Yearly clothes budget

With two invites to fairly smart lunch engagements in the offing I realised I don't have a single smart outfit, apart from a long sleeveless shift bought last summer for an evening do and the dress I generally refer to as my funeral dress, sadly I have need that more than any smart outfit this year.

I am now going to have to do some clothes shopping in probably the worst shopping month of the year, summer stuff limited to the unwearable and autumn clothing only beginning to trickle in.

Flickety don't know where you live but if there is a reasonably 'well to do area'nearby trawl the charity shops! If I was not so fat I could do most of my clothes shopping in the local charity shops where the women from the big houses empty their wardrobes! Especially dressy stuff that has been bought for an 'occasion' and then not needed again!

I've just had a bonus find. Looking for a warmer top in what was laughingly called the spare bedroom, I came across 4 jumpers I bought from Woolovers in the winter sale.

I have just asked DH how much I spend on clothes (he keeps the spreadsheets on his laptop) and am almost embarrassed to admit that this year so far it is £570, but last year it was £750 in total. I am a bit taken aback, tbh. I did lose 5 st last year, though, so I obviously had lots of new clothes, and now I am so pleased with my new slimmish figure that I just love buying things. I do keep on thinking that what I ought to do is buy fewer, better quality things so that's what I am aiming for.

I'm afraid I'm a spendthrift I know I spend far too much on clothes. I try to buy in sales but my weight keeps yo-yoing due to alternate cruising and dieting.
I like East, Phase eight, Chesca and Winsmoor.
Shoes I find impossible due to my arthritic feet. Hotter do very few EEEE fittings and the only ones are frumpy!
Reminds mr, I MUST HAVE a new evening dress for the upcoming cruise.

Off to look at john Lewis sale!

Gillie and Galen - if you can afford it, buy it- nothing wrong with that

gillie and galen - if you can afford it,buy - nothing wrong with that

My sentiments exactly.

Applaud

Just bought a phase eight column illusion evening dress.( not in the sale)

Give us a link pretty please because I'm too idle to search myself

Is it this one Galen?
It looks fabulous!

I love Phase 8 dresses and have two in my wardrobe at the moment. However, I usually find they never look as good as they should when I try them on ( apart from the two I bought of course)

I am trying to 'buy less and wear more' (I think it's a Gok quote.) I have invested in a few cheap coloured belts and am wearing things that I didn't know were in my wardrobe. I have decided to buy one or two quality items (preferably in the sale or charity shop) and wear them to death rather than the loads of cheap tat that I used to wear twice before I got fed up of it or it fell to bits!

My evening dresses are all from Ebay and cost less than £20 each. I know the brands that fit and suit me and you'd be surprised how many people spend hundreds on a dress, wear it once and put it up for sale...

There also seem to be more "Vintage" shops popping up round here selling stuff I wore the first time round!!

I like Phase 8 too and paid full price for the dress I wore to DD1's wedding - then sold it on Ebay.

I love to buy quality on eBay, if it's not quite right it can be relisted sometimes getting more than I paid for it. Love Phase 8 and Kaliko.

Often get quality in Pre-Loved shops, bought fabulous brand new Fitflops last week still in box with price label of £80 for £25.

As mentioned by Pittcity, great if you know what brands suit and fit.

I know exactly which Fantasie bra style/size fits well and have bought two brand new on eBay for £7 each with £2 p & p - retailing at £38 each.

Love the Phase 8 column dress.

Penstemon, that had occurred to me but unfortunately the towns I shop in are not particularly affluent, none of them can support even one slightly upmarket dress shop, New Look, Bon Marche and Dorothy Perkins is about as far up as they go, so there were very few dresses at all in the charity shops, mainly well worn separates.

need to go into Oxford next week and I am hoping to find the time for a quick hop, skip and jump around the shops then. My main problem is that I am away on holiday for a fortnight from next week, arriving back one day before the first event.

Damn the Internet! An email popped up from East advertising sales bargains. Absentmindedly browsed. Fell for and ordered a top. It's far too fancy. I'll hardly ever go anywhere where I can wear it. Love it. Damn the Internet!

FlicketyB I hope you find something in Oxford. I love shopping in the High Street where there are a number of good quality shops.

Flickety If you have a Waitrose near you it might be worth shopping online at John Lewis. They will deliver to your nearest Waitrose, you can try on in the comfort of your own home and check the accessories you'll be wearing with the dress or whatever.
If you want to return the stuff you just take it back to Waitrose. Not sure if they charge for this kind of delivery, but there's no waiting in for the delivery man -works well for me.

Does anyone have any links to good, quality, vintage clothing, online shops? Love the idea of vintage. When I was in my early 20's I wore my Grandmother's 1930's suede jacket until it literally fell to pieces.

janeainsworth I may be wrong but I think you have to return items to John Lewis, not Waitrose. At least that's how it works here.

There is a returns label included from John Lewis and you just return it free via Royal Mail. And collection is free from any John Lewis/Waitrose.

I've just spent £25 on a No 7 facial serum. A few weeks ago I spent £45 on two Molton Brown body moisturisers. Yesterday it was £38 on a hair cut.

I don't include these expenses in my clothes budget total and wonder if that's cheating a bit.

I find shopping online for clothes very difficult. When the site just lines the clothes up in rows they all look as dull as ditch water and because I cannot look at the details of the cut I have no idea how or whether they will fit me. If they pose them on models their height and figures again are so different from mine and they look so different to me that again I have no idea whether the dress will fit properly, I do not mean size but fit.

I have ordered clothes online before but with the exception of trousers from Landsend every single garment has been sent back because of quality, fit or the garment just being unflattering when on.

Fortunately I have now sorted out the first event satisfactorily from my own resources. I have lost 21lbs on the 5:2 diet recently and found a top DH gave me last Christmas, which I had forgotten I had. His sizing was optimistic and I knew the acrylic jersey would cling unattractively to every undulation of my excess weight so I didn't even try it on. This morning I slipped it over my head and it was a nice loose fit. With some existing trousers and shoes and a belt from New Look, that is ticked off the list.

The other, more important event is at the end of the month, when, back from holiday I will have time to spend a day in Witney which is a nice mix of a High Street full of independent stores and a new bit stuck on one side with Monsoon, Phase 8, Wallis, East etc. Plus by kate September, hopefully the choice will be better.

Petallus I too bought that Boots skin balm. And do you know what I still have as many wrinkles as ever.

I am a sucker for advertisements for beauty products.

I fancy those 'Frownies' which you stick between your eyes overnight to remove the frown lines. I bet they won't work either.

flicketyB you mention Witney which I agree is a nice town for shopping.

Now to my main point DS and family have booked us in next year for 2 whole weeks to help with the grandchildren at the Cotswold Lake Resort which is near there. Have you been there or know anything about it please ?

petallus Skincare products, hairdos, manicures, lunch out with one's friends etc should be regarded as 'personal expenditure' and definitely do not come out of one's clothes budget