big sum of money on failed wild cards, but it's also worth keeping in mind the next time I see something tempting that is outside of my preferred lineup of styles and silhouettes. So, no numbers, just some pondering based on the general ebb and flow of my closet. I think I'm going to put those twenty-odd empty hangers in a holding zone so I'm not tempted to fill them. anne on "Anyone Else Counting?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/anyone-else-counting/page/2#post-1413726 Sat, 20 Dec 2014 14:24:55 +0000 anne 1413726@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I should be able to do this as I record my spending fairly carefully, with the exception of the odd packed of pantyhose that goes in on the groceries bill! So 10 gear items (inc socks) 1 sleeveless top 1 summer skirt 1 sweater 1 sweatershirt 1 bra 1 pair of sandals 4 long sleeve layering tops 1 pair tights 2  loose fitting tees 2 cardigans 26 items 17 if you remove underwear/socks I kept within budget, which also included some shoe repairs and maybe drycleaning This felt fairly lean and was buttressed by more spending in 2013. I am gearing up for more in 2015 - I haven't finished buying for summer yet and my casual summer wardrobe has been neglected for some years. In addition I have lots of things that need replacing  in 2015 Elly on "Anyone Else Counting?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/anyone-else-counting/page/2#post-1413662 Sat, 20 Dec 2014 06:49:23 +0000 Elly 1413662@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I will count! I bought: shoes - 7 bras - 3 undies - 4 socks - 2 tights - 1 shorts- 1 skirts - 1 tees - 8 blouses - 3 flannels - 2 sweaters - 2 sweatshirts - 2 jackets - 2 jeans - 2 heatgear -5 bags - 2 belts - 1 hats - 1 pants - 1 tanks- 3 This leaves me with a grand total of 53 pieces if we are counting undies, long undies, and socks in this. 35 if we count things that other people see! I didn't purchase any gear this year except a pair of hiking/casual pants, probably because I replenished a lot of my outdoor gear last year for work. I don't have everything I've ordered yet, so numbers may change. Below is a list of pending orders that will be fufilled in 2014. I also did some more counting to give people an idea of what I started/ended the year with from previous years, as seen below. I did buy 3 pieces this fall that are for s/s 2015 at the end of season sales. I've never done this before except for with gear, so we will see if it was a mistake. The shoe numbers don't surprise me --- I purged 6 pair of shoes because of wear this past year, which is pretty typical for me. I also purge tops and sweatshirts because of wear frequently. Almost everything else that was purchased was purchased because I did not have any items in that category at the beginning of the year. Things I have on order for delivery 12/24 (I have a high return rate): loungewear - 3 belts- 1 sweatshirts -1 tees- 1 jackets - 2 flannels - 1 sweaters - 2 shirts- 2 jeans - 1 things that I still have in  my closet rotation or in holding zone from 2013 or before: tops - 4 button downs - 3 pants -2 skirts - 2 shorts - 2 jeans - 3 jackets - 2 heels - 2 boots - 1 hats - 2 dresses - 1 coats - 1 tees- 5 Currently I have about 49 clothing items total, and 10 shoes, plus a few accessories. But, I also agree with Thimbelina -- it is too much shopping for me. Ugh! Lyn D. on "Anyone Else Counting?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/anyone-else-counting/page/2#post-1413660 Sat, 20 Dec 2014 06:44:28 +0000 Lyn D. 1413660@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I am always counting, and as December 1 is officially the first day of our Summer, have started on my 2015 list already. I bought 68 items this year-  54 clothing , (including work-out but not underwear.) Plus 3 bags, 4 pairs of shoes, 2 belts, 4 scarfs and 1 pair of earrings. I purged the same amount of items! I am aiming for less in 2015, as I am pretty happy with most of my stuff at this stage. Suz on "Anyone Else Counting?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/anyone-else-counting#post-1413618 Sat, 20 Dec 2014 03:06:43 +0000 Suz 1413618@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Actually, that point about not buying too many "wish I hadn't" things is really important -- Gigi, you are onto something.  When I look at my number I am faintly appalled, but when I think about how much wear (and love) almost all of those items have received, and how well most of them worked for me, and how few duds there have been, I feel pretty darned good.  deb on "Anyone Else Counting?