How old are your clothes?

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Nope I notice a lot of people in my area like to over price their items. Those well priced say reduced 50% and having wear are gone immediately. People like to think they are saving $50 but the truth is the condition it is in just makes it obvious that you aren't really getting a savings. Better off buying new and selling it yourself for a $50 loss if you keep things in immaculate condition.

Very few people and things are kept immaculately during their wear and tear. People tend to see their stuff as more valuable than it really is. Now saving 50% for something in good condition is a different story.

[PMMM]

I go shopping a couple times per year. I have clothes that are quite old. When they start getting threadbare I toss em. I go through T shirts because I like em real white, like they are new, and I have yet to find a good detergent that can keep them white like new for any length of time. So if I have a weakness it's T shirts. There's nothing worse than seeing a T shirt that looks dingy underneath a nice shirt.

In terms of dollars I probably spend $600 per year. Don't know how that stacks up against others but it seems like a lot to me.

[cptacek]

Too old. I need to go find some new clothes. I have weekend work clothes, uniform shirts and dress pants/black jeans for work (these are new, provided by the company), shorts/t-shirts for around the house, and nicer shirts for winter. It is hard to find a nice shirt I like in my closet for summer.

I just cut up a t shirt today I got in 1994. It is frustrating, because I hate shopping! It is so hard to find anything I like.

[mrpaseo]

Dress pants generally last 3 years, maybe more if I have enough in rotation. Usually the cuffs get a little worn, or a zipper breaks, or a button pops (I can fix that), or the crease gets a little thread bare. Dress shirts last about 2-3 years, and then the cuffs fray.

Jeans, if I take care of them and keep a couple for "dress" occasions (not outdoor work), last anywhere from 4-6 years. Then they get relegated to outdoor use and last another 2-3 years.

T-shirts: I have a LOT of these, and some are from the early 1990s. I usually wear trash ones with holes/rips for outdoor work, or work where I have to crawl under a car or operate machinery.

I usually top off my supply of underwear and socks with a new bag of each every year, and throw out the ones that look the most pathetic.

It's like I wrote this myself...lol

[mgkimsal]

Also with shoes, we're talking resoling $75 shoes, have I ever considered resoling? Yes. But those are more for shoes that cost like $400 or $500. Those definitely, I would spend $20 to get more life. But a shoe that is obviously worn and not that expensive?

$75 shoes? $500 shoes? Wow. I've not spent over $30 for a pair of shoes in... gosh I'm not sure I remember. Might have hit $40 once.

I've heard the 'millionaire next door' rationalization that more expensive shoes last longer because you can repair/resole them, but... I'd have to buy a pair of $30 shoes every year for 10 years to approach a pair of $300 Cole Haan shoes. Granted, they may feel/fit better, but I can't imagine they'd feel *that* much better. With cheaper shoes, I end up with a few different styles that match different outfits better (good brown, good black, relaxed tan, etc). Trying to do that with $300 shoes... I'd spend $1000 on shoes in short order, and... I'm not at the point in my life where that's really a consideration. Honestly, it may never be.

[scubatim84]

$75 shoes? $500 shoes? Wow. I've not spent over $30 for a pair of shoes in... gosh I'm not sure I remember. Might have hit $40 once.

I've heard the 'millionaire next door' rationalization that more expensive shoes last longer because you can repair/resole them, but... I'd have to buy a pair of $30 shoes every year for 10 years to approach a pair of $300 Cole Haan shoes. Granted, they may feel/fit better, but I can't imagine they'd feel *that* much better. With cheaper shoes, I end up with a few different styles that match different outfits better (good brown, good black, relaxed tan, etc). Trying to do that with $300 shoes... I'd spend $1000 on shoes in short order, and... I'm not at the point in my life where that's really a consideration. Honestly, it may never be.

If I remember right, The Millionaire Next Door mentioned that rationalization as the justification for wasting so much money on shoes by the people who bought them...the authors, and most of the millionaires they interviewed, thought this much money on "flashy" items was ludicrous. I share their view point.

I am wearing the same pants and T-shirt I've had for the last 6 and 3 years, respectively. Why spend money when you don't need to? If I'm going to go waste some money, I'm going to get a bottle of wine or something enjoyable/consumable out of it...not more stuff to collect dust in the closet.

[project15]

If I remember right, The Millionaire Next Door mentioned that rationalization as the justification for wasting so much money on shoes by the people who bought them...the authors, and most of the millionaires they interviewed, thought this much money on "flashy" items was ludicrous. I share their view point.

I am wearing the same pants and T-shirt I've had for the last 6 and 3 years, respectively. Why spend money when you don't need to? If I'm going to go waste some money, I'm going to get a bottle of wine or something enjoyable/consumable out of it...not more stuff to collect dust in the closet.

My wife has that same justification and I decided to do a test for her. 5 years ago I bought a $100 pair of designer wool pants and a $30 pair of khaki dockers. Both suitable for business casual at work. They both lasted about the same amount of time for me (3 years of 2x per week use) before they started to become worn out. I'm not really a clothing person and I'm currently wearing 3 year old shorts and a 6 year old polo.

