First Purchase of 2017 eta: link - YouLookFab Forum

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First Purchase of 2017 eta: link

Staysfit

Veteran

I bought socks! My favorite merino wool Wolford knee high trouser socks are wearing out and getting holes after 2-3 years of use. I love them because they are thin, warm and soft. I tried to find them in December but they were not available, but Happy Day! I checked the website after another old pair developed a hole and they are back! I ordered 6 replacement pairs. They're expensive at $49/pair. They're on my basics list, so they don't count in my budget. It seems a bit like cheating right? Spending ~$300 and not counting it? What kind of accounting is this? Am I delusional? In any case, a package is on its way to me and my feet are happy! :-). http://www.wolfordshop.com/tig.....color=7005

(The link shows black, I purchased anthracite)
Do you have favorite socks? How many pairs do you keep handy?

Shopping

20 replies

Latest reply was from Jaime

Bijou

Veteran

I think of $ per wear and also joy per wear with items like this. If these socks last 2-3 years, then the $ per wear is probably not too bad at all. My favourite socks are by Katmandu, so not quite so expensive at about $20 a pair, they last well and I love them. My guilty basic is lovely underwear and I do justify it because a well fitting bra makes me comfortable and if it happens to be pretty as well, then why not add a little bit of joy into the mix!

Sisi

Veteran

Well done! I also have to renew my battered collection of socks. It is something that I traditionally do at the beginning of the year, after the traditional end-of-year straightening of the messy underwear drawer (not that I do it only once a year - I do it every two-three months and anyway always at the end of December). Like you, I always buy a bunch of 6 socks. I generally buy cheap ones but recently I was thinking that I would like to find a better brand.

Style Fan

Veteran

It doesn't sound like cheating to me. You were looking for the socks last year. And they are socks. I have not tried Wolford socks. They sound wonderful. I am always looking for warm but thin socks. I wear smart wool socks. I like the thin ones except when it is really cold.
Every since menopause I can't stand knee high socks. I only wear ankle socks. And I hate having things around my neck.

Anonymous

I am glad you found what you were looking for. Having a solid foundation in your wardrobe is crucial to getting dressed. I DO think socks are important.

Socks are an oddity to me. I want to own and wear nice socks, but during the long summer I go sockless. So what I own during the winter is meager (and kinda cheap). No thought whatsoever goes into buying them. They just "are."

kkards

Veteran

well....if they are hard to find, and you are truely replacing worn out items....free pass!

Chris987

Veteran

Socks are important! How you count the cost is up to you...you know exactly how much you spent and why, which does not sound like cheating at all I have a large collection of noname black wool ankle socks, some heavier smartwool, and a few others. Some weeks ago i found some mid-lightweight Icebrekaer black wool socks at TJmaxx and remembered them being recommended by a few fabbers so I bought all 6 pairs that they had. They are really nice, soft, comfy, warm. They were marked "irregular, cosmetic flaws only" or similar but one has already developed a hole but I'm still happy to have bought them. New socks always feel so good, both figuratively and literally, don't they!

LaPed

Veteran

As a Vermonter, I'm a Darn Tough devotee. I have running socks for summer, boot and ski socks for winter, and some casual ones with cute patterns too. Very much like Smartwool, but IME more durable. For knee socks I like Viyella. Like Wolford, they're somewhat pricy but they're almost indestructible. I have two pairs. I don't wear knee socks as much as I used to.

I used to have a lot of cheap random socks (and a lot of cotton --ugh -- I can't wear cotton socks anymore, the clamminess!). Over the past few years I've "curated" my sock collection and I'm very happy with it now.

harmonica

Veteran

Enjoy your socks! Socks are basics and you need them. CPW will be low, so great to have your feet covered the next 2-3 years! It's not cheating as long as this money is not in conflict with basic needs such as food, electricity etc.

I have a variaty of wool sock, from thin to heavy, low cut to high, expensive to inexpensive. They all serve their purpose. I read a post by Angie about socks and underwear which inspired me to do a real cleanup some years ago. Today I like my socks drawer.

cindysmith

Veteran

Socks for both DH & myself, bandanas for him, knit hats for him, underwear for both of us....

