What I bought: Clothing purchases in 2017

my tiny closet

Ever since reading that the average U.S. shopper spends $1,100 per year on clothing and purchases 68 items plus 8 pairs of shoes (Overdressed by Elizabeth Cline), I've been curious of how I measure up. Inspired once again by An Exacting Life, I've dug out my receipts to add it up for 2017.

This year I spent $528.26, up from $335.29 last year. I had suspected I would spend more this year due to needing to replace some staples, like jeans, and indeed I did.

Clothing purchased ($421.38):

• Red sweater - $15.00
• Red llama Christmas sweater - $16.00
• White sweater - $9.49
• White/gray sweater - $26.48
• Black knit 3/4 sleeve shirt - $12.04
• Black knit short sleeve shirt - $8.64
• Black blouse - $20.99
• Black knit sleeveless Elle top - $16.99
• Black blouse - $16.99
• White and black striped knit shirt - $11.39
• White and black short sleeve knit shirt - $16.98
• White and black knit tank - $9.13
• White knit top - $8.04
• Pink blouse - $16.99
• Pink sweater - $20.99
• Purple t-shirt - $5.70
• Two pairs of jeans - $43.00
• Jean shorts - $16.29
• Gray workout shorts - $15.29
• Swimsuit cover up - $12.98
• Navy striped sleep shorts - $15.00
• Undergarments (5)  - $86.98

Shoes ($54.11):

• Nike sneakers - $54.11

Accessories ($52.77):

• Blanket scarf - $11.58
• Black gloves - $1.11 (I have a $15 off coupon)
• Earrings - $7.24
• Necklace - $15.28
• Purse - $5.00 (from thrift store)
• Sunglasses - $12.56

Total spent: $528.26

Total clothing items: 26

Lucy also has a very refined taste in pants; only recently worn men's khakis will do.

I remained true to a white, black and gray color scheme once again, which does make it easy to mix and match. I'm pretty happy with this year's purchases and have worn most things frequently, except for the pink blouse, silly llama holiday sweater, and black and white tank.

One thing I'm quite happy with is that instead of buying a bunch of stuff before we went to Cozumel, as I usually do for vacation, I made due with the clothing I already had. I did need a swimsuit cover up and sleep shorts (love them, and I had been looking for good sleep shorts for quite awhile), both of which I purchased via Amazon and wore frequently.

I continue to be amazed by how quickly I forget what I've bought over the year. I save receipts, but don't reconcile purchases until beginning this post. I wouldn't have been able to tell which item was which on the receipt for most of the purchases made in August, June and March, except that a unique ID number is listed for each that matches up to a number on the tag of the clothing. Not sure if this is true for all stores, but it is for Kohl's. Genius idea! Next year I resolve to write things down after each purchase to make this process easier. 

I expect to need to buy new work slacks and shoes next year, so I'm going to try something new and budget $64/month for clothing. I'm hoping this way I won't feel guilty buying what I need as long as it's within the budget, while still being able to maximize savings.

Were your clothing purchases in 2017 worth the investment or a work in progress?

What to take another peek into my wardrobe? You can also see what I bought in 2016 and 2013.

What I bought: Clothing purchased in 2016

Girdwood, Alaska

Ever since reading that the average US shopper spends $1,100 per year on clothing and purchases 68 items plus 8 pairs of shoes (Overdressed by Elizabeth Cline), I've been curious of how I measure up. I've taken a mental tally the last few years, but apparently I haven't officially tracked it since 2013. This year, inspired once again by Exacting Life, I've dug out my receipts to add it up once again.

In 2016, as in the year before that, many of my clothing purchases were made in preparation for another trip to Alaska (hence the photos). So most items were casual or outdoor wear. Luckily I purchased hiking boots and a good raincoat for my first trip in 2015 so those were covered. I also purchased two dresses and earrings for my cousin's wedding and rehearsal dinner, but luckily I found both on clearance. And, bonus, they're both suitable for work as well so I've worn them each a few times.

Portage Glacier

Items purchased in 2016:

• Convertible hiking pants: $37.43
• Red dress and black and white dress for wedding: $88.29
• Black and white dress: $26.98
• Two sweatshirt jackets: $38.68
• Blue Style & Co. sweatshirt jacket: $28
• Four t-shirts: $24.54
• Two souvenir t-shirts: $10.99
• White cardigan sweater: $26.88
• Black and white blouse: $16.11
• White blouse: $12.99
• Tan blouse: $26.98
• Black work shoes: $42.99

Total spent: $320.57

Total items: 18

Accessories purchased:

• Gold earrings: $6.72
• Silver pendant necklace: $8.00

Total spent: $14.72

Total items: 2

Homer, Alaska

I'm happy with my purchases this year., although the number of items is always higher than I'd guess. I've worn all the clothing multiple times, except maybe for the tan blouse. I like how it looks, but the fabric traps heat so there's a limited time period when I can comfortably wear it.