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/anyone-else-counting#post-1413527 Fri, 19 Dec 2014 23:32:47 +0000 deb 1413527@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Thumblelina, I was joking. I need to notate that when I joke. Thanks for the reminder. Robin on "Anyone Else Counting?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/anyone-else-counting#post-1413483 Fri, 19 Dec 2014 22:12:00 +0000 Robin 1413483@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I track all purchases because I shop online all the time and want to make sure I'm getting refunds on returns.  Here are the items I kept (still debating one of the jackets): Bags: 0 Coats: 1 Dresses: 1 Hats: 0 Jackets: 2 Jeans: 1 Pants: 2 Shoes: 3 Skirts: 0 Sweaters: 5 Tops: 9 Bras & tights: 6 Bathing suit: 2 Scarfs: 3 Grand total: 35 thimblelina on "Anyone Else Counting?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/anyone-else-counting#post-1413460 Fri, 19 Dec 2014 21:31:29 +0000 thimblelina 1413460@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ This really shouldn't be competitive, or anti competitive, or whatever if what you bought pleases you! Gigi on "Anyone Else Counting?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/anyone-else-counting#post-1413428 Fri, 19 Dec 2014 19:59:21 +0000 Gigi 1413428@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Hmmm, looks like I bought 54 pieces in 2014. That's a lot more than I thought. They seem to be equally spread out over various categories. The good thing is that I didn't make very many I-wish-I-hadn't-bought-this purchases. I'm on a shopping hiatus now because I already spent all my money, so no more buying for me for a while! deb on "Anyone Else Counting?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/anyone-else-counting#post-1413427 Fri, 19 Dec 2014 19:57:08 +0000 deb 1413427@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Well, it looks like Laura and I are winners (or losers?) so far. You all did not know this was a competitive sport, did you? carter on "Anyone Else Counting?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/anyone-else-counting#post-1413409 Fri, 19 Dec 2014 19:14:11 +0000 carter 1413409@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ This is so helpful to me. For some reason, I was sure that something under 30 was "normal". Love you, Laura! Unfortunately, you didn't make me feel virtuous, but I do feel a whole lot better:-) Elizabeth P on "Anyone Else Counting?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/anyone-else-counting#post-1413400 Fri, 19 Dec 2014 18:44:24 +0000 Elizabeth P 1413400@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I haven't been counting, but could proably figure it out with a bit of time.  I might do that, but I think the result would horrify me.  But you have given me an idea to add the year as a tag to my clothes in Stylebook, so I can search on it and easily get this info going forward! Laura (rhubarbgirl) on "Anyone Else Counting?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/anyone-else-counting#post-1413394 Fri, 19 Dec 2014 18:34:20 +0000 Laura (rhubarbgirl) 1413394@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ (Hi Mo!) Further thoughts, now that I've processed through the shame spiral a bit. I would guess that I actually bought well more than 100+ items in 2013, since that was the year I lost 25 pounds and had to replace a lot of things, plus our household budget became a lot less tight and I rather took advantage of it. So in 2014, what with working to stick to a clothing budget, I was actually making some good progress toward my goals of restraint and not buying just to buy. The proportions of items surprise me a bit because I would have expected to have bought more jeans, but I guess most of mine are older but still in good shape. Tops don't surprise me since a lot of those don't last over a year. The number of shoes did take me aback - I knew it was well above 10 but I didn't expect close to 20. A lot of my old shoes were on their last legs and so it just made sense to prioritize getting new ones. I'm going to try to be better about thinking of needed replacements before go-to items get to their last legs, in order to spread out the cost more evenly. I did have a few things that didn't work out immediately - two pairs of shoes were only worn a couple of times before I sold them to Twice - and several thrifted items got re-donated rather quickly. I also got rid of a lot of older things before we moved this summer, so I have no doubt that I got rid of more than I bought. For 2015 I'm aiming for 20 items or less per quarter, for a total of 80 for the year - about a quarter less than this year. And that's also about a third of my total wardrobe size, as per my ideal wardrobe numbers. I think expecting to replace most of your wardrobe in a three year span seems pretty reasonable, with the caveat of course that some things will last longer (jeans, boots, coats) and some will last only a year or so (summer tops, cheap shoes, etc.). SW on "Anyone Else Counting?