I've been studious avoiding this thread. I've been way over budget recently.
But I'm single and have no dependents.
Need to check out the other thread on shopping your closet.

I think this thread has had more posts than any other thread I've started here on YLF

Speaking for myself, it's not actually the financial aspect of it, because I can afford it and still have money to save, travel, etc., and I'm single, have no dependents, and no debt of any sort. It's also a bit symptomatic of some sort of Puritan mentality, that I shouldn't be so wasteful and buy so many clothes that I don't *need* (often I purchased these things because I enjoy shopping), and also that maybe the money might have been better spent on some other things, like say, books, traveling, etc., which might have given more long-lasting joy/knowledge/experience.

Scarlet: to a certain extent your surmise is true, but to a larger extent it's just more that I've gotten more into trendy fashion and thus am more frequently seeing things that catch my eye!

Kristen and Taylor: For me personally, I like having just one credit card that gives me cash back (literal cash into my savings account), rather than a credit card which would give me dollars that I could use at a store...but it seems like the store specific credit cards work well for you.

and by the way, I definitely plan in indulging in some tweed shorts, though I'm hoping I can find a pair cheaper than the Sanctuary pair (even at the sale price)...

Hi there Crazyone......one disturbing theme in this thread is how most of us feel guilty about getting ourselves things. Men don't. Why is that ?? ( A question for another thread. )

Somewhere along the line, we have been passively taught that to care about our looks or how we dress is vain and selfish. ( My in-laws feel that way , though they are all artists - funny, how we don't equate creativity and beauty and self-expression with dressing). This brings me to your comment about how you should probably spend your time on "experiences", like reading a book, or traveling. Well, allow me to say that choosing clothes and putting them together and enjoying how you wear them IS an experience ! AJ, on this site, does it so beautifully. For her, it is not about the actual acquisition - which is not an experience in my book- but the process of finding, examining, mixing, putting it on her mannequin, considering the texutures, colors, prints.....oh, how wonderful an experience.

I LOVE reading and learning ( I am not a fan of travel, but I have been fortunate to have done alot of it, including a 14 day trip to the Amazon, where I camped in the forest ) and let me tell you that I enjoy the experience of this site and the boundaries it helps to me push and think about, just as much as anything else.
( I am off now to take my meds...........just kidding )

ENJOY IT while you have no other responsibilities and it doesn't harm your future.

( If you ever get the chance, read Open and Clothed by J Siegel...it is a wonderful book that address all of this. Read it while wearing your tweed shorts ! )

You know, I am definitely not going to add up what I've spent this year LOL Primarily because a lot of it has been at thrift stores and I always just use my loose change there so never really think too much about it.

I do know that I have spent a lot more lately than in the past say 10 years - but part of that is due to me finally putting myself as a priority - I really did need new clothes as I had very little, and any money I am spending these days is well thought out, (well, mostly!), so I'm not guilty about it at all.

I only have a very small income, but I figure if I'm covering everything else and need clothing to wear, I refuse to feel guilty.

Also, most of my clothing budget is purely for me - my daughters are inundated with hand-me-downs from friends so besides their school uniforms, they need very little.

Those of you with a separate card for clothing - I really like that idea - that way when I do my fortnightly budget, I could just transfer the $$ there regardless of if I spend it or not that particular fortnight. You have me thinking!!!!

Crazyone, we do have a cashback-reward card for all our regular purchases (groceries, gas, gifts, dining, etc) but I got a store card (and it is a Mastercard so it's not just for the one store) to separate out the clothing from the regular stuff. I don't always have time every month to balance my budget so separating out the cards (and see below for my second part of the plan) is a fast way to automatically track totals.

Theresa, I also have separate savings accounts for each credit card, and I transfer the amount due as the month goes along. That way when the bill is due I can just transfer it back to my checking account and pay it in full, but it's not one big shock at the end of the cycle. It is yet another to manage a budget without having to fill out an Excel sheet or look at pie charts. If my checking account is getting low mid-month because I have had to transfer more than usual over to the savings accounts, that means I need to rein it in for the rest of the month...

Kristen, that's impressive financial organization and you've made it sound very do-able.