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Signs you’re spending too much money on clothes

May 7, 2012 By Joe | Heads up: Buying via our links may result in us getting a commission. Also, we take your privacy rights seriously. Head here to learn more.

What’s the point if you can get all dressed up, but don’t have a dime to put towards having someplace to go?  Even those who avoid luxury goods can run themselves into the broke gutter.  More often than not, there’s plenty of reasons not to buy it.  Further signs that someone is spending too much on clothes & shoes are welcome in the comments.  And as always, there are exceptions to almost every rule, point on a chart, etc…

 

Filed Under: Clothing, Dappered Classics Tagged With: chart

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Comments

  1. Dapper reader16 says

    May 7, 2012 at 2:23 AM

    Yes indeed, Clothes “Budget”??? Oh ha ha ha ha ha ha!! It’s the funniest thing. Clothes budget. I give a good belly laugh on that one. They always think the darnest thing. What you think just adding two words together will mean something!!?… Now you all know where I stand on this chart.

  2. Jessy says

    May 7, 2012 at 6:14 AM

    Now I’m getting worried.

  3. Conor says

    May 7, 2012 at 7:58 AM

    Hmm, “in-store credit cards.” Has this been discussed on Dappered before? I’ve always wondered the worthiness of opening those things.

  4. tat says

    May 7, 2012 at 8:00 AM

    I’m not that bad, but I do own plenty more shoes than my wife. And my wife owns a lot.
    Still, I don’t think I’m that bad as the chart shows.

  5. Dapperman says

    May 7, 2012 at 8:43 AM

    just out of curiosity, how many shoes do you have to own to out-own her, who you claim to own “a lot”? 30? I can’t imagine a dude owning more than 15 pairs of shoes, including flip-flop and everything. 15 is massive. In any case, you’re barely 1/3 on the way to the crazy town on the chart, so you can relax. 

  6. brooklyn87 says

    May 7, 2012 at 8:43 AM

    I’d love a post on this subject!

  7. Joe says

    May 7, 2012 at 8:50 AM

    It’s a touchy subject for many.  In-store credit cards are almost as polarizing as logos on clothes.  Some just have a zero tolerance policy against them, and that’s totally understanding.

    That said, I carry two myself:

    https://dappered.com/2010/07/how-to-win-the-retail-credit-card-game/ 

    But I never, ever carry a balance on them.  Ever.  Pay in full each month.  Deduct what you’ve spent from your check register post-purchase.  

  8. MagM says

    May 7, 2012 at 8:56 AM

    In order to own more shoes than *my* girlfriend I’d have to hit something like 50. While I’ve got about a dozen pairs, at least I don’t have to worry about catching up to her. 🙂

  9. Jed says

    May 7, 2012 at 11:08 AM

     I’m just past my girlfriend’s shoe collection; I think I’m currently sitting at around 40+ pairs (including flip flops). ….

    .. maybe I have a problem.

  10. Nicholas Crawford says

    May 7, 2012 at 11:55 AM

    I stopped opening credit card accounts many years ago in an effort to increase the average age of my open accounts. Well…it worked. I’m still in my twenties with a score hovering around 800.

    If you’re a regular customer of a store, the benefits can start to stack up. I tend to buy a little here and there. The worst case would be if you open an account just to take advantage of a special discount for opening the account. The 20% you might save will bite you in the ass in the long run.

  11. Cam says

    May 7, 2012 at 12:41 PM

    You should add “college guy” to the left of “You’re Fine.”

  12. Dan Patrick Flores says

    May 7, 2012 at 12:50 PM

    I agree on paying them in full each month.  Store cards carry some of the highest APRs I’ve seen. The problem is that retail associates are required to “sell” credit cards as part of their job; often taking advantage of someone who doesn’t fully understand the repercussions of abusing a store card.

    One good thing is that the ones that are used solely in that store (i.e. not being a Visa card as well) is that with the limited amount of places to use it, hopefully the card user will be able to have a lower balance, pay it off monthly, and build their credit (yeah…that’ll happen in a perfect world).

    That being said, I hated pressuring people into getting store cards every place I worked.

  13. Curt says

    May 7, 2012 at 12:59 PM

    Hee hee hee.  Love it.   Best dressed at the plasma bank indeed. 

  14. Nicholas Crawford says

    May 7, 2012 at 1:36 PM

    Are you wearing the Indochino Ultimate Grey Suit pants at the top?

  15. Ij says

    May 7, 2012 at 2:45 PM

    HA 40 pairs? i think ive given away more than that over the past 6 months. I def have a problem. Its tough when  i keep finding 60-80% off “deal” these things add up.

  16. Joe says

    May 7, 2012 at 4:11 PM

     Yep, those be them.  With side tabs (which I prefer over a belt any day)

  17. PoloMan says

    May 7, 2012 at 6:20 PM

    I’m pushing 20 pairs of shoes myself and not to brag but none of them cost less than $100. Yet sadly, some of them rarely have the shoe trees removed…

  18. Furious Styles says

    May 7, 2012 at 9:50 PM

    Thrift stores…are my meth.  But the savings I can get should bump back that status from mid-Chapter Eleven to 30%

  19. Matthew Kent says

    May 8, 2012 at 12:54 AM

    I laughed when I saw this post, because I just realized today I haven’t bought anything new in “normal clothes” for over a year, but I have spent between 2-3K in sports clothes (trust me it is easy when a pair of shorts goes for $250+) in the last couple of months. I think it is time to throw out all my old clothes and buy a new wardrobe. 

  20. NeckNooseAddict says

    May 8, 2012 at 4:59 AM

    lol I LOVE these Charts! I know it can take quite a bit of thought to write these–Great Job Joe!

  21. TJ says

    May 8, 2012 at 4:48 PM

    this may be more of an attitude that spending too much money thing, but i have thought to myself that i am the best dressed guy at the plasma bank. its not hard to be though

  22. TJ says

    May 8, 2012 at 4:50 PM

     Also I’m a recent college grad (4 days ago) and i used the plasma money to pay for food and beer, not clothes.

  23. Nicholas Crawford says

    May 10, 2012 at 2:08 PM

    I noticed no belt loops. I’ll have to consider that down the road…but I do love those pants myself. They fit perfectly (after some major alterations!) and pair well with practically everything in my closet.

  24. AnonymousJay says

    May 10, 2012 at 5:16 PM

    I’m somewhere after “Did you have a good rest of the afternoon yesterday” but before “You bought it but can’t afford to get it tailored.”

    The worst part is that I can all but guarantee I earn less money than most if not all of the guys who frequent this site (or at least the Dappered Threads).

    Fortunately there’s an emphasis on frugality on this site that isn’t necessarily present on other style sites.

  25. Marc says

    November 17, 2014 at 12:19 PM

    Since this was brought back onto the main page, I found it. However, “Your life’s next Chapter Eleven” appears to be grammatically incorrect. You’re?

  26. Derrick NYC says

    November 17, 2014 at 1:10 PM

    I know I have a problem for sure.

  27. Jonathan Krause says

    November 17, 2014 at 6:55 PM

    Is above 75 pairs a bad thing? Cause if so, nevermind.

  28. darthrex354 says

    November 18, 2014 at 9:39 AM

    F methadone, thrift store are my heroin. Selling finds at a profit is my mugging joggers in the park for a fix.

  29. Greg says

    November 18, 2014 at 10:20 AM

    Well, shit…

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