I think ideally all of us would have infinite amounts of money to buy whatever pieces of clothing and accessories strike our fancy, but living in reality means that most of us do have a budget that we have to work within. In principle setting a style budget is quite simple- I have X amount of money to spend on my wardrobe- but actually working with it takes some skill and practice, along with a fair bit of strategy. Today I am sharing my wealth of experience to help you create and work within your own style and wardrobe budget!
Setting yourself a style budget is a wonderful way to limit extraneous spending, ensure that you are spending your money on things that you truly want and/or need, and to give your shopping habits structure. A lot of people use shopping as therapy, but that can become problematic and addictive very quickly if you aren’t paying attention- like everything else in your life, style purchases should be thought out and considered.
(The only exceptions I have to my wardrobe budget is socks and underwear- please buy those when you need them. (I notice that a lot of people will say that they can’t replace undergarments because they are on a no-buy streak, but proper, clean, functioning undergarments are a necessity.) So, let’s get to the meat of it!)
1) Identify the Budget
Before anything else, you need to know how much money you actually have available to spend on your wardrobe. I could say, “I have $1000 a month to spend on clothing”, but that isn’t reality. Look at your whole budget and see how much money you could realistically spend on clothing/ accessories/ beauty without letting needed areas suffer (ie. rent/ mortage, food, transportation, bills). For this first step, work this out for the same amount of time that your regular budget is- if you budget by paycheque, by month, by quarter, or by year, stick with it for now.
*I know that there are people who don’t have their wardrobe and grooming products as a priority, and will ask “why spend money on clothing when I could spend it on X?”. This guide isn’t for you, I’m not here to change your mind.*
2) Set Your Timeline
I would recommend tracking your style budget by quarter or half year- it’s easier to work within seasons rather than month by month, as that will follow collections being released as well as giving you more flexibility in spending. For example, if your budget is $200/quarter, your monthly budget would be $66.67 which doesn’t leave you much in the case of needing to buy a larger item. For this to work, you need to identify the stores you regularly shop at- how often do they release collections? If it is at least once a quarter, I would stick with quarterly so that you aren’t trying to continually balance this same pool of money for 6 months. If the brands that you regularly shop at release two major collections a year, half yearly will be easier! (If you don’t know, stick with quarterly!)
3) Determine What Your Budget Is For
Decide what your style budget is actually for- do you want to include beauty and hygiene products in your style budget? Do you want to exclude major purchases that last for years (ie. outerwear)? Do you want a separate budget for accessories and shoes, or one budget for everything? There are no right or wrong answers, but be honest with yourself- don’t allow yourself to spend 5 times your budget on shoes and use that as an excuse to say “I stuck to my budget” when you actually blew through it. Decide what is included in your budget and stick to it!
4) Keep Your Budget Available At All Times
Book-keep in whatever way you feel most comfortable- an Excel spreadsheet, an accounting program, a physical ledger! However, always keep your remaining balance available for when you are shopping, I would recommend keeping a note on your phone. It doesn’t need anything other than what you can spend, not the full breakdown! I know that there are some people who exclusively shop online and others who exclusively shop in store, but most of us now are a mixture of online and brick and mortar purchases, and it can be difficult to track the budget when you bought something at the mall yesterday and are now trying to jump on a flash sale online. Keep that budget ready at any moment, in the case of surprise spending!
5) Think Ahead
Because your budget has to last you three or six months, you need to be strategic and plan ahead- if you spend all of your money in the first few weeks, you are out of luck for the next two and a half months. Theoretically this might not be a bad thing, but you don’t know what may come up- maybe you will rip your suit jacket which you need for work, maybe you will have a semi-formal social event pop into your calendar and you don’t have an appropriate outfit for it, maybe the weather will suddenly turn and you will need to beef up your wardrobe to weather it (pun intended). Keep regular updating in mind when you are planning as well; do you need to finally replace that 5 year old parka? Are your work shoes on their last feet?
I also find that I like to leave a little bit of my budget free for spotting things on sale- you may not have been looking for it, but you may spot something that you fall in love with. If you have that list of wardrobe holes that I talked about last week, leaving room in your budget for finding those items at the best possible price could go a long way to helping you save!
Do you have a dedicated wardrobe budget? How far ahead do you plan when you shop?
Until tomorrow,
The Historian!
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Bloglovin’
Good advice. I’m glad you put it out there that people use shopping as therapy / instant gratification. Yes to a budget and going through your closets to see what you need for the coming season i.e. new winter boots and budgeting for that! Canadian here.