My underwear...well, I know I have at least one pair that's 10 years old . Surprisingly that pair has outlasted much more expensive pairs from places like Gap. However, my wife has been trying to weed out the older ones.

[scubatim84]

My wife has that same justification and I decided to do a test for her. 5 years ago I bought a $100 pair of designer wool pants and a $30 pair of khaki dockers. Both suitable for business casual at work. They both lasted about the same amount of time for me (3 years of 2x per week use) before they started to become worn out. I'm not really a clothing person and I'm currently wearing 3 year old shorts and a 6 year old polo.

My underwear...well, I know I have at least one pair that's 10 years old . Surprisingly that pair has outlasted much more expensive pairs from places like Gap. However, my wife has been trying to weed out the older ones.

I know the feeling. Once my boxers or socks start to get holes in them, they mysteriously dissapear from my drawer and my wife mentions she bought some more. I think virtually everyone buys cheap boxers and socks though, so that's not really an issue.

I have to say I'm not surprised that the $100 pants didn't last any longer. I bought a $35 dress shirt for work not too long ago and one of the damn cuffs tore about 3"...the most infuriating part is I had bought it within the last 30 days. It just goes to show you that spending a lot of money on clothing is a waste...clothes are made so cheaply, with such poor quality, that you're out of luck if you want quality that will last awhile. All the more reason to just keep clothes until they fall apart and then get the cheapest replacement imaginable.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

I have a couple of pairs of nice shoes from my mom. Turns out they really are much nicer than $80 shoes. I haven't bought anything that expensive yet, but I might one day.

Trust me there are a lot of out there who buy nice shoes who aren't millionaires. They just have a high income and low expenses = lots of disposable income. You wouldn't and I wouldn't be able to swallow buying $1500 coat but a lot of people do.

But I can definitely understand resoling and paying $20 or more to fix a $500 pair of shoes. But $80? No way. It's not going to extend the $80 shoe life but the $500 pair seriously has gotta be better made or the leather is just better or something. They truly are fabulous shoes.

I have to admit I lust after a couple of purses but I have never justified buying one more than $50. But I wonder if it's not worth it if you use it for years longer?

I bought a jogging stroller for $300 and I admit the $100 one a friend has isn't lasting nor used as much as I use mine. Now if i can find a used stroller of half off I would buy it. But for a measly $50 off? No way, the wear isn't worth it. But then the best deals on craigslist are always gone and the ones over priced they tend to sit and get reposted, so perhaps it's justice. If you expect people to shell out for used stuff price it appropriately.

[9symphony9]

Around the house, I wear clothes until they can't be worn anymore. You can save a lot of money this way over the long term.

[Gailete]

Around the house, I wear clothes until they can't be worn anymore. You can save a lot of money this way over the long term.

We do the same around our house as well with the difference is we wear them outside as well. I'm having trouble with my 'nicer' clothes that I made, as they are in much better shape than what I usually wear but with the exception of errands and doctor visits I don't get out much. I can't even handle going to church any more, so what happens to those clothes? Well with the exception of my really good wedding/funeral dress, I'm starting to wear them around home. Seems silly to feel so 'dressed up' at home, but why not? I made these clothes, most of them from sale priced fabric, so my clothes that look like 'good' clothes are cheaper than most people's knock around the house stuff! I found that emotionally and physically I feel a bit better when I'm dressed and looking 'good' than hanging around in my nighty all day besides.

Now if I could only find a good pair of shoes that fit and are comfortable as my 10 year old sandals are worn out!

[I-78 Commute]

Some are 20 to 25 years old but I actually need to donate some of the ones I have. I actually cut down the closet to a few t shirts, a few polo shirts for work and a couple of baseball jerseys so I use probably around 3 percent of the closet space in our master bedroom. This allows my wife to use the other 97.

[laurend1985]

Somethings I've had for years but I haven't bought anything recently. I need new workout clothes for my business.

[Gailete]

To many articles about budgets etc. always include that little line for clothing on a monthly basis. I can understand that if I have children growing like weeds, but once they are out of the house, as long as you weight stays stable, most of us can wear our clothes for years (with the exception of undies and possibly shoes) which is one of the major reasons that we should stick with classic clothing that is timeless. "In fashion" items should be reserved for actresses with lots of moola and teens who are learning to express themselves and for that you send them to the thrift store.

Not only do I make most of my clothes, I sell sewing patterns on line as well. It is fascinating as I list them how little some clothing changes throughout the years when you are talking aobut classic clothes. For women a straight or A-Line skirt is the same now as it was 10-20-30-40 years ago. Only the hemline changes and that is an easy fix. So if you have a skirt like that, you can wear it until it literally wears out. There is no reason to replace it. No reason then to think that you need to go shopping for new clothes on a monthly basis, especially when money is tight. Wear your clothes out and then see what you can do with them, can they be remade, will it make a nice rag? Is is wool that you can use for rug hooking? etc.

[bethasaver]

Interesting idea to post about! I keep my clothes way too long. Last couple years I've been weeding those old clothes out of my drawers and closets and throwing away the too worn stuff and giving away the rest. I graduated HS in 1998 and I still have some t-shirts and dress pants from senior year. Sometimes I'll pull something out and have fun trying to remember just how old it is. Makes me feel old! ha ha