I read a lot of material about budgeting, but I think most people who write this stuff (with the exception of Suze Orman, I guess!) are men, and they don't seem to have a 'need' for a wardrobe budget. I need certain clothes for work, but I also shop and sew clothes as a hobby. As it is a real interest of mine, I don't want to give it up, even though it's a more expensive hobby than say reading books. I want to pay off my debt, but I also don't want to give up my main hobby! I'm by no means a spend-a-holic, I don't have a credit card, but I want some guidelines about how much of my income should reasonably go towards this. Thanks!

Calculate how much of a income you have including everywhere you get it from, like secondary jobs, spouse jobs and other such reliable incomes or fallouts.
take all your bills in the last six months or if you have them the last 1 year. See how much you are spending in basic stuff like: your home, food, transportation (car, gas, bus), property insurance (car and/or house), health expenditures,telephone, internet and other such basics.
see how much you have to pay off in the way of loans, such as mortgage, student loans, credit cards.
Calculate all these things together and see how much money you spend on neccessities such as these and see how much is left in your income.
Try to track your disposable income spending in things that you have control over. For example, tv, cellphone, entertainment, clothing, and other extra things where you can cut the fat and really trim the expenses.
It will aid to have six months to two years worth of bills to track where you spend your money.
This will give you a gist of how much money you are truly spending, and see how much you can afford to cut back. Certain professions need you to be on call, so you might be needing your cellphone.
I believe that the first things you should really take care of are your loans, because high interest loans can really cut into your long term income. Getting rid of this is the easiest and pain free way to enjoy shopping in the long run.
Consult your family about where they can cut back if the situation is starting to get bleak.
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So after all this work, how much money do you have left over? Try to save half of that and maybe put the rest into a shopping fund.
I also find making a list of stuff that my wardrobe and I need, its easy to have a great wardrobe that expreses my asthetic and sense of style while not stifling me.
I also like to window shop all over the net, and see what really piques my interest. I find that there are certain things that really draws me towards them and I write that thing down, on shopping trips I am always on the hunt for those things. I keep the lists in every single purse, so no matter which one I choose I know that I have the list I need and I don't find myself pondering over the 'Mackage' military blazer in canvas forest green when I know that I love and want a leather blazer in deep royal purple to off set my gorgeous sweater in maroon!

Most woman I find are teetering between 150 - 250 dollars a month for a shopping budget.

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I read a lot of material about budgeting, but I think most people who write this stuff (with the exception of Suze Orman, I guess!) are men, and they don't seem to have a 'need' for a wardrobe budget. I need certain clothes for work, but I also shop and sew clothes as a hobby. As it is a real interest of mine, I don't want to give it up, even though it's a more expensive hobby than say reading books. I want to pay off my debt, but I also don't want to give up my main hobby! I'm by no means a spend-a-holic, I don't have a credit card, but I want some guidelines about how much of my income should reasonably go towards this. Thanks!

hey Janey-

I'm not trying to totally pitch my book, but you should really get a copy.

Here's the link on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0812975162?tag=th...055DG21WQY&

I have a whole chapter about budgeting focusing on the fact that most of us do need to spend money on clothing- just not our entire paychecks.

I don't believe in set rules- like you should spend 5% of your income, etc. because you may not need to spend 5% of your income or, if you work in an industry like fashion, you may need to spend a bit more. The first thing you should do is figure out your budget, AFTER TAXES, like what you need to live and survive (got a total budget form in the book). Once you have that, you should put it in a shopping savings account- something interest bearing and buy what you need. If you'r enot sur ewhat you need, start with the Perfect Ten (also in the book) which are th etenthings everyone should have in her closet) Some months you my spend nothing and other months you may spend alot (like for a new winter cot and boots). Regardless, the money is in there and it's making money.

thanks for all the advice! i'm already in the process of learning where i spend my money, so adding in this to it will be no problem!

i like the idea of having a 'balloon fund' for the months or seasons where i need to spend more money on some items! if i don't need to spend it, then i can just chuck it in the savings or put it towards a payment right away!

Hi Janey,

You must not have the BAD reading habit that I have! :-) I am totally running out of space for books. In answer to your budeting/sewing question, you should check out the Wardrobe Refashion blog at http://nikkishell.typepad.com/wardroberefashion/

The members plege to refashion their own clothes or only buy clothes from the thrift/resale stores. I have gotten a lot of good ideas without actually taking the pledge.

Good luck on your quest for an affordable wardrobe!

Not to piggyback, but definitely read TBF's book. It will give you a better understanding of what to do before you go shopping especially with finances.

I find those "budget" articles a joke. They talk about a "budget" of $500 or $1000 or more! The only years I've spent that kind of money are when I've needed to replace good suits or heavy duty woolens. I can't afford to blow that type of money every season of every year.

Rule 1: Buy classics first and buy the best you can afford. This is the base of any good wardrobe. (Yeah, the initial outlay is big. But you get years of use out of these. Think in terms of cost per wearing of the item.)

Next: Buy a few top notch classic accessories. These accents are priceless for varying things and make a lesser quality item look better than it is. One really good purse, a coordinating scarf or two, a good belt, etc.

If you have any money left at this point…
-Don't ignore what's under it all. Good bras, slips, etc. help your good stuff look good and stay in good condition. Sweat all over a gorgeous expensive silk and you can lose it if you can't clean it immediately.

If there's a dime left, now you can consider extras, current fads, and so on.

Also, think about what is "classic" for you. The standard classic may not be what you wear all the time.

i don’t really have a budget for wardrobe coz i have not particular time to go shopping. when i see a good one that looks fab on me, i’ll buy it.

I definitely have to budget for clothes shopping because I do a lot of my shopping online and it’s easy to get carried away. I try to budget for everything, but I especially have to do it for my wardrobe.