Cost per wear is a simple shopping concept that helps you differentiate a good bargain from a bad one. Cost per wear is also the most important practice you can implement to maximize your clothing budget. Let’s talk about what it is and how you can use to build a more stylish and affordable wardrobe.
What is cost per wear?
Cost per wear is a shopping strategy that values a garment by its price relative to its utility. Mathematically, it is this:
Total cost of the item / times you wear that item = cost per wear
Lower is better. So if you have your choice of two $100 sweaters, the better deal is the one you’ll wear more.
Chances are, you are already applying this thought process to other types of shopping in the form of cost-per-unit analysis. You do this when you shop club stores, buying a huge quantity of olive oil because the price-per-ml is too good to pass up.
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Benefits
Over the long term, shopping for a low cost per wear helps you curate a smaller, more efficient wardrobe. The benefits are:
- You spend less on clothes.
- You feel happier with your purchases.
- Your closet has less dead weight.
- You can easily identify which garments are candidates for donation or resale.
- Shopping decisions are easier.
- You can splurge strategically and without guilt.
- You are less interested in deals that used to be “too good to pass up.”
- You are more focused on long-wear garments and less prone to trend-chasing.
Cost-per-wear examples
A cost-per-wear mindset allows for higher-priced garments and accessories you’ll use regularly. For example:
- Say you own 15 bottoms (pants, skirts, and shorts) and you spent an average of $150 on each. If you wear each twice monthly for a year, the cost per wear on each is $6.25 or 150 divided by 24.
- Alternatively, you could own 30 pairs of bottoms that cost $100 each. If you wear each of them once monthly, the cost per wear on each is $8.33. You also spent $3,000 in total on these pieces, while the pricier items cost you $2,250.
Here’s another cost-per-wear comparison:
- Say you spend $500 on a great coat, wear it for 100 to 150 days per year over the next five years, your per-wear cost is $.67 to $1.00.
- Compare this cost per wear to that of a trendy top you buy at Old Navy or $20. You wear it three times before it falls apart or out of style. That top cost you $6.50 per wear, far more than your trusty and expensive coat.
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Cost-per-wear fails
My cost-per-wear fails have included:
- Buying a garment because it’s on sale without considering how I’ll wear it.
- Taking home an $8 tight cropped t-shirt because — well, it was only $8.
- Spending hundreds on a special occasion dress because I can’t possibly re-wear one of the other four fancy dresses I already own.
- Buying an outfit that isn’t workable unless I also buy a pair of shoes.
- Purchasing a trendy cold shoulder top for $100 because everyone has one.
Here’s what it comes down to: Any garment with limited utility is an expensive purchase, no matter what the price tag says or how much you want it.
How to implement cost per wear
Shopping can be an emotional thing — which means it’s easy to trick ourselves into purchases that are not value-oriented. I’m thinking of those fuzzy earmuffs I bought last winter for $10. I never wore them. Not even once.
Certainly the world didn’t end because I made a bad purchase decision, but if you’re watching your pennies closely, you want to limit these missteps. Knowing how to avoid common pitfalls of cost per wear shopping can help. Here are the strategies you need.
1. Consider what you already own
For every garment or accessory you buy, think of three outfits you can build with it using pieces you already own. If you can’t do that without, it may not be a good buy.
2. Assess the all-in cost
There is no cost-per-wear loophole for shipping, taxes, tailoring, etc. Make sure your cost per wear calculations use the all-in cost.
3. Have a goal
There’s no one “ideal” cost per wear that applies to everyone. Your benchmark will depend on how much you typically spend on garments and how often you wear them. If you shop with an eye for cost per wear, you’ll develop a sense of what’s good and what’s not. Eventually, you’ll be able to set a goal for yourself to guide your shopping.
4. Consider the seasons
Have a system for resurfacing off-season clothes when the weather changes, particularly if you shop end-of-season sales. After a long, hot summer, it’s easy to forget about the fab coat you bought just as winter was ending.
5. Keep your closet organized
Sorry for sounding all lecture-y on this one. It’s only from personal experience. When my pieces are organized, I am far less likely to have those “nothing to wear” moments. The more I rely on what’s already in my closet, the more I lower my cost per wear overall.
6. Stop chasing trends
Ultra trendy pieces have a short lifespan. Classics like pencil skirts and blazers and tailored jeans will be options for the long haul.
Value not price
So what’s the moral of this shopping trick? Budget shoppers focus on value, not low prices. A bargain is only a bargain if you actually wear it.