Things like that totally don't count as 'clothing' purchases in our house. Those are some of those necessary things that wear out/get lost and just have to be replaced. For that matter, I'd say his work clothes almost don't count, as brick masons do wear out clothes really really fast; all that sand and lime and such is terrible for clothes and boots. I only started really thinking about socks last year, and requested some good thick warm wool blend socks for my birthday (a serious cold front with ice was coming) and DH ordered me several pairs of nice ones with a lifetime guarantee from Bass pro shop, as well as some thinner ones for wearing with boots in summertime. I think they're all the proprietary natural reflections line. I also grabbed a Woolrich pair one day that were in a fun pink and purple color scheme, and one pair of h&m l.o.g.g. ones because they had a fun fair isle thing going on. While I do like the h&m ones fine, it's the lifetime guarantee ones and the Woolrich ones I keep returning to time and again this winter.

So kudos to you for keeping your feet happy. I'm one of those people that believes in investing in the stuff that goes between me and the ground: shoes/socks, mattress, tires...

BrieN

Veteran

I purchase bulk sport socks at Costco, which is good because they all match but can be a problem because they all wear out at about the same time. You know when you can actually hear the elastic breaking when you put them on? Your post is a good reminder for me to put those on my shopping list for next month.

eta: I am curious though, if your socks aren't a part of your clothing budget how do you budget for them? Do you have a line item for necessities? or for general clothing for everyone in your household you buy for?

Having hashed it out with DH, my clothing budget is larger than his because "I am wearing almost $100 worth of clothing before I even decide what I"m wearing for the day" (bra, stockings/tights/cami, etc etc) It's my line and I'm sticking to it.

Lisa

Veteran

I do, I am a big fan of the Smartwool line. They make two styles and the one without the padded bottoms are my everyday socks, the other style is best for hiking or outdoorsy things.

SmartWool Women's Margarita

https://www.amazon.com/Smartwo.....F8&am

El Cee

Veteran

My feet are ALWAYS hot... so I almost never wear socks with my "house shoes" (loafers or ballet flats). If I am heading out and putting on booties/boot, I pop on some trouser socks (usually HUE). I have a few heavy pairs of Smartwool socks from EMS for outdoor sports or extra cold days. I rarely need to wear them. My husband, who works outdoors, swears by Filson heavyweight merino wool socks this time of year. They keep his feet toasty warm.

JAileen

Veteran

I wear hiking socks from REI every day. I have around 10 pairs. I originally bought them for my Salomon hiking shoes, but they also fit most of my boots. I like them because they don't stretch out, don't fall down, etc. Since I wear jeans every day, they're part of my uniform.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

ALWAYS good to have an excellent selection of wardrobe basics. Enjoy your new socks. Can you post a link to them?

Sara L.

Veteran

I have so many pairs of socks I can't even count them. I have a huge drawer of socks - fun socks, fluffy socks, workout socks, plain black/white socks, patterned socks, ankle socks, knee high socks, etc. I could go on and on. Going through my sock drawer is on my chore list. I have so many that I don't usually wear them out.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I would love to try these socks. I usually wear Smartwool but I do find they wear out on me quickly and so it is time I tried another brand as well. It could be that my daily wear is like most people's "hiking" wear -- I suppose I can't blame the sock for that!

I don't think this is cheating at all. You need socks. They are a basic and they don't count as "fashion" per se.

Karie

(website)

Veteran

It all comes out of the same budget for me, so it would be cheating! I have thought about having a separate budget for essentials, which would also be a good idea as they can get costly.

That said, they do sound like nice warm socks for our cold winters!

shedev

Veteran

I don't count foundational things like socks in my wardrobe budget. I just buy as needed. Your wool socks sound pretty amazing.

Staysfit

Veteran

http://www.wolfordshop.com/tig.....color=7005

Here's a link to my socks per Angie's request. I like the Anthracite color.

La Pedestrienne, I recently purchased some Darn Tough socks as part of my gear capsule and really like them a lot. So far they seem durable and soft like the Wolfords and I am likely to add more over time. Mine are a pretty fuschia color which adds to their positive features!

The CPW for these socks works out to less than 0.50/wear which is negligible in my budget. My DH and I decided not to specifically set aside money in the budget for items with CPW that worked out to $1/day or less over their lifetime. We selected items that get heavy wear like gear and undergarments, and items with high longevity like shoes, boots, coats and handbags for this list. Also we created lists of our basics which might require replenishing if worn. Even though these items aren't specifically included in the budget, there is enough leeway in our finances to allow for their purchase when needed without a specific budget category. Maybe it would fall under misc. in most budgets.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Socks can make or break a day. Makes sense to me.