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/anyone-else-counting#post-1413386 Fri, 19 Dec 2014 18:14:10 +0000 SW 1413386@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ For me, grand total = 78 items. Here's the breakdown: Accessories: 9 Basics (t shirts, tanks, leggings, etc.) : 14 Dresses: 5 Jeans: 3 Outerwear: 3 Pants: 4 Shoes: 6 Skirts: 3 Sweaters: 11 Tops: 12 Shorts: 4 Bras: 2 Loungewear: 2 Looking at these numbers, I wish I had bought less sweaters and tops. I tend to buy these a lot because it's easier to fit and usually more "fun" than buying pants or bottoms, but it also makes it way too easy to buy stuff I don't need or want.  This year I wanted to keep much better track of my clothing purchases to find patterns of what works and what doesn't, and so I also gave ratings to each of my purchases. About 30 of these items received a 6 or less on a 1-10 rating scale, which means I probably should not have purchased. Most of these were fast fashion or sale purchases... surprise surprise. I'm hoping to make less of these purchasing mistakes next year and get my numbers down below 50 pieces.  Mo on "Anyone Else Counting?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/anyone-else-counting#post-1413385 Fri, 19 Dec 2014 18:12:49 +0000 Mo 1413385@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Hi gals!  How funny I should pick this morning to 'peek in' on you all.  And find a number post.  My fave!   Of course I have been counting :D <a rel="nofollow" href="https://moderatewardrobe.wordpress.com/2014/12/18/closing-2014-what-i-bought/">https://moderatewardrobe.wordp.....-i-bought/</a> I didn't do too badly, with 47 items. I hope to be around 30 next year.   So fun to see everyone's numbers.   Tina on "Anyone Else Counting?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/anyone-else-counting#post-1413376 Fri, 19 Dec 2014 18:00:45 +0000 Tina 1413376@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I track quite meticulously because it helps slow me down: read purchase = paperwork:-/ This was a good year for me, by that I mean I was more careful and it resulted in less mistakes. Belts 1 Scarves 3 Purses 1 Tees 5 Tops 1 Blazers (sleeveless) 1 Blouses and button fronts 7 Sweaters 6 Cardis 2 Skirts 2 Dresses 1 Pants 2 Jeans 5 Shorts 2 Gear 3 Shoes and boots 3 Total items: 45 Also: Bras 3 PJ's 2 Camis 6 Grand total: 56 Not included are 3 items that I bought in 2014 that were failures. I am learning though! This site has been an invaluable source for me. Threads like these keep me accountable. Thank you Deb! kkards on "Anyone Else Counting?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/anyone-else-counting#post-1413364 Fri, 19 Dec 2014 17:34:02 +0000 kkards 1413364@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ i didn't count this year, but i have promised myself that i would for 2015. Laura (rhubarbgirl) on "Anyone Else Counting?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/anyone-else-counting#post-1413356 Fri, 19 Dec 2014 17:10:53 +0000 Laura (rhubarbgirl) 1413356@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Oh good, I can make you all feel virtuous with my excess: 104 items. Yep. And that's probably a bit low given that I wasn't tracking item data, just costs per store from which I extrapolated, for the first part of the year. Tops: 23 Sweaters: 12 Jackets/blazers: 11 jeans: 9 pants: 5 shorts: 6 skirts: 6 dresses: 4 belts: 7 bags: 3 shoes: 18 (!!) I'm off to change my username to Imelda Marcos... Alassë on "Anyone Else Counting?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/anyone-else-counting#post-1413354 Fri, 19 Dec 2014 17:09:23 +0000 Alassë 1413354@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I agree. deb on "Anyone Else Counting?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/anyone-else-counting#post-1413349 Fri, 19 Dec 2014 16:48:51 +0000 deb 1413349@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Carter, yes brownie points! carter on "Anyone Else Counting?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/anyone-else-counting#post-1413342 Fri, 19 Dec 2014 16:26:22 +0000 carter 1413342@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Fortunately, I didn't count this year! I will definitely be counting for 2015 though. I will say that I gave away way more than I added in 2014, so I get brownie points for that, right? Anonymous on "Anyone Else Counting?