https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/on-budgeting-and-shopping Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Tue, 07 Apr 2026 17:15:01 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/on-budgeting-and-shopping#post-1331444 Fri, 15 Aug 2014 04:18:47 +0000 Laura (rhubarbgirl) 1331444@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Kiwigal, having a trip to plan for is (almost?) as exciting as planning a wardrobe. I don't have anything cool like that to save my pennies for, at least at the moment. Nancy, great question. I've constructed a list of items that I consider a sufficient wardrobe for myself, and the items I'd like to get for fall are holes on that its, so in that sense I am working to plan. Meredith, I like that idea - not only because I could justify spending more money In all seriousness, the monthly amount I was using for this year was kind of pulled from thin air. I don't have a regular paycheck job right now, so I can't do one of those 'you should spend x amount of your take home pay' calculations.</p> <p>Alana, great points. I too have been trying to aim for seasonal replenishment and think about how much I actually need and will wear each item. The budgeting thing gets tricky for me as I said above, since I freelance on long term projects and am also my family's unpaid 'domestic engineer' so it's hard to know what's reasonable to spend. </p> <p>Suz, you probably remember when I joined the forum and some of the really cheap stuff I was wearing - either inexpensive because it was thrifted or just cheap in every sense of the word. In many ways that was a response to when I was in my 20s and newly professionally employed and I went a little crazy with shopping. So I pulled back from that after a few years as well as dealt with some health issues and gaining weight. Then I got healthier and lost weight after joining YLF and have become more of a shopper recently (and my family budget has also become a bit more flexible). I'm like you in that I just don't want to compromise with crappy stuff anymore, so in a sense money can solve my problems. I don't need designer stuff, I just want stuff that's decent quality and will last a while. I don't know if I have champagne taste...maybe imported beer taste! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/on-budgeting-and-shopping#post-1331291 Fri, 15 Aug 2014 02:02:46 +0000 Suz 1331291@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Alana asked a very good question.&nbsp;</p> <p>For myself (embarrassingly maybe) the answer remains: YES. Largely. Or rather, money is a necessary but not sufficient condition to fix my wardrobe.&nbsp;</p> <p>I need to spend more to enjoy it more, because I happen to have champagne tastes.&nbsp;</p> <p>That doesn't mean every item needs to be expensive. I love a bargain as much as the next person, and I'm also super happy to wear lower end items that happen to fit me well and give me joy. I'm not a label snob. (Meaning no disrespect to those who love high end labels!!)&nbsp;</p> <p>Meanwhile, even the largest budget in the world won't help me if I don't know my style preferences and what works on me. That's why I came to YLF. To get help in these areas.&nbsp;</p> <p>Which in turn allows me to reduce my budget, over time.&nbsp;</p> <p>What I found though, after weight loss, was I had to make a pretty big initial investment in my wardrobe. And you may be in a somewhat similar position. You really had to replace it all.&nbsp;</p> <p>I expect this year (two years after starting the rebuilding process) my shopping will slow down a bit. But until I spent that money, my wardrobe was pretty much nonexistent.&nbsp;</p> <p>Wardrobe building takes time and a lot of money. Wardrobe updating and maintenance takes a bit less.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/on-budgeting-and-shopping#post-1331285 Fri, 15 Aug 2014 01:52:44 +0000 Alana in Canada 1331285@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Is money going to fix whatever is wrong with your wardrobe?</p> <p>I have decided to put aside a percentage of every pay cheque (they vary, so it's always a different amount)&nbsp;into a savings account. This is my "mad" money--currently being spent entirely on my wardrobe. :)&nbsp;</p> <p>If I want an item that is more than is in the account, I just have to wait for it to accumulate.&nbsp;</p> <p>I hear you about thrifting. I dislike it intensely (though I may go looking for tops to hack into vests. And I like looking for purses. But, mostly, value village makes my skin crawl.)</p> <p>One of the things I have been meaning to do is take Suz's breakdown of our seasons and allocate different kinds of clothing to each season as well as numbers, for example, deep winter = turtleneck sweaters, cardigans, knit pants. Suitable Outdoor gear.&nbsp;</p> <p>For about two weeks I will wear turtlenecks and cardigans, both. (At least, I hope it only lasts two weeks!). How many should I have for this "season?" For me, all I really need is two turtlenecks and maybe two cardigans (I could get by with one.)