Shopping Budget

[SuzySunshine]

So the shopping on a budget comment has come up a few times. What is a typical monthly clothing budget? I have no money built into my monthly budget for clothes, if I see something I like and I can squeeze the money out I might buy it. What should a person spend on clothes per month or season before they're done with training.

[DCJenn]

During training? I spent as little as I needed to to look professional and have a few fun weekend outfits (my vintage thing helped out a lot).

Now that training is done? I'm slowly replacing critical items at this point but can see a full on Shop heading my way soon.

Jenn

[Vishenka69]

I don't really have a shopping budget per se. I probably spend about $500 a month on clothes/shoes for DH and I. That number goes up if I stop by Bloomies during that month. If I have an outlet trip planned, I try not to spend anything the prior month and accumulate two months budget for the trip.

My motto is to buy something when it's on sale not when I need it. So if I see a pair of jeans in my size on the sales rack, I'll try them on. If they fit, I buy. If I wait until I need a new pair of jeans, there is a very good chance the ones I like will be full price. Therefore, if I wait until I need something, I'll end up spending more money.

[Vanquisher]

I don't really have a shopping budget per se. I probably spend about $500 a month on clothes/shoes for DH and I.

[Vishenka69]

Heidi, don't forget that we have 2 incomes, no house and no kids. What you spend on your kids, goes to my shopping budget.

[Vanquisher]

I don't spend that much on my kids. Oh the shame!!!

$500 is the clothing budget for the whole family for a year. About $50 of that is usually mine.

Our monthly budget

Mortgage - 1100
Debt (CC) - 1200
Utilities - 400
Phone/tv/internet/entertainment- 170
food - 500-800
misc - the rest (and not so much)

[Amiens]

I don't spend that much on my kids. Oh the shame!!!

$500 is the clothing budget for the whole family for a year. About $50 of that is usually mine.

I have to say the same here, and I wear my clothes out until I can no longer mend them, which is why I spend $500 on myself every 3 or 4 years. I don't even spend $500 a year on the whole family.

[Vishenka69]

Yup, what Lily said. Don't forget that I go to work and have to wear a different outfit every day. Plus since I make as much as DH (how laughable is that), that doubles the amount you get to play with. Although our rent is same as your mortgage.

[Stella]

I spend anywhere from $0 to $150/month on clothing/shoes/accessories. I don't have a lot of extra money to play with most of the time, so I haven't gotten anything new in... a while. Money's all relative - I don't think there can be such a thing as a uniform shopping budget.

[mommax3]

I have probably spent $500 on clothes in the past 7 months (since August, when I went back to teaching) and that is the most I have ever spent in my life. I don't have a budget per se, but DH likes me to let him know if I think I am going to be spending money on clothes during a certain pay period, and if so, how much I think I will be spending. To me, that kind of takes the fun out of it, but I know it helps him plan. I am much more of an impulse shopper at heart, but the truth is, when you don't ever go shopping, you don't ever see stuff and get impulses, so I guess it all works out! It is so odd to me that we have more money than we have ever had and I shop less than I ever have. I think of things every once in a while that I could use or would like, but I really don't have time to go looking for them, and even though I live on the outskirts of a good-sized city, I have to drive surprisingly far to get to any good shopping. Driving 45 minutes one way to shop for several hours and then come back home is not going to be fitting into my schedule any time soon.....good thing there is a small J.Jill, Coldwater Creek, J.C. Penney, and Kohl's about 15 minutes away. If I can't find what I am after at any of those places, I go without.

Shopping was definitely easier to come by in big cities in TX!

Sally

[DCJenn]

I think since we got Nikolai, my personal shopping took a back seat. I mean if you have 20 bucks and a kid who is getting wedgies from his too small clothes, the kid gets the new clothes.

But, I must say, I went on a bit of a Target spree today, thanks to the various threads.

I bought the very shoes that were recommended for Heidi- and another pair of wedge type shoes. I bought several nice knit tops (almost t-shirts but not) and three skirts. (one linen and two cotton). I bought new underwear, a new bra, and two new jogging bras.

I bought all higher necked shirts because after my skin cancer scare, I don't need to expose any more skin to any more damage than I already have over the past 40 summers.

I also bought a lot of clothes on Lucy.com today- three pairs of running shorts, two pairs of long shorts, two long sleeved t-shirts (see skin cancer, above) and two more jogging bras.

oh, I also bought the dude an entire new spring/summer wardrobe of size 3t clothes. His 2ts are becoming high waters although they're still mostly fitting around the stomach. (he has a washboard stomach at 3. I've never had a washboard stomach)

The daddy got nothing because- well, they're only allowed one set of civilian clothes so he can take something he already has.

Jenn

[Rapunzel]

Right now I buy clothing twice a year for a huge growing boy, twin girls, and a toddler girl. I threw away the girl clothes after the pre-schooler because I wasn't thinking clearly obviously. So, the pre-schooler gets the twins hand-me-downs and the toddler should be into hand-me-downs by this winter.

So, purchasing clothing for four children, and shoes for five costs me around $400 in the spring and about $600 in the fall. That jump in price in the fall covers all of the winter gear (coats, hats, boots, gloves, sweaters) for all of the kids who don't have a hand-me-down of those items.

I'd say then, overall I'm looking at a yearly budge of $1,000 for five little people (breaks down to $200/child/year IF it were evenly distributed - which it is not because of hand-me-downs).

For myself? That varies. When the seasons change I reassess what's in my closet and act accordingly. This last year I mostly bought pants because, oddly enough, I seemed to only have a couple of pair!

[houseelf]

Oh I don't budget, I just keep myself from going to the mall except for maybe once a quarter. I have to admit that not spending money on things for which money is not specifically earmarked makes me feel frivolous.

Paging Suze Orman!

Kelly

[Vishenka69]

I have to admit that not spending money on things for which money is not specifically earmarked makes me feel frivolous.

My shopping money is build into the monthly budget.

[alison]

I just spent 175 at Ann Taylor. Another 100 at Eddie Bauer for t-shirts and blouses for spring. 100 copay on new glasses frames. And am planning on another 100 or so for shoes. Within 2 days' time.

I do this about 3 times/year. Usually in a panic when I need something to wear for a specific occasion.

I think dh spends more on clothes than I do. He changes into scrubs right away at work, but he can't get his/Vishenka's European self-respecting self to go in what most people go to work in (sweats, jeans). He does the whole ironed khakis, dress shirts.