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/anyone-else-counting#post-1413291 Fri, 19 Dec 2014 14:44:27 +0000 Anonymous 1413291@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Thanks for starting this conversation; I wish I had been counting this year as it may have slowed me down a bit.... I will be counting in 2015, though my goal already is to acquire very little as we're finishing up building a new home (hello, new budget!). Which I think is also why I shopped so much the past couple of years, believing I won't be able to once the new mortgage payment starts up. Somewhat logical, but ultimately not as necessary as I initially convinced myself it was. DonnaF on "Anyone Else Counting?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/anyone-else-counting#post-1413283 Fri, 19 Dec 2014 14:29:16 +0000 DonnaF 1413283@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Just counted.  47, including the sweater that hasn't arrived.  Includes 7 pairs of footwear and 4 belts.  Does not include underwear.  Includes 1 pair of sandals that I may have to pass on due to pain, 2 Ts already passed on to DD as too big, and my gift belt. Alassë on "Anyone Else Counting?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/anyone-else-counting#post-1413279 Fri, 19 Dec 2014 14:07:05 +0000 Alassë 1413279@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Total: 59. Subtracting gear/undies (14) and accessories (12), that leaves 33 (2 shoes, 4 cardigans, 4 dresses, 6 trousers/shorts, 8 skirts, 9 tops). Not so bad, but still too much. PalmFronds on "Anyone Else Counting?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/anyone-else-counting#post-1413278 Fri, 19 Dec 2014 14:05:35 +0000 PalmFronds 1413278@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I'll be counting for 2015:-) thank all of you for leading the way to this brave new world ! Thistle on "Anyone Else Counting?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/anyone-else-counting#post-1413275 Fri, 19 Dec 2014 13:53:06 +0000 Thistle 1413275@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Wow, Suz! That is quite the haul! I didn't count, but I know it was small. I just didn't want to over invest in a maternity wardrobe I would be donating at the end of the year. I have 8 months of the family clothing budget in savings right now, and that was after replacing all of DD1s clothes and shoes this fall after a growth spurt. Suz on "Anyone Else Counting?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/anyone-else-counting#post-1413272 Fri, 19 Dec 2014 13:43:40 +0000 Suz 1413272@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Okay. I did it.  64 items. That doesn't include gear or undies, which I also bought. Or my snow  boots. But it does include footwear, coats, bags, dresses, skirts, tops, knits, toppers, pants, shorts.  If I also subtract the 24 items that I retired or passed along, then we are down to 40, which still sounds pretty large.  I have about 130 to 140 items total across all my 4 seasons. So, effectively, I replaced almost a half of my wardrobe this year!   thimblelina on "Anyone Else Counting?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/anyone-else-counting#post-1413225 Fri, 19 Dec 2014 10:30:08 +0000 thimblelina 1413225@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ If I make the last two purchases I'm contemplating I will have bought 36 items in 2014. A lot for me... but, new job with new shoe requirements, etc. Bags: 2... I bought one of those big bowling bag style purses in persimmon orange waxed leather to bolster my spirits during my grueling interview process in early 2014 & then discovered it was highly impractical for subbing! So my second bag is a narrow cognac leather backpack. It's okay; I like them both. I only own three. Coats: 2... Two vintage trench coats I thrifted. I love them! One was made in France & the other in Switzerland. The tailoring is lovely. Dresses: 0... Fail! Need to dress shop in '15. Hats: 0 ... but I did get 3 new scarves. Jackets: 1... Basic black pleather moto, love. Jeans: 2... Hudson Collin in two washes. Practical for the classroom. Pants: 0... Jeans are my pants I guess. Shoes: 6... Three summery closed toe flats and three boots. Skirts: 5... One from the thrift store didn't work out; like the four I kept. Sweaters: 5... Rediscovering sweaters post menopause has been great! Tops: 14... Seven short sleeve tees, five long sleeve, two button up shirts. Undies: i don't count these... So, 36 items. I'm happy to have a bigger wardrobe but yuck! too much shopping if you ask me. There were no long stretches where I could coast without thinking about clothing myself. I'm too much of a slacker to keep this up. Looking forward to buying less in 2015...