I don't set strict budgets for my spending, but instead keep a watch on my monthly credit card bill. Everything possible goes on the card and is paid off monthly. If I have a high month, I tighten the discretionary spending for the following month or two. It might not be textbook, but it works for me and I'm still able to save a significant portion of my income.

Seldovia, Alaska

After several years of relatively low spending on clothing, I suspect this year will be higher as I really need to replace and supplement my summer wardrobe, both work and casual.

I am curious to see how my overall clothing inventory numbers compare to last time, so stay tuned for an upcoming post.

How does your clothing spending compare to the average?

A year's worth of clothes

A few of my go-to looks - NOT! Photo: Hegemony777

According to Elizabeth Cline's book, Overdressed, the average US shopper spends $1,100 per year on clothing and purchases 68 items plus 8 pairs of shoes.

Sixty-eight items per year seems rather shocking, but since reading that I've wondered, do I buy more or less clothing than the average American? Yet I hadn't gotten around to listing my purchases until being inspired by a recent post on Exacting Life.

Before I started counting, I thought that I couldn't possibly have purchased more than 10 items of clothing this year. I have a large existing wardrobe, but there is much room for improvement as it includes items of various sizes and clothing I don't love wearing.

I've never loved buying clothes and shoes like the stereotypical woman, but this has been particularly light year even for me. This is mainly because I'm at a higher weight than I'd like and I haven't wanted to admit defeat and invest in a larger wardrobe for this size me. But, a girl's gotta have something to wear so in the end I've bought some new items.

Items purchased in 2013:

• Two pairs of dress pants for work: $55
• Black knit blazer for work (the only blazer I've ever liked wearing - it's SO comfortable): $36
• black and white summer sweater: $28
• Two black t-shirts: $14
• Black and white shell blouse: $21
• Black summer sweater: $22
• Black knit top: $15
• Black shirt with beaded sleeves: $16
• Black NYC shirt: $9
• Blue sweater: $21
• Jeans: $27
• Peach sweater from thrift store: $4
• White capris (thrift-store): $4
• Black comfty flats for work: $64
• Black sandals: $54

Total spent: $390

Total items: 17

Accessories purchased:

• Black purse (thrift-store): $5
• Red purse: $30
• Scarf: $22

Total spent: $57

Total items: 3

Besides the fact that I'm heavily in a black and white clothing phase (they're slimming colors you know), this has been a pretty good year in that out of these purchases, I really only regret and don't wear the peach thrift store sweater.

I don't set a clothing budget, as I'm pretty good at reigning in my spending month to month. I'm completely fine with spending $447 on clothing and accessories for the year, in fact, I'd be okay with twice that provided I bought items I love and feel great wearing. 

How does your clothing spending compare to the average?

Clothing Inventory

this closet and dresser make up the majority of the bedroom clothing storage

Last night, after browsing clothing inventories on several blogs, including An Exacting Life and Live to List, I immediately wanted to get up and start counting my clothes. I managed to wait until this morning to get started.

It turns out that I have 256 major items of clothing, including tops, bottoms, coats and shoes. This total doesn't include accessories, under clothes, or pajamas. I think I'd be fine with that total if I liked and wore everything, or even most of these things, but that number includes at least 60 (gulp) items in various sizes that I can't currently wear and yet am not ready to admit total defeat in ever wearing again (obviously mostly smaller clothes).

Clothing Inventory

Tops - 154
t-shirts: 42
long sleeve t-shirts: 19
works shirts & blouses: 30
tanks: 5
sweatshirts: 6
sweaters: 44
blazers: 6
work polos: 2

Bottoms - 73
jeans: 9
shorts: 19
dress pants: 32
exercise clothes: 8
skirts: 5

Misc. - 29
Coats: 5
Swimsuits: 3

shoes: 21

Total: 256


All of these clothes and too often I still feel like I have nothing to wear!

my side of the overflow closet is rather stuffed at the moment

More than half of the items are stored in the tiny 1940s closet and two dressers that are in the bedroom. A little less than half--mainly out-of-season items and ones that don't fit--are stored in our largest closet, which is inconveniently located in the basement. Some extras are stored in two dressers in the attic. These are several suits I have, which were fairly expensive when I bought them long ago, that I will never wear again. I keep thinking I should sell them online and get something out of them rather than donating them, but I'm really not sure it's worth the hassle.

Out of these 256 items of clothing, six were purchased from thrift stores. And while that total is low, it's definitely the most items I've ever had from a thrift store. I find it challenging enough to find clothes I like at new clothing stores where there is a greater selection of styles and sizes, at thrift stores it's almost impossible for me.

While doing this inventory I found four items of clothing I am going to donate, plus one for the rag pile, so I'm downsizing already!

Where do I go from here? 
I think my goal will be to keep my total under 250 items of clothing for now, so for anything new I buy something must go. I'm fine with having clothes that fit the storage space I have, but I want to work on only keeping items that make me feel good to wear, plus some size cushions since I fluctuate a fair bit.

Have you ever done an inventory of your clothing? How much is too much for you?