</p> <p>So, my "budget" will either buy a really good, expensive, will last for years cardigan for this year and inexpensive turtlenecks, or one great turtleneck and less expensive cardigan and second turtle....kwim? I already have turtlenecks (fortunately)--they're kind of nasty--but I'd rather put my pennies towards a fab cardigan since I am guessing these are going to be completer pieces for me and I wear one almost everyday in the winter. Sorry, I think I am rambling, now.</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/on-budgeting-and-shopping#post-1331282 Fri, 15 Aug 2014 01:50:23 +0000 creamandcoffee 1331282@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I struggle with this too as I am on a budget and I have to really think about what I buy.&nbsp;I agree with Kiwigirl about wanting to look nice but disliking excess and waste. A lot of what's out there isn't necessarily worth the price IMHO, but I guess that's a matter of perspective.&nbsp;I think it comes down to the utility of an item, if you really need a nice coat or blouse and you'll get a lot of wear out of it then it's worth paying more for. One nice thing that will last is better than a bunch of lesser quality things. I would give yourself more time to find something you really like. The times that I've felt rushed or pressured into buying something is when I've ended up with things I don't love which in the end is wasted time and money. Just make sure you're really thinking through what you're buying, if there's any doubt and you don't love it, put it back. Can you get by with what you have for now for fall? I would say it's better to have less now, so you can shop strategically for things you really love and will have long-term.</p> <p> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/on-budgeting-and-shopping#post-1331188 Fri, 15 Aug 2014 00:44:53 +0000 Meredith 1331188@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>No great wisdom here, but would you entertain the idea of increasing your budget for a fixed period (2 months, 6 months) to see if that extra $ really adds anymore satisfaction with your wardrobe? </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/on-budgeting-and-shopping#post-1331183 Fri, 15 Aug 2014 00:40:41 +0000 nancywalters 1331183@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Laura,<br />Have you put together a list of what you may need or want?&nbsp; Perhaps if you are&nbsp; able to plan&nbsp; your purchases, you can better estimate your budget and better plan your wardrobe. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/on-budgeting-and-shopping#post-1331085 Thu, 14 Aug 2014 23:08:44 +0000 Sal 1331085@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Thought provoking....<br />You are being honest with yourself over needs versus wants - I have the same dilemma. &nbsp;I love clothes, fashion and looking good (or trying to) but dislike waste and excess. &nbsp;I try to have a balance between them.<br />If you are tracking your purchases you will be in a better place to make the decision as to your budget, and it's allocation.</p> <p>I am trying to be happy with less, and hoping that if I truly love an item I am happy to repeat frequently - and I think I am. &nbsp;My other strategy is to change nail colour or lipsticks to mix things up a bit more very cheaply. &nbsp;We are planning a trip overseas that was not in the budget (for family reasons) so my clothes wardrobe won't be expanding much. &nbsp;I have two upcoming parties that I will be wearing existing clothes for - and any clothes budget is being allocated into day to day wear for home and work. &nbsp;</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/on-budgeting-and-shopping#post-1331071 Thu, 14 Aug 2014 22:56:48 +0000 Laura (rhubarbgirl) 1331071@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>The Recovering Shopaholic's post linked to in this Link Love made me think about my own struggles to keep to a budget this year. I strongly suspect that I've spent a lot less on clothes this calendar year, simply because I've been tracking my purchases. However, I find that it's still not as much money as I'd like to have for my wardrobe. I suspect that part of that is because I haven't been thrifting as much, and honestly I don't want to go back to it too much. I end up spending a ton of time at thrift stores and although I save money it really sucks up a lot of my energy/attention if I let it. </p> <p>It occurred to me this morning, when I was thinking about what I need/want for fall, that really I have two choices: increase my budget, or get OK with having less stuff. I honestly don't know which is the right one to do. Maybe my projected clothing budget was too low to start with! I am lucky enough to have a little bit of wiggle room in my discretionary $ so it's not like I can't reallocate some funds from other priorities. But how do you know if you truly 'need'* a bigger clothing budget, especially if you don't have a high-flying job that requires a very particular wardrobe?</p> <p>*Need is so not the right word - 90% of what we wear is not true need, i.e. we'd be naked without it, but there are some things that are merely entertainment and some things that would be truly useful and worn a lot.&nbsp; </p>