#AlmostPoshStyleCost: Best and Worst Buys of 2016
December 16, 2016I started tracking my expenditure on clothes, shoes and accessories this year after reading a magazine feature that tracked stylists given monthly budgets of varying amounts, one of them being $2000 AUD a month. A MONTH. I know.
It led me to realise I had no idea what I spent on average a month and certainly not within a year, so the #AlmostPoshStyleCost project was born. I dutifully entered every item I bought or acquired, noting the original RRP and rounded up each month's purchases in a blog post. You can see the archive here. Now it's time to check out the best and worst purchases of 2016. Spoiler alert, two of the best feature in the photo below.
First, let's get December's minor purchases out of the way. Obviously with Christmas festivities and gift buying, I did not go nuts.
Last month, I attempted to buy some white jeans with my ASOS gift voucher. Unfortunately, when they arrived, I couldn't get them up over my rump (size 12, my . . . rump) so they were back in the reusable post bag and heading back to the mothership within 24 hours. However, I still wanted some as part of a #neversaynever challenge I'm undertaking. So when Katies dropped 50% site wide, I pounced on these 7/8 jeggings and I'm still waiting for the Collect part of my Click and Collect.
I was due to catch up with my blog squad friends after work one day and picked up these earrings on a whim from Colette Hayman to jazz up the outfit I'm wearing in the pic above. I regret nothing.
Year in Review
Without further ado, let's see how 2016 panned out.
Best Buys
(aka things you've seen a million times on Instagram)Shoes
Black ankle boots from Target ($39.00). Unusually, I paid full price for these; normally with Target, I'd sale stalk but I really liked them and didn't want to miss out.
Black mid-calf boots from Shoe Shed, originally $79.95, paid $63.95 during a 20% off sale.
Outerwear
If you've been reading along this year, you'll know I have come close to weeping with joy upon finding not one, not two, but three decent jackets after spending most of my life without them. I went to the Katies VIP Shopping Night and picked up this PU Ponte Jacket for $62.97, marked down from $89.95 and have worn it to death. DEATH.
Top / Dress
Also from Katies, also worn to death was this striped tunic. A combination of a sale and a discount voucher meant I scored it for $12.40 from $49.95. I think it terms of cost per wear, it's probably down to fractions of a cent.
Denim Dress Katies $69.95 $48.97
Casual Wear
This pair of trackies from Rivers ($25 down to $12) and a graphic jumper from Kmart ($12) that I lived in during the colder months . . . all six of them.
Accessories
I loved this Kmart scarf ($7) and often got nice comments when wearing / posting in it.
And it's pretty hard to go past this bad boy:
I didn't include underwear, sleepwear, hosiery or socks in my tally but I can tell you that one of the ultimate best purchases of 2016 (and the last few years, if I'm honest) were Mix Apparel fleece-lined tights and leggings from Coles. I worn them at least twice a week during the colder months (so, most of the year) and they held up really well, I only had to replace them once!
Worst Buys
All this saving and awesomeness wasn't without the occasional dud purchase. Here are the worst things I wasted money on:
Marks & Spencer dragonfly print top and GAP striped dress - neither of them fit nicely, luckily they only cost $3.10 each at the Salvos. Really, it was just a donation.
Sportscraft merino wool cardigan from Savers - although it was a bargain at $10.50 and would normally retail for around $150, I could never get it to sit right on me, subsequently never wore it and donated it back to Savers. Hopefully someone else picked it up who can make it work.
Fashion Union 2 in 1 Shirt Jumper from ASOS (bought with gift voucher). I still have this one but it is on its final warning. I seem to look super busty in it. AND you have to iron the shirt bit. What is the point in that?
I bought the Dotti black shirt dress for $20 in a panicked emergency state before a blogger meet-up in Melbourne and it showed. It was swiftly dispatched on returning home.
Cream Bettina Liano sweater from Costco for $17.99 - I was so pleased with the black version that when I saw them still in stock on my next visit, I snatched up the cream one which turned out to be awfully see-through and unflattering. Only to be worn under a jacket or coat. With a scarf. Also on warning.
And now, what you've all been waiting for:
Total original RRP or "value" of items: $4,528.73
Total spend on clothes, shoes and accessories for 2016: $1,820.98
I was gifted, given, bought with gift vouchers or won items to the value of $1,070. The $500 FarFetch voucher I won certainly helped boost that and I ain't mad.
Of the 113 items acquired, I only paid full retail price for 27 of them. That means I got some sort of whopping percentage of my total spend for the year on sale, op shopped, given or gifted. My dyscalculia does allow me to give you the actual figure. If anyone would like to work it out, do let me know.
The totals
Total items acquired: 113Total original RRP or "value" of items: $4,528.73
Total spend on clothes, shoes and accessories for 2016: $1,820.98
Key findings
I purchased or acquired, on average, 9 items a month.I was gifted, given, bought with gift vouchers or won items to the value of $1,070. The $500 FarFetch voucher I won certainly helped boost that and I ain't mad.
Of the 113 items acquired, I only paid full retail price for 27 of them. That means I got some sort of whopping percentage of my total spend for the year on sale, op shopped, given or gifted. My dyscalculia does allow me to give you the actual figure. If anyone would like to work it out, do let me know.
I am really glad I did this. It gave me a good insight into my shopping habits, allowed me to reel it in if I'd gone a bit crazy and appreciate the savings I made as a bargain shopper. Although I've exceeded the alleged average Australian woman's spend of $834 (still unsure if this includes shoes), I didn't think it was excessive although the article seems to think an annual spend of $1,288 is "lavish". It wasn't too much of a hassle and I'm definitely going to keep tracking into the future. Who knows, I may add beauty products into the mix for 2017!
Have you ever tracked your expenditure or would it be too scary? Keen to join me next year? Click here to download the StyleCost 2017 spreadsheet!
Have you ever tracked your expenditure or would it be too scary? Keen to join me next year? Click here to download the StyleCost 2017 spreadsheet!
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