It’s not an easy thing to think about, but there are so many people who just browse a few sites when they’ve had an off day and then 3 days later, many new packages arrive- whatever your weaknesses are, you have to admit them!!
I will need to buy new boots this year haha. I am planning on replacing my Sorels, so I’m starting to save now!
Great post! I work mine annually, but is still a struggle…
I do spend a lot of time weighing the pros and cons of different pieces, time that I could save if I gave myself a little more wiggle room in my style budget. However, on the plus side, I have really started to learn what I love and what I don’t!
I think taking my time when I shop is key. I have a working list so to speak for things I need/want but I am very slow to implement. I want quality!
That’s my current situation- I am still waiting for the perfect red blazer to come around for me. It’s been 20 months and counting that I’ve been looking, and looking will continue… Don’t settle!!
When the hubs and I first got married, we went way over board. New house to decorate, vacations to take. Why not? We had two salaries combined now. Can you guess where this is going? We way over spent.
Hence the budget was born. I have ~30 categories on my spreadsheet. Budgeted by month, but I’m flexible about it. As long as the numbers add up, I can spend extra when shoes the kiddo likes are on sale. LOL Or save some for next month if I know I’ll be shopping for something in particular.
I will be moving next spring, and I’ve already started to budget/save for things (and buy a few things that are on for a good price)- it’s so easy to get carried away, and that gets harder with each “category” that you need to think of! It can feel like, “Oh, it’s only $100 extra for clothing” but that very well might mean “$100 you don’t have for your car”!
Nodding. Yup
I’ve no dedicated budget, but being on the short and not skinny side shopping can be a bit of a trial, this leads to me being careful as a by-product of my antipathy to shopping. However, I do have certain style regulars – it’s not been a conscious decision but somehow I end up repeating similar tops to dress up jeans – sleeveless so I can then wear a small cardigan over the top.
I have not the most common body shape, so I tend to force myself to shop more- if I never try anything on, I will never find out if there is clothing that does fit me properly! (Not that it is always the most fun) And I am BIG FAN of finding your own uniform- when you find what works for you, you feel more confident!
Great post! Really informative! <3 I just recently did a wardrobe detox/refresh and have had to place a budget on refilling my closet. Mines about 100$ a month or less if I can manage it! It's not easy.
Mine is similar- it falls between $75-100 per month, depending upon the season/quarter! It takes a lot of careful balancing, and I know that if something does come up in another area of my budget, I will have to decrease my style budget. And that’s okay with me!
I don’t have a dedicated budget, but I do prep myself in thinking what I will need for upcoming seasons. This fall, for example, I’m going to have to buy all new jeans/leggings for fall and winter so I am preparing myself for that purchase.
I also have to look for jeans, so I’ve set aside $120 for them! (I will finally have to look at new brands because my old brand isn’t available here in Canada 🙁 ) I find if I don’t work within my budget, I will buy a lot more 🙁 This is helping me with restraint!
Oh yes totally! Right now I’m not even considering looking at actual brands. My body shape is changing too much I’d hate it if I spent more than like $15 on a pair since they will be too big at the end of a season or two anyways.
That’s all you can do when you are in periods of flux!!
I am an avid spreadsheet budgeter, down to the penny! But I never budget for clothes and I have found myself absolutely sick of my worn out wardrobe. Going to use these tips, put money aside every month, and maybe I’ll become stylish again!! ?
I think that at some point in all of our lives, we aren’t going to have room in our budget for style purchases, and that is just reality! (I went for about 2 years without buying much more than undergarments) I find that having my set budget helps me figure out what pieces and items I really love and need, vs those that I’m kind of interested in. Are you heading back to Vancouver, or somewhere else in Canada??
Ya, it’s not always necessary! Just a wardrobe spruce up every now and again 🙂 I’m heading back to Ottawa and driving across the country to Vancouver, wish me luck! haha then off to Australia
At least your wardrobe will still work for the climate!! When I moved back to Winnipeg from Dublin, my wardrobe was mostly pointless. I am hoping to move to the UK in 2-4 years, so I will probably be doing the wardrobe shuffle again haha!
Exactly! Chasing the summer so I don’t have to buy winter clothes ? You’ve got time to plan it out which is good!
As long as I can actually make it happen haha! You of all people would get that- I am hoping that 6-7 years of experience by that point will at least help 🙂
There is no doubt that major location moves call for s new wardrobe! Hurray!,,,
I’m not sure if I can actually make it happen but I am hoping I get a chance to build that wardrobe!