How many times have you weighed up the pros and cons of buying a particular outfit? You’ve contemplated how many times you’ll wear it, whether you can really afford it, or whether it does in fact really look fabulous on you or just so-so.
I have to confess I have a number of ‘must-have’ outfits sitting in my wardrobe that have either never been worn or, perhaps, have only seen the light of day once. These items torment me every time I see them so they’ve eventually ended up at an op shop. Out of sight, out of mind, right? If you also need help decluttering your wardrobe, here are a few smart organising and cleaning tips from Marie Kondo.
Obviously, this isn’t the perfect scenario, so I’ve now adopted a new mindset and implemented the Cost Per Wear (CPW) concept.
In this day and age, we’re all aware that our purchases have ecological consequences for the planet. Research has shown that the fashion industry is one of the worst culprits of environmental pollution, so the idea of working out how many times you’ll wear an item before you purchase it is a really good idea.
The more you wear an item, the better your investment. For clothing, that translates into cost per wear.
So, for example, four years ago I purchased a pair of winter boots that were on sale. They cost $175 and I had them resoled and touched up twice, at a cost of $65. The total cost of the boots, including maintenance, was, therefore, $240. These boots are now beyond repair and will be relegated to the dustbin but I wore them at least 100 times, so the cost per wear came down to $2.40 each time I put them on. That’s a really good return! Here are a few tricks to keep your clothes looking brand new for longer – so you can wear them longer and save money!
But what about the items you’ve purchased and not worn often? Suddenly you realise that you’ve wasted a lot of money on things that should never have been purchased in the first place. Yes, there are always going to be special one-off outfits required for a wedding or function but, if you go through your wardrobe, you might be shocked at how many expensive mistakes you’ve made.
Not too much research has been done on how often people generally wear their clothes but a UK survey suggests that respondents wear an item, on average, seven times. If I had only worn those boots seven times the CPW would have been $34.28 – not exorbitant but definitely not cost-effective.
But this doesn’t mean that buying cheap is a saving either. If I had paid $140 for a pair of boots and they had fallen apart after 15 wears, then that would have been a CPW of $9.33 per wear. Definitely not cost-effective and not good for the environment. So, even though my boots were nearly three times more expensive, they delivered a low CPW and were, therefore, ‘cheaper’ in the long run.
Recently I needed some new socks and purchased a pack of five for $15 from a local retailer. After four wears, they were already showing wear on the heels and toes, so they certainly weren’t cost-effective.
Cost per wear is directly related to how much you use an item. If you write down the cost of an item and then divide this by the number of times you have worn it, you’ll get the CPW.
If you’ve purchased something expensive and you’re still wearing it years later, then that item is a bargain. Conversely, if you’ve bought something cheap and rarely wear it, then that item is expensive.
Most of us tend to get bored with our clothes and it’s tempting to replace and add to our wardrobe without actually needing anything new. These days there are so many clothing outlets offering cheap items so it’s easy and tempting to buy them. Wear it a few times and toss it out. Too easy!
The better option would be to purchase something that is expensive. Because of the monetary investment, you’ll intuitively care for it and you’re more likely to repair and maintain it because it’s cheaper to look after than to replace it. Purchasing, with more intention.
If you do want a few items in your wardrobe that will be trendy for a season make sure you only purchase a few.
If you’re into technology rather than pen and paper, apps such as ClosetSpace will help you track how often you wear an outfit. You can plan your wardrobe, see a quick overview of the outfits you’ve worn and, if you add the price of each article, you can work out the CPW. Initially, it is time-consuming to set up and you’ll need to update it every day but once you’re in the habit of doing this, it’s really quick to use. A cool thing about this app is that you can see all your clothes, shoes and accessories on your mobile phone, making outfit planning really easy. Looking for more apps to organise your life? You’ll love these ones.
The CPW formula can also be applied to other items such as household goods. Do you really need to pay $500 for a plate that you’re only going to use once a year at Christmas? Or $750 for the latest food processor that will hardly get used.
There’s no hard and fast rule for your CPW threshold – it’s totally up to you to evaluate what is a good balance. The important thing is to become mindful of where you are spending your money and whether an item is cost-effective or not.
So, next time you’re eyeing a potential purchase, think about the cost per wear.