Clothing Budget Update

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Clothing budget update

This is everything I bought with my clothing budget since my last budget post on February 10! It's an average of approx. 6 items and $187 per month. I purchased several things from my spring wish list - off shoulder tops, the perfect white dress, and printed jackets. I also got several colorful dresses, my go-to for just about everything. I purchased the highest # of items from old favorites H&M and J.Crew Factory, but also tried new stores/brands Wyatt/Bluefly and GB/Dillard's. 

ROW 1
1. H&M jacket, $45
2. H&M jacket, $48 (similar)
3. Wyatt/Bluefly top, $37
4. H&M skirt, $25 (shirt version, dress version, dress version)
ROW 2
5. H&M skirt, $35
6. J.Crew Factory hat, $18
7. Saks Off Fifth shorts, $60
8. H&M top, $26
ROW 4
9. GB/Dillard's dress, $32 (tunic version)
10. J.Crew Factory dress, $47
11. GB/Dillard's dress, $35
12. GB/Dillard's dress, $20
ROW 5
13. H&M top, $10 (similar)
14. H&M top, $10 (similar)
15. Forever 21 top $27 ($9 with exchange)
16. Charlotte Russe heels, $11

Total = $468

Set & stick to a clothing budget

My clothing budget is $250 per month. I treat my budget like an allowance and at the start of each month I deposit $250 into an "account" and then spend as I go (graph above to see progress for the year so far). As always, my budget posts do not include:

  • Stella & Dot items. I'm a 1099 employee and earn products and discounts.
  • Items I returned. I returned two items since February 10 - the H&M "Epcot" dress here and the ruffled off shoulder chambray here (the exchange referenced above). 
  • Any free items I get from working in the fashion industry. I return items from sponsors whenever possible, but when it's not possible I either keep the item for personal/blog use, donate the item, or sell the item.

The items in this post are solely things that I purchased myself, that fall into the "clothing" category of my budget. The idea isn't necessarily to show or recommend what you should buy (that really depends on your job, climate, and lifestyle) but rather an example of setting and sticking to a clothing budget, and being conscious of how you spend it! I've had the same budget since 2007. I originally set this budget to help me spend more money on the clothes that I desperately needed for work. Now my budget helps me make better purchasing decisions, and gives me peace of mind while pursuing creative expression through fashion by knowing I'm staying well within my overall budget and personal values. For more details, check out "How to Set a Clothing Budget." 

I hope these posts are fun to read! I'm kind of a nerd and like reviewing everything I bought and seeing where I could have done better. Do you have a clothing budget?