Clothing Cost Per Wearing

Kilts

I wear a kilt around the house and to certain public events. I expect my kilt will be servicable to my children and grandchildren. What's to wear out? All that happens is the the bottom get a little bit more ragged and the seat gets shiny.

I wear a breechclout, too, but I expect that DW will probably confiscate that for a dish-drying rag sometime in the next 10 years.l
 
I still own 21 pairs of black stretch slacks (cotton/spandex blend) that are in a range of condition from slightly faded to completely faded. Nice elastic waistband for total comfort during long hours chained to the desk. I bought them dirt cheap online in lots of 2 or 3 on sale under $15 each, accumulated over 20+ years.
I wore them to w*rk when fresh and color was still black. They eventually became too faded for w*rk wear but were still serviceable for casual wear.
Little by little the more faded ones become painter's or gardener's pants.
dh2b hates these pants BTW. He calls them "old lady" pants. :LOL:
He swears he's going to send me on a long errand or overnight to a friend's house and make them go away. :(
All other clothes are bought online as overstocks or when price reduced out of season.
 
Somewhat heavy blended fabric work pants will outlast cheap Target pants by maybe 5-10 times, and name brand "Dockers" class pants by maybe 5 times. The 100% cotton trend in outer clothing is a conspiracy by clothing manufacturers to make stuff wear out faster.

That said, I've got T-shirts from back to the early 90's I've worn fairly regularly. Line dry. Dryer lint is your clothing disintegrating while being roasted and beaten.
 
I think the work pants I have on today are about 8 years old - the oldest in my fleet. They were expensive - about $60. I wear them about once a week, about 50 times a year, so these have a per wear cost of about 15 cents
 
Notmuchlonger said:
Good sox are great Christmas gifts! I love a good cushy pair. :)
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Years ago, I bought my husband a little book called "The Joy of Sox" for his Christmas stocking. Definitely advocated the pursuit of good sox under all circumstances! Often wonder what happened to that book :(
 
For "oldest item" - I have a fall jacket that I bought the first week of sophomore year in 1966. But, I'll admit that I wear it very rarely, and then mostly for nostalgia. My employer went to business casual about 15 years ago. I still wear suits once a week, and haven't bought one since then.

I once had a pair of slippers that I wore daily for at least 15 years.

For "frightenly organized" - when I was wearing suits to w*rk, I had 4-6 in my closet and wore them "in order". They were all blue, gray, or blue-gray. I had solid white and blue shirts, and ties that I could wear with any suit/shirt without drawing laughs. So I could pretty much get dressed with my eyes closed.

Clothes are so cheap that they just aren't a big part of my budget. I spend about $240 per year now. I'm usually thrifty, but I'm subject to the occaisional expensive experiment.
 
ScooterGuy said:
All that happens is the the bottom get a little bit more ragged and the seat gets shiny.
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Hmm. A metaphor for life, I think. My bottom gets a little raggeder every year that I w*rk...
 
rjsciurus said:
Somewhat heavy blended fabric work pants will outlast cheap Target pants by maybe 5-10 times, and name brand "Dockers" class pants by maybe 5 times. The 100% cotton trend in outer clothing is a conspiracy by clothing manufacturers to make stuff wear out faster.

That said, I've got T-shirts from back to the early 90's I've worn fairly regularly. Line dry. Dryer lint is your clothing disintegrating while being roasted and beaten.
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Excellent points! I didn't realize the 100% cotton outerwear trend was a Sinister Plot, but I do prefer durable synthetics and synthetic blends for heavy-use clothing. As for line drying - We use the solar dryer whenever it's available in our area. Love that sun-dried smell.
 
bbbamI said:
She sure is. I don't even want to think how much money I spent on panty hose. :mad: Since I've been retired, I have plenty of time to bronze the legs, feet and toes with a few rays.

Do panty hose still come in eggs? :blink:
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Um...what is pantyhose? :confused:
Just kidding, I've actually worn the darn things.
Once or twice...very dim memories of power suit days are swirling in my head.
Thigh highs and...um...you know...starts with a "g"...always w*rked better for this kid. ;)

I actually still have one of those L'eggs containers. It houses a treasured christmas ornament that belonged to my Mom.
The ornament dates back to when she was a child (1930s).
 
Basically I'm a "blue jeans and T shirt" guy, much to the chagrin of DW sometimes. I still have a nice lined blue jean jacket that I bought for $12 in 1976, although it is a little bit faded by now. I have a dozen suits left over from work and wear one about once a year for weddings and such.

I was just thinking that I'll have to wait until I see jeans on sale as the ones I have are getting holes in them. Then I'll buy about six pair and wear those until they have holes in them.
 
