I tried wardrobe tracking for a year. Here’s what I spent on clothes. 

Have you tried wardrobe tracking by keeping note of your clothing purchases and what you add to your closet throughout the year? It was a question I put out to my Instagram community earlier this year. Half said they tracked how much they spent on clothing. However, only a miniscule 5% said they tracked what actually came into their closets over the course of a year. 

Admittedly, I had never done either. Ever.

Which is why early in my corporate career, I racked up over $20,000 of consumer debt, quickly attempting to build a wardrobe that fit my new life. My measly paychecks did not quite match my aspirational spending.

Fast forward to today and I’m fortunate to be debt free and financially stable. This is thanks to drastically increasing my income and taking a more mindful and slow approach to shopping. 

But, those habits can sometimes pop back up. Lately, I’ve been taking a more lax approach to my discretionary spending. If I want something, I buy it. I’m still mindful about what I purchase. Putting items on my wishlist, searching for items secondhand, and opting to fill gaps in my wardrobe first. 

The issue is, I kept seeing gaps. 

Luxury influencer lifestyles are paraded on our screens daily making hyperconsumption the norm. Even some sustainable content creators are showing hauls of secondhand purchases. My perception of what was a reasonable amount to add to my wardrobe felt incredibly skewed. 

So, what do people really spend on clothes?

As a data-loving Virgo gal, I was curious to see how many items were truly coming into my closet, how many were leaving and how much I was spending. Throughout 2023, I tracked every dollar I spent on my wardrobe, including clothing, hats, purses, scarves, belts, sunglasses, and jewelry. The whole kit and caboodle! I guesstimated my clothing purchases would be about $3,500 for the year.  

Of those surveyed in my highly scientific Instagram poll, 60% estimated they added under 20 items to their closets annually. The vast majority suspected their spending was under $3,000; 44% said between $1,000 to $3,000 and 39% said under $1000. 

What do the legitimate reports say? According to the American Apparel & Footwear Association, the average American spent a record-breaking high of $1,143.29 for 68.5 pieces of clothing and $330.62 to buy 8.3 pairs of shoes in 2022.

What I added to my closet and how much I spent

The data shocked me. Somehow, my spreadsheet informed me I added 59 items to my closet – about five per month! – and spent $7520! That’s nearly six months worth of rent or lattes every day for three and a half years. 

Cue the spending hangover. 

I added 5 bags, 5 pairs of shoes, 5 pieces of jewelry, 4 hats, 3 accessories (a belt, a scarf and sunglasses), and a substantial 37 pieces of clothing. 

While the quantity and cost was shocking, I’m proud that 75% of these items were consciously chosen from ethical brands or secondhand sources. A full 60% were hand me downs or purchased secondhand. A major improvement from the Zara and Aritzia hauls of my early corporate days. 

While I gasped at the amount I added, my wardrobe doesn’t seem to be bursting at the seams. Throughout the year, I mindfully decluttered over 50 items. I resold the vast majority (some still for sale!), swapped them with family and friends, or responsibly recycled them. I made $665 through resale, covering about 9% of my clothing spend. 

What bumped up the numbers? 

• Custom jewelry: I had heirloom jewelry that was sitting in my jewelry box for years remade into pieces I now wear daily. Those cost $1300 or 17% of the total spend. 

• Travel: For most of September, my husband and I were in Europe and were able to shop local brands I don’t have the opportunity to try on in Toronto. I added eight pieces to my wardrobe that month – the most of any month.

• Shoes and Handbags: My ethos is to buy high quality items secondhand or from ethical producers and leather does not come cheap! I spent $2000 on this category. While some pieces became instant favourites, some I’ve never worn since it was the end of the season. No open toed shoes in winter for this gal!

How wardrobe tracking reframed my shopping

Wardrobe tracking gave me real data to analyze my shopping habits to analyze and the results call for a shopping recalibration in 2024. It’s like wearing leggings for months, and then pulling on your jeans and wondering why they suddenly don’t fit. Those little purchases weren’t noticeable day to day but amounted to significant numbers over time.

I’ve curated an incredible wardrobe, but what’s the point if I’m not spending any time with it? And I’m certain $7000 could be used more wisely. Saving for retirement, investing or funding an extended trip to the South of France. *wink*  

I’ll be taking a three-month shopping pause for the beginning of 2024 to dial down the dopamine. This No Buy period will be an opportunity to explore my wardrobe, rediscover hidden gems and get creative by flexing my style muscles.

Wardrobe tracking has been eye opening and I plan to continue throughout  2024. My goal is to cut my spending in half to $3500. I will also keep focusing on preloved items and ethical designers, aiming for 75% of my purchases to continue to be consciously sourced. 

Will you try tracking your clothing purchases? Let me know in the comments. 🛍️✨

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