How I Tamed My Fashion Shopping

A Surprisingly Simple Fix

This interest in fashion has been an expensive hobby for me. Several years ago I really let loose with purchases, buying everything left and right. It resulted in many hits and misses - some amazing clothes, and a lot of damage to my wallet. My husband joked that every day we had a nanny coming… and then a courier.

Since then, I’ve been trying to find a good way to make it more manageable. I could never stick to a system because there was always a new shiny thing that grabbed my attention, and I would swing between no-buys and buy-a-lots.

And it’s such a losing game, because it’s impossible to ever get everything you want. Even if you focused only on Tibi, there are around 800 products on the site - and buying just 10% of them would easily land you in the neighborhood of 30K USD. But now I finally found a system that works for me, and while it’s working, I wanted to share it with you.

The system is simple - especially for someone more structured - but somehow this time it clicked. I’ve been following it since June, and it has made me prioritize my purchases extremely well.

1. Define your annual fashion budget.

If you’re reading a fashion Substack, fashion is probably a beloved hobby - so treat it that way, not as something purely functional. The exact amount depends on your needs, finances, and preferred brands, but make sure it’s sustainable. Don’t set an unrealistic budget; just like with yo-yo dieting, extreme restriction leads to swings between deprivation and excess.

2. Estimate how much you can spend per item based on expected wear.

Once you decide on your annual budget, you can calculate how much an item is “worth paying” based on expected wears.

For example, with a 5,000 USD annual budget, a coat you’ll wear 500 times is worth buying for up to 1,141 USD, while a T-shirt you’ll wear 10 times is worth paying 23 USD for. Here’s the logic: assume you wear 6 items per day, 365 days a year. With a 5,000 USD budget, one wear costs about 2.3 USD. So the amount you “can” spend on an item is simply 2.3 USD multiplied by the number of expected wears.

This makes things very clear - a T-shirt will never last 500 wears, but a coat or a bag might, and therefore they’re worth paying more for.

3. Transfer your fashion budget into a dedicated account daily or monthly.

And only use that account for fashion. It’s essential that the budget is prepaid. I use Revolut and transfer small amounts daily - I like the dynamics of it.

4. Only buy from the prepaid budget and prioritize ruthlessly.

This is the core. No “borrowing” from next month. No using your main account. If you spend your budget on a shiny new jacket, you won’t have funds for winter shoes - which becomes a real problem in snow. This gives you the key thing we’re aiming for: ruthless prioritization.

5. Enjoy the peace of mind.

That’s it. You’re buying within a system you agreed on with yourself.

Once I adopted this system, I found that I purchase far less impulse buys and expensive, impractical items. I focus much more on things I actually need, and I naturally prioritize the right pieces at the right price - otherwise I’ll be stuck hanging out in sneakers in the snow. I also plan for major sales in advance. Instead of doom-scrolling Black Friday deals now, I am now calmly waiting for the Tibi sale in early January, accumulating funds in my fashion account.

I’ve seen other good systems - like buying only one piece per month - and the key is always the same: ruthless prioritization. In the end, it’s impossible to win the fashion game and acquire everything you want. The system that keeps you grounded is the best one.

Wishing everyone peaceful and content Black Friday week!