Determining a reasonable clothing budget

Sorry if this has been discussed. I did some searches and found discussions on living within budgets, but not how to determine one. I never set money aside for clothing shopping in the past. As a result I felt kind of guilty about even modest purchases. No wonder I looked kind of shabby!

My husband and I talked about it and decided we should make clothing part of our budget. I added up what I spent in the last six months and it was about $150-200. Maybe another $100 for my husband. I don't think that's quite enough.

I know we come from a wide range of backgrounds so there isn't a right or wrong answer, but can you give me an idea of what you consider reasonable to spend? I was thinking of $75-100 (US) a month to be shared between me and my husband. I'll spend more than he does, so that gives me about $50-75 a month, with another $25 a month towards hair care for a total of $100-125. Is that reasonable? Too low? It would come from a larger amount of money we're currently saving, so it's within our means.

I have a decent working wardrobe at this point, but my clothes are starting to wear out without replacements. So I need some room to buy a few more pieces and especially shoes more frequently. I tend to run shoes into the ground, probably because they're the most expensive item.

Do you mind sharing how you determined your budget? Do you budget by month or allow a larger amount in the spring and fall? Or do you not budget at all and either shop freely or scrounge from somewhere and feel guilty like I did?

16 years ago

Queen Mum

Veteran

I say give it a whirl- try it for a few months and see if you're able to keep your wardrobe in reasonable shape with that ammount. If it is working for you, great, if not try adding 25-50 per month and see if that helps. I'm thinking that if you have a good stable wardrobe in place, you are probably in the ballpark of what could work. (although you won't be buying designer bags and shoes) If you are in dire need of everything, you might need to set aside a bit more to get you started and then move to "wardrobe maintenance" with your $100 per month.

Others might disagree, but I really don't think I could outfit both my husband and I on $75 a month- $100 sounds a bit more reasonable.

Kristine

Thanks queenie! I'm discovering a lot of guilt about clothing, as if it's frivolous or a non-necessity. I guess in the strictest terms it is, but so are many things we spend money on. I'm glad to hear $100 isn't excessive, in fact fairly modest.

Sorry for the long post, I guess I was thinking out loud. I could have written "do you think $75-100 is a reasonable clothing budget?".

chewyspaghetti

I'm the queen of cheap. I have a certain amount of money to run the house each week. Whatever is left over is my clothing budget. I don't think that $100 a month is excessive at all, though. That's one decent pair of shoes, or two less expensive items.

medusa

Kristine, it varies so much that no one can say what's right for you. I've been spending quite a bit more than you per month while working to basically totally rebuild my wardrobe. That works for me because I can afford it and this is a priority for me right now. Now that I have most of my basic items purchased, I'll be cutting back quite a bit. If $75-100 works for your overall economic situation, that's a great place to start. Like Kim says, you can adjust in a few months.

garmenta

Active Member

If you're on a tight budget, there are places to look that will stretch your clothing dollar a lot.
1) You can check the sale racks (or the online equivalent) at your favorite retailers, and watch retailmenot.com for coupons.
2) You can haunt discounters like TJMaxx and Burlington Coat Factory, or the online versions, like smartbargains.com and overstock.com. Not to mention retailers like Target, Kohls, and Walmart, where you can do especially well when things are on sale.
3) You can buy at resale--I'd suggest starting with an upscale consignment shop, but as you get savvier, you can test the waters on eBay, and if you have the patience, even check out thrift shops like Savers and Goodwill.

The Budget Fashionista has a website dedicated to spending less and getting more in terms of fashion. That might be worth a look, too.

agrace

Kristine, I for one will never tire of this topic! it is something I think about constantly and love that you brought it up because I never have any idea what other people do in this regards. $100 is more or less what I end up spending a month on clothes for myself and 1 or more members of the rest of the family. I never know if that is excessive or if it is ridiculously low. I realize that this is a completely personal thing and every person/ family only knows what is best for them but I love to learn about how others budget clothing into their lives and what works for them. All of that said, I am a confessed bargain-holic. I get a high so to speak for finding things at really good prices. I do not mind waiting for sales and for end of season markdowns and then incorporating this seasons items into next season. I'm also not working outside of the home right now so my clothing needs are not as high as perhaps someone who is in an office, such as when I worked in sales and had to dress up every day. Then my budget was much higher.

So, long story short - great question and I look forward to hearing other people share their thoughts!

Thanks for the responses! I'm definitely a bargain shopper, so $100 will go a long way for me. The thought of guilt-free shopping is really exciting! I don't know where the guilt comes from, definitely not from my husband. I just never built it into the budget or considered it a necessity. Kind of ridiculous when I think about it.

RoseandJoan

My budget is low due to necessity at the moment, a £30.00 personal allowance is all that I can afford through the recession, although I'm not moaning as my position is by no means dire. I have to admit my lack of budget is sometimes frustrating but I'm slowly building a wardrobe which functions and I'm proud of my restraint.

I agree with the others about reassessing your budget on a regular basis and if you have a good month financially remember to treat yourself.

Here's to your first month of guilt free pleasurable shopping.

Louise

You're all so wonderfully organised. In my sensible months i have a 'treat' budget of £100 ish however some months this goes out the window and i crib a bit from the money i'm supposed to save!!!! This isn't dire though as i still live with my parents so no financial constraints. I do somethimes feel a bit guilty but in the past i've had such problems finding things that fit that i hate to pass on clothes which fit and look great. I'm guessing it's a cycle thing cause at the moment my mum's having that problem and i find loads of stuff so hopefully i'll be in the same position soon!!!

Jean Gray

I'm glad you posted this Kristine. I've been wondering this myself. I'm afraid our budget is going to be experiencing growing pains: as in my growing realization of the clothes we really need! The more I learn the more I realize we need to make our (whole family's)wardrobe more of a priority and part of the budget. Up till now it's been last minute shopping trips for whatever comes up. So I'm trying to figure out how to adapt our budget to this just like you. It will also take some mental adjustment because we are also in the habit of looking at clothing as a bit of a luxury.

Dawn

(website)

My budget is quite low as well at the moment as my masters funding was quite poor this year (damn recession!) so I am going to have to stick to a budget for the next few months. I'm thinking of either sticking to a certain amount (lets say €50 a month maximum or changing my shopping habits to only buying one high quality item of clothing a month so that at the end of the year, I have bought 12 fantastic items of clothing by the end of the year.

Vani

If you don't mind not participating in seasonal trends, I think $75-$100 will work out well. I spent a bit more last year than I did normally but that is because I was almost starting from scratch. I edited my wardrobe and found many low-priced items I had bought over time never lasted long and ended up looking old and shabby in no time. I was able to afford to upgrade my wardrobe but I still had to mentally give myself permission to spend a little more on the good stuff. But I am proud to say that most of the items I did buy, I did not pay full price for. If you can take a little extra time to make use of coupons and scour the sales racks and online sales, you should be able to get some good, solid wardrobe basics/workhorses.

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