Each month, I consistently spend more shopping than I do refueling mine and the emperor’s cars. I have a 45 minute commute to work, which I travel approximately 57% of the days of the week. Granted, the empire owns two small automobiles one being a hybrid, but when it comes to my wardrobe, it consistently trumps fuel by an Andrew Jackson.
What is your shopping budget equivalent to: an album on iTunes? your utilities bill? your family’s grocery budget?
Feed me fashionably fresh
The whole family….100 bucks. Every month. Sometimes less. Maybe that’s why I look like I do??? :o) Hmmmm, what’s that equivalent to? Cell phone and land line bills combined. Bingo. And bummer, all at the same time………..someday.
It varies if looking at the whole family–August is particularly high due to school clothes shopping. If you are looking a just my clothes, then maybe $30 a month. For my b-day I often get gift cards to my fav clothing place and then a use that to get quality items. I just spent a $100 gift card on a new Easter skirt. (Thanks Mom!)
i like to think in terms of what an outfit would cost at anthropologie (sans shoes). for our family of 5 for the whole year, our budget is the equivalent of about 4 (maybe 5) outfits. maybe that is why i have resorted to making myself skirts out of mike’s pants. 🙂
Alas, my clothing becomes more and more of a weakness…but I shop seasonally rather than graze. so it’s a bigger number. Although I do pick up a piece every here and there. So, seasonally, I’d say roughly, um…4 x a monthly car payment. If I divide evenly over the year, I guess it’s a weekly grocery trip each month.
My dear husband pays for his own clothing (and I’m sure spends MUCH less), and, as we’re not blessed with little ones, that about covers it.
For me, my shopping budget is about equal to my car payment. Obviously I have a relatively small car payment. I tend to shop in small bits rather than do it all in one fell swoop. I also shop for my children 97.8% of the time. I mean, who can resist $3.99 shorts purchased in October when you know they can be put away until next summer, AND they will only be worn for a single season? Despite my tactics, at least my children are well-dressed (even if I am not).
The gas bill. Unless its the weekend of the patagonia outlet sale here in salt lake. then it’s more like the hubbies car bill.
Oh yikes, I would say my monthly shopping budget is around $500 – 700 dollars. I have been trying to “tighten” up, but alas it has not yet happened. Shopping is my hobby and I take it VERY seriously. Although I do shop less in the warmer months of the midwestern frozen tundra simply because I can be outside.
We never shop for clothes. We have a bad habit of eating out and can’t bring ourselves to spend money on things we actually need, like haircuts or new clothes. I usually use birthday or Christmas money to expand my wardrobe.
I want desperately to shop for clothes, but it just discourages me. Alas, I am a pear, and so nothing fits me correctly. I also have a hard time spending that kind of money on myself. I haven’t bought something nice for myself to wear in, at the very least, a year.
Double my food budget. But that’s being young and single.
I try and limit myself to $50 a month. We never really set the budget but I lost weight and clothes are my little treat..though I know many spend more than that..and some of that goes to excersize wear which isn’t as fun. I shop outlets, Target and JC Penny, thrift stores, and If theres a good price on something I’ll modify it to make it right.
The kids get roughly $200 each in the fall, another $100 worth at Christmas, and a few summer things and swimsuit in may or June.
I know people say cheap clothes don’t last or are a waste, but my budget wouldn’t go very far any other way. My hubby hates getting new clothes and probably spends $100 a year when forced.
$300 a month for the whole family, but I consistently go over — at least I am consistent. 🙂
I second Bekah!! As a pear I find that my taste doesn’t usually match my figure and I give up before finding anything I love. Since I refuse to buy something that I don’t love, it means I don’t buy much.
For my daughter however, it’s probably equivalent to my phone bill every month.
It’s far more that it should be… probably at least $150 each month… I love clothes entirely too much!
So far this year I have spent about 200 dollars on clothes, (for all of us)and 100 was at anthropologie. But I make a lot of our clothes, so if you factor fabric into the clothes budget, it might be a little more. (but not much). That and I “let” the grandmas buy a lot of the clothes for my children. 🙂
Hmm..about equal to my natural gas bill?
Also–I was surfing blogs yesterday and found a guest post you wrote somewhere about motherhood/infertility. My dear friend is struggling with this (has been for many years) and I wanted to send her a link, but darn it I can’t find it now! Would you point me in the right direction, pretty please?
Oh gosh. I don’t even know. I usually just buy clothes for my baby. I can some how rationalize her need much easier than mine. I maybe do about $30 a month on myself. Maybe, that’s why I always look a rag bag. When I buy clothes, it’s usaully just for Sunday and Friday night dates with my husband, since I can’t seem to part with my jeans and t-shirts on weekdays. I stay at home with my baby, so why would I want to wear something nice when she loves to wipe her dirty little hands, nose, feet, etc.. on everything and aything.
Lately, I have been dressing up my everyday attire with a pretty, vintage-inspired apron. It makes me feel beautiful.
It is ridiculous what I will buy for 3 girls (who grow out of clothes and never wear anything out except for the occasional stain) and won’t spend on myself. So, I have made a decision to start allotting some dough (maybe $100-$200 or so a month for a couple months) to pick up a few non-disposable clothing items – mostly tops. I buy the girlies a mish mash of things from Target to Gap and when I buy for myself at Target/Wal-Mart/Payless I am always disappointed. In my younger professional pre-children days I indulged at Ann Taylor. That was my weakness. I have decided I am again worth spending money on quality so I am again giving it a line item!
my husband is in residency and will be doing a fellowship after this. we’ve been on a shoe string for years & our budget for clothes is nothing. everthing i have has been given to me, the same goes for my 3 litle girls. maybe every couple of months i’ll buy them a dress at target.
i would love ideas on looking stylish without buying stuff? i know that’s probably impossible, but it can get dis-heartening not being able to go out and buy stuff to make myself look great. but then, i don’t want to feel like i have to buy stuff to look great.
i love your blog and i’d love a post for the “use what you have” crowd 🙂
thanks! courtney
I’m a penny pincher in every area of life but have recently found that I like shopping at department stores over outlet/discount stores. I’ll search the online shops frequently and have set prices I am willing to pay for items. For this reason my budget is meager but the returns are large. J. Crew jeans are a MUST but only at a clearance price of $25 max. The man dropped 1k on two suits last month so we don’t go without but I can’t spend much buck without a big bang.
I might start spending a little more now that I’ve found your blog.
It depends. I am in graduate school so when I was working as a research assistant I would use that money on clothes for me. However, now I am now interning for free and I have no money, and very little work appropriate clothing. If anyone knows where I can get professional clothes on a budget let me know. I am a law clerk, and I have no idea what I going to wear besides my one suit.