That's a good question Alaskagirl....very thought provoking, I've enjoyed reading all the responses. On the simplest level, we most likely all have way more than we truly need, and most items are wants. But of course, we're not really talking about that. I definitely try to keep my clothing purchases to a minimum. I really do not like having too many duplicates, so I would only own one moto jacket and it would probably be black. But I realize not everyone feels the same way!
I think I tend to look at my clothing purchases in terms of opportunity cost. I am lucky enough that both DH and I make a good salary and can afford most of what we "want". But we do prioritize things and for example right now one of our main goals is to pay the mortgage off, and on schedule to be done in about 4.5 years. So that takes a huge percentage of our money! I could technically allocate a lot of money each month to buying clothes, but the truth is I only shop for them probably twice a year. And when I do buy clothing I tend to agonize over it and wonder if I "need" it or the money can be better used on any number of things: mortgage, kids college funds, emergency savings, etc.
I don't know if you've seen my other post about the huge haul of clothes I bought. There was a lot of agonizing that went into that. I am at a point where I feel I need quite a few items. I have a fairly empty wardrobe, even for me, so I did set out to buy a lot. But I find myself still cruising some sites, trying to decide on a few last pieces. I think I may just be in the shopping mode now, and not really in need of much else. I will have to see once all my clothes arrive and I start to put together outfits.
So I guess for me it's about not having too many clothes and too many duplicates, because one can only wear so much. It's about the opportunity cost: if I buy so much clothes, could I have better used that money somewhere else? And in order to keep myself on track I tend to keep out of the mall, I usually only shop for my own clothing in Montreal or Halifax when we visit family (our mall here sucks, so that helps). I try to keep off the shopping sites when I am not in need of anything, because I can always find items I LOVE, but I'm sure there are millions that I've missed that I would have loved, but I never knew it!
