How To Stop Spending Money on Clothes
Looking for ways to stop spending money on clothes?
If Confessions of a Shopaholic reads more like your own life story than a fun fiction novel, then you may be wondering if it’s time to cut back on your shopping habit.
Luckily there are plenty of things you can do if you are wondering how to stop spending money on clothes.
The best place to start with cutting back on your clothes spending is to set a budget and find ways that will help you stick with it.
This article is going to show you exactly how to curb your clothes spending addiction – no it doesn’t mean you can never treat yourself again! Read on to find out how.
Signs you’re spending too much money on clothes
You’re reading this, which means you may already know you’re overspending on clothes, but let’s look at some of the signs that mean you are shopping too much:
- You keep your new clothes secret or pretend they were gifted/on sale
- There are multiple items you’ve worn just once, or even never, in your wardrobe
- You regularly purchase on the spur of the moment
- Shopping gives you a big rush that gives way to regret not long after
- You’re overdrawn every month
- You aren’t saving any money, or aren’t saving enough to meet your savings goals
Any of these familiar? Read on to find out what you can do about it.
How much should you spend per month on clothes
Data suggests that UK spenders fork out less than 3% of their take home pay on clothes.
The average household spend on clothes and shoes is £14.50 per week, according to the latest data from the ONS.
That works out at £62.35 per month.
The average UK take home wage is £640 per week, or £33,262 a year.
So taking that figure means we can very roughly work out that people spend an average of 2.2% of their take home pay on clothes.
This is much less than the 5% of your budget that financial planner Pete Dunn suggests should be budgeted for clothes.
However it’s important to note that it’s not so much a matter of what you “should” spend on clothes, but more what you can afford.
For example if you are focused on saving as much as possible so you can buy a bigger home then maybe you should cut clothes spending down to essentials only.
While you may need to buy your kids two or three new pairs of shoes a year, you don’t need to buy the new must-have dress for summer when there’s already a wardrobe full of them.
What to budget for clothes
Let’s say you allow yourself a budget of 3% of your earnings on clothes. What would that look like on your salary?
| ANNUAL SALARY | MONTHLY TAKE HOME | MONTHLY CLOTHING BUDGET (3%) | ANNUAL SPEND ON CLOTHES |
|---|---|---|---|
| £18,000 | £1355 | £40.65 | £487.80 |
| £20,000 | £1470 | £44.10 | £529.20 |
| £25,000 | £1750 | £52.50 | £630 |
| £30,000 | £2035 | £61.05 | £732.60 |
| £40,000 | £2600 | £78 | £936 |
| £50,000 | £3170 | £95.10 | £1141.20 |
| £60,000 | £3655 | £109 | £1308 |
| £80,000 | £4620 | £138.60 | £1663.20 |
Use this table as a rough guide to how much you should be spending, based roughly on the national average spend on new clothes.
How to stop shopping
Take a wardrobe stock take
Remove every item of clothing you own from your wardrobe and try the items on.
This is a good opportunity to both have a clear out, sell your clothes for cash and to realise the lovely items that you already have!
Sell the stuff you don’t want to keep on apps such as Vinted – this app is great because you won’t be charged for the postage!
Set a budget
Calculate what you can afford to spend on clothes and stick with that budget.
One thing that may help is to have a clothing essentials budget – which is for the stuff that you have to buy like new school uniform for the kids.
Then other items of clothing can go into the “for fun” budget. This should be an amount that you can afford, after having fulfilled all other essential commitments such as your mortgage, bills and savings.
A good rule for budgeting if you’re just getting started is to try the 50/30/20 rule.
Under this straightforward concept you put 50% of your earnings towards essentials – such as food and bills – 30% for wants and 20% for savings.
Your non-essential clothing budget would fall into your 30% category – which would also cover stuff like days and meals out, new things for your home and treats.
To get started write down all of your income and all of your outgoings – calculating how much you spend on everything, including in the supermarket each month and on things like hair and beauty and takeout coffees.
Next prioritise your essential spending, and decide what you would like to save each month to meet your savings goals.
Then you can figure out how much you have for wants, and calculate how clothing can fall in this budget.
Decide how you will stick to your budget
Once you’ve set your budget you then need to set rules that will help you stick with it.
The figure you’re left with may require a big change in the way you shop – depending on how much clothing you’ve been buying and the type of store you frequent.
If you prefer designer clothes then it may be that you switch to secondhand shopping only, or that you allow yourself to buy new items just once a year.
Be clear on what you need vs what you want
Separating want from need is an important way to help you stick with your budget.
Whenever you are considering buying some clothes, consider whether this is something you actually need. How often will you wear it? Do you already have something else that fits its purpose?