Walt34 said:
Basically I'm a "blue jeans and T shirt" guy, much to the chagrin of DW sometimes. I still have a nice lined blue jean jacket that I bought for $12 in 1976, although it is a little bit faded by now. I have a dozen suits left over from work and wear one about once a year for weddings and such.

I was just thinking that I'll have to wait until I see jeans on sale as the ones I have are getting holes in them. Then I'll buy about six pair and wear those until they have holes in them.
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My husband doesn't really feel comfortable in his jeans until they're holey. I patched the knees of his favorite pair (decorated the patches with embroidery stitches, the whole 9 yards), and he wore NEW holes right next to the patches. So I patched the new holes and...you guessed it...he wore holes right next to the patches. Then he said he wanted to leave the latest holes intact...is "intact" the right word to use for holes?:whistle:...because that way they are more comfortable.:nonono::LOL:

So I offered to rip holes in some of his newer jeans but apparently, that isn't the same ;)
 
I used to say that you only get what you pay for. This is especially true for shoes. Back in my w**k days it was always Floreshime Imperials, Allen Edmunds or Johnston Murphys. I good pair of wingtips would last ten years. Kept them polished and treed all the time. Can't beat Lands End for good clothes (shirts). Suits were the dress of the day back in my time (70's-80's) but never spent a ton on them. Bought a lot at Pennys. I think they still have a good brand of clothes. I'm not sure I have a suit anymore. My standard dress mode for semi dress is light tan or grey slacks (sometimes plaid), dark blue blazer and tasseled loafers, preferably Sebago. Ties are only for funerals. Since I'm not into fancy dressing anymore, I frequent a consignment shop for men only. They take only the best brands, everything must be dry cleaned or laundered and pressed. I buy a lot of stuff there even if I don't need it. Great ties but who needs them. Lot of their stuff is new. Raincoats for up north and wool suits for funerals. Thats the place to shop. I never go to the mall to find mens clothes. I'm done spending money on clothes.
 
This sounds like a raggedy ass group that dresses just like me. Since RE I have spent $0 on clothing items that are outer wear. The only things that seem to rear out and need replacing are socks, boxers, and NB running shoes. DW will occasionally buy me something to wear because "it was a good deal" but it's usually something that I have many of (i.e. slacks, tee shirts, gym shorts) and know that I will not wear until the others have served their usefulness years from now. Those items have always been returned to the "good deal" store.

I still have a nylon/rayon (?) parka-like deal that I got in college in about 1963. It still makes a good windbreaker on bike rides. I also have another nylon/rayon windbreaker that I got in 1970~ still works! Those things never wear out, and the only reason that I have two is that the second one was purchased in Philadelphia one cool windy day and I had no jacket.
 
mickeyd said:
This sounds like a raggedy ass group that dresses just like me.
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Well, given that FIRE folks are usually LBYMers driven by saving their way into retirement, and that such ideas often mean [-]being cheap@sses[/-] frugality, it's hardly a surprise that we're not wearing Armani suits or Jimmy Choo shoes...
 
JOHNNIE36 said:
I frequent a consignment shop for men only. They take only the best brands, everything must be dry cleaned or laundered and pressed.
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Good point, Johnnie. For savings and selection -- Consignment shops rule! (although I had not heard of a men-only CS). I was in one the other day, in Annapolis. Some of the ladies' summer dresses were lovely, as were the prices. I think if I ever need another summer dress, I will go to a consignment store. It would be cheaper than making my own!
 
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I thought we were fairly frugal when it comes to clothing. Obviously I was wrong! I wont skimp on shoes though. Soon as I use shoes that don't have the proper support my Plantar fasciitis kicks in.
 
mickeyd said:
This sounds like a raggedy ass group that dresses just like me.
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Too many years of wearing "good" clothes has led me to be an intentional slob, but only at home. I dress nicely when going out, in fact I wear some of my former business casual w*rk clothes. The power suits are under plastic in the closet. Ptui!
My favorite item for at-home slobbiness is a pair of navy blue sweatpants. I have repaired the seat seam several times. They just feel so comfy and nobody is gonna see my secret except dh2b, right?
I can afford new sweats and already have several other newer pairs. But this pair is my designated independence uniform. :LOL:
I wear them on days I am especially happy about FIRE.
 
When warm weather arrives I have to wear a bra when running errands. In the winter it's t-shirt, sweatshirt, fleece vest.
 
Other than my suits (two), which probably average a hundred bucks per wear, everything else must be pennies, 'cause I buy 'em cheap, then wear them until there's nothing left...

In retirement, I expect to wear nothing but shorts, tees, and flip-flops...

CRA - cheap, raggedy a$$

:cool:
 
The t-shirt I'm wearing today is from an event I attended in April of '86.
 
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