Bwahaha Laura! Cheap shoes make life suck

This has gotten to be a really interesting thread. I see that several people have fracked their clothing purchases for a year. That's definitely something I should do--I'd probably find that I spend more than I think. I'm also a person who thinks the year starts in August/September, so I should probably start now. The most complicated part for me is that I tend to buy online and then return a lot of things. In some stores, sales assistants bring things to the dressing room you to try on. UPS does that for me. I don't know what kind of categories will be most salient for me, so I'll probably set up a spreadsheet with columns for pants, shorts, skirts, dresses, etc and rows for different occasions or seasons. Being in a year round hot climate, idk how I want to account for seasons. For example, my parents just got me a linen sweater for my birthday that would be a fall/spring item most places I've lived, or could even be worn in summer, but here I will wear it in the winter. I think I'll try to go by standard definitions.
One person mentioned "This has gotten to be a really interesting thread. I see that several people have fracked their clothing purchases for a year. That's definitely something I should do--I'd probably find that I spend more than I think. I'm also a person who thinks the year starts in August/September, so I should probably start now. The most complicated part for me is that I tend to buy online and then return a lot of things. In some stores, sales assistants bring things to the dressing room you to try on. UPS does that for me. I don't know what kind of categories will be most salient for me, so I'll probably set up a spreadsheet with columns for pants, shorts, skirts, dresses, etc and rows for different occasions or seasons." Do you agree? I think those items will get so little wear, it's worth finding discounts.

Fashiontern -- I recommend starting with the standard categories (tops/bottoms/shoes). If you are comfortable, add a second more specific category (sleeveless top, knit top, dress slacks, casual summer pant). You will see quickly which categories are important to you and your life style.

I ONLY insert line items for garments I keep. So if I buy it and return it, it is never added to the spreadsheet. Purchases/returns are tracked using iBank. The two documents serve very different purposes.

Does this help?

Like Anne -- My wardrobe is at the stage where I can focus on very specific capsule building (e.g., athletic, casual, lounging, high summer) and devote most of the budget in a given calendar year to building that capsule.

This system has worked out perfectly for me because as my wardrobe evolved through time, I discovered holes and deficiencies in very specific categories. This year I discovered I had a very sparse wardrobe for high summer days of heat and humidity. A couple of years ago, I made the decision that I was done with heels forever and consciously spent my budget building a shoe wardrobe that fit my wide feet and needs.

Although I may devote a calendar year to building a defined category in my wardrobe, that does not mean I buy for that category exclusively. It just means the focus and the budget are skewed in that direction. Life would suck if you were too rigid in your rules.

Thanks, Sterling! That does help. After the plane took off, I thought some more about this, but couldn't post.
Your ibank suggestion ties right in with what I was thinking about the spreadsheet--I'm not sure I'll keep up with it. Might be better to see if I can set up a "clothing" category on my bank account site, and get it to take returns into account. Or I could start with both, as you do, and then at least have the bottom line records (in my bank instead of ibank) to fall back on.

I might surprise myself with the spreadsheet. Buying most things online means I don't have to keep track of paper receipts. Wish I could remember the name of the app someone mentioned recently that imports the info automatically!

You mention shoes too. I've just learned about cheap shoes. Never have bought them before, tried some recently to see if I liked a trend. They never even got out of the house, because I could tell they'd be uncomfortable. I wonder if this is why I think of my feet as not finicky--they've never known mistreatment

Found it! Finery, in Laura's post. https://youlookfab.com/welookf.....g-help-app

Like many here, I shifted from regularly purchasing almost-right sale items to carefully selecting just-right items that fit my needs and style goals. So, although I'm happy to spend more on single items - or in total annually - than in years past, it must be for pieces I love and need that cohere with my wardrobe.

Tracking annually helps raise my awareness and purchase more deliberately, and exercising a strict one-in-one out policy per wardrobe category (which are pretty curated these days) works better than a budget for me in limiting my spending: among other criteria, a new item has to be better than the item it will replace.

Overall, I find this approach has me browsing more, buying (or keeping) less, and immensely enjoying the pieces that I have and add.

This is only part of the picture, but I set aside a flat amount every month. That amount was set during a different lifestyle, but I've left it as is. That leaves room for full-price HEWIs. I'm picky, so that works out so far.

I do not have any set budget amount for clothes. I base my buying decisions on my overall financial situation. If money is tight, then I only buy things I absolutely must have. The better off I am financially, the looser my criteria is for making a purchase.

I like to shop often, since it increases my chance of finding great deals. Plus, shopping is a fun activity.

When deciding whether to buy something, I have certain criteria I use in helping me to make that decision. Does the item represent good value for my money. Then I consider how often I will wear it and under what situations I will wear it. How does It fit into my overall wardrobe, does it enhance it, is it an area of need.

Often when I go shopping, I am not looking for anything in particular, but then find a great deal, so I decide to buy it. One time shopping, I found a great pair of wedges on sale, and just could not pass them up. Another time I had no immediate need for a pair of flats, but since I had a cupon for them, and knowing I would need them in the future, I decided to make the purchase.

There will be times where in a month where I will buy a lot of stuff, and then I will go for four or five months and buy very little.

I find the more thoroughly I think thru my buying decisions using my above criteria, the less likely I am to overspend.

Penny, several people, in this thread and on other posts, have said that when they buy things on sale, they often get items that might be a 7 or 8 for them instead of a 10. Why do you think that is? To me, if it isn't right, it isn't right. The fun in getting something on sale is, I admit, the unevenness of the exchange, that i get something great for less I would normally pay. When I do this with a company known for its fair trade policy, I know I'm being logically inconsistent; I'm more likely to pay full price for that or for eco-friendly things than for other items. It might be something I already have a bunch of, or that I won't wear a lot, but if it is poorly made, or uncomfortable fabric, or so trendy it won't last a season, then I don't want it, even for free. Can you explain the thinking behind getting a soso object just because it's on sale?

Grace, did you ever wear the shoes? To me, there is a huge difference between buying for a fantasy life and buying for a realistic future need, especially if money will be tighter in the future.

Although there may be a number of reasons, I think people may be more willing to settle when seeing a good price, perhaps because the satisfaction of the sale offsets the doubts about the product. Now, I'm with you - it's nice if I can get a piece on sale, but I'll pay full price happily if needed to get the right item.

fashiontern. As to the wedges, I have worn them many times. On the flats, I have just started wearing them, and the reason is I had another pair of flats like them, but the pair started to wear down, so I disposed of them.

Grace, got it! I thought you were giving that as an example of "bad shopping" but I see I mis "heard".

Penny, happily? I'll pay full price happily only if I'm reasonably confident that money is going where I want it to. I'm resistant enough to prices that simply sales don't do it for me--still has to be a good item. I can see something I really like, right fabric, well made, etc, then see the price and walk away. Otoh, if something doesn't look good to begin with, a sales price isn't going to get me interested.

Fashiontern, your approach makes sense to me. If the price is within reason and the item is right, the presence or lack of a sale doesn't factor much into my purchases these days. Although if I see the same item at a lower price within a few weeks, I often do a swap or get a price adjustment.