Cut up your credit cards and ditch Klarna
Buy now and pay later deals can be a huge temptation to buy stuff you can’t afford.
Avoid using credit to buy stuff you don’t actually need.
Change your style mindset
The Insta-era means that we are being constantly conditioned to believe that we should wear a brand new outfit every time we have a special event. Or even just to Friday night dinner.
But fast fashion costs money. And style isn’t about getting the latest thing, or having something brand new for every weekend.
Consider what your preferred style is, including what colours you love and suit you best, rather than always chasing the latest must-have.
Try building up a capsule wardrobe – after having already taken stock of what you already have – with pieces that will last and be worn multiple times.
A capsule wardrobe is a streamlined selection of clothing items that are interchangeable and all work together. Check out how to build a capsule wardrobe here.
Calculate the cost per wear
When purchasing a brand new outfit it can help to consider the value you will get out of the item of clothing.
By looking at the cost per wear then you can get a better idea of whether the cost is actually worth it.
That formula may look something like this:
The cost of the item ÷ the number of times you will wear it = Cost per wear
For example, as a mother of two who works from home I wear jeans almost daily.
So if a brand new pair of jeans costs £60, but I expect them to last at least 5 years, then I could estimate I will wear them 150 times a year, or 750 times total. That means the cost per wear is 8p.
I attend Royal Ascot maybe once a year, and have previously bought outfits specially for that occasion that are subsequently not worn again.
A new Ascot dress may cost £100, but if I wear it only once, or maybe twice if I can then wear it to a wedding, then the cost per wear is £50.
Considering the cost per wear can really contribute to changing your style mindset and reminding yourself to wear things more than once.
Unsubscribe from your favourite brands
If you want to stop buying new clothes then it can really help to identify your spending triggers.
These are the things that always tempt you to buy.
One of the main spending triggers can be emails from your favourite brands updating you on the latest must-have or reminding you of items you’ve browsed online.
Unsubscribing from these marketing emails can really help remove that temptation.
Other spending triggers you may want to avoid include:
- Influencers – mute or unfollow to avoid temptation to buy the new outfits they are modelling
- Brands on social media
- Shopping during your lunch hour – can you stroll through a park instead?
- Weekend shopping trips
Replace the endorphin rush
One of the reasons buying new stuff is so hard to quit is that it feels pretty good.
Look for something else you can do that will deliver a similar happy feeling. A new hobby or exercise class could feel just as fulfilling.
Enforce a 7 day rule
Temptation is hard to avoid altogether, so adopt a new seven-day rule that means you stop and think before you buy.
This gives you time to reflect on whether this is actually something you need vs something you want.
In order to help you stick to this it can help to create friction with your online shopping process. I really recommend deleting your stored bank card details from your smartphone, tablet and computer. If you have to manually type in the number to make a transaction then this can give you time to stop and think.
How to save money on clothes
Of course you may still need to buy new clothes from time to time, but there are a lot of ways you can cut back on your spending to help you meet savings goals or ensure you aren’t spending beyond your means.
Check your own wardrobe
When you have a special occasion remind yourself of the formalwear you already own and pick something from there rather than buying new.
Shop secondhand
Online marketplaces mean it is now so easy to find great quality secondhand clothes at reasonable prices.
Vinted is a fantastic app where you can pick up great bargains for shoes, clothes and accessories for both yourself and your kids.
You can save hundreds of pounds a year on your shopping habit by buying secondhand.
BUT just a quick warning, you’ll still need to remind yourself to wear things more than once and buy what you need, not what you want.
As it’s still possible to overspend on clothes even when the prices are low.
Rent instead of buying
If you are hooked on labels then you could save money on your habit by renting items rather than buying them.
This is especially good if you tend to buy stuff and only wear it once. I used to have a big addiction to buying really nice dresses that only got worn once or twice in the end, because I didn’t have enough formal occasions to wear them to.
If you go ahead and jump on this trend then you’ll be following in the footsteps of royalty!
The Princess of Wales wore a rented dress from Hurr to the Earthshot Prize awards ceremony in Boston in 2022.
Only buy stuff you will wear more than once
When you do buy new clothes – because sometimes you will need to replace worn out items – purchase things that will be versatile and will be worn more than once.
Avoid the mindset of needing a brand new outfit for this particular event, and instead look for pieces for your wardrobe that will last and can be used for multiple occasions.
Take care of your clothes
Look after your existing clothes to help them last longer and avoid needing to replace.
Always follow the cleaning instructions on the labels – taking particular note of stuff that needs to be dry cleaned.
Final thoughts
Hopefully this has given you some great ideas for how you can stop spending money on clothes.
If you’re looking for other ways to save money then you may like these articles:
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