A Modest Clothing Budget

Talbots window display in New England.

 

There are a great many temptations to go shopping. The clothing stores are always packed with the latest and prettiest garments.  There are stores and online shops available at all hours. If we did not have a clothing budget, or a plan for the year, we could easily get into a financial mess.

I would like to share some ideas that may help get the spending under control. It is incredibly fun to go shopping, but it is far more enjoyable if we follow a carefully planned method for dressing nicely for the ladies of the house.

First, I want to share some of the ways things used to be in the old days of my childhood. Then I will propose a possible plan that should help.

Please keep in mind that in my childhood days, the people in my family, church, and neighborhood did not have credit card debt. This was not common like it is today. When we needed to buy something, we had to save up the cash before we went to the store. This is very important and can certainly be the manner in which we shop today!

A beautiful entrance to an elegant store in New England.

Clothing was only purchased on specific occasions when I was growing up:

August - There was the back-to-school shopping to get a new wardrobe for children. Mother did not buy herself anything on these trips. She would have plenty of things at home that still fit her. 

December - A gift for Christmas was often a new outfit, a pretty sweater, nightgown, or bathrobe. When these packages were opened, they brought such gratefulness and joy to the recipient!

Easter season - A new dress was purchased for the girls of the house. Mother rarely bought one for herself as well, unless she had saved up a long time for this expense. She often already had a few dresses that she had acquired over a period of years. She would have taken good care of them and worn them on special occasions.

Beginning of Summer - Growing children would need summer things to wear. A careful trip to the clothing store, along with a list of necessities would be essential.  

Birthdays - This was when we children would receive something special!  We girls may have wanted a pretty top or a beautiful sweater.  A birthday was the appropriate time for such a gift.

A comfortable chair for rest while shopping in a New England store.

Whenever we did these seasonal shopping trips (to Sears or other department stores) my mother never bought anything for herself. If she needed a dress or shoes, I never saw her buy them.  She would have carefully saved and planned to get the things she needed only when it was necessary. Yet she always looked classy and beautiful. When she would go out to visit or on an errand, she would put on a little lipstick, a spritz of perfume, and a pearl necklace. All this with her cheerful smile and her heart of kindness to everyone around her, made her always look lovely. Somehow, she did this with very little money. 

In those days, I had never heard of thrift stores. Yard sales were also unheard of or rare.  My mother always bought our things new. They were good quality and lasted a long time. She made it a priority to be careful in household expenses so there was money available to dress her family modestly in nice clothing.

A spacious dressing room inside a Talbots store in New England.

A plan for saving money on clothing could be presented to our daughters in a way that would greatly help them to learn how to manage money.

Perhaps mother could share the amount of money that is available for the child's clothing for the entire year.  Learning the habit of only buying those clothes at appointed times will be important. It will never be a surprise when the time for buying clothes comes around. We will stop giving-in to buying things on impulse or on a whim. We will have a method in place for acquiring items for the wardrobe.  A good way to learn to manage those clothing funds is to get an account book and have the child record the entries throughout the year. She will know how much is available and how much has already been used. It will also help her to consult, think, and plan before the money is spent which is a crucial habit for financial wellness.  This careful budget will develop a discipline that will benefit her all of life. It will give her a sense of responsibility. It will strengthen her character, helping her to be depended on to do what is right and good and sensible. 

When I was a young teenager, if I wanted anything extra, I would have to save birthday money and any cash I had earned.  Then when I had enough for a little shopping trip, I would walk a mile to the bus stop. I would take public transportation to get to the shopping plaza. Then I would buy a pretty item of clothing, a few trinkets, and something to eat from the ice cream shop or pizza place. After this, I would gather my bags and head for the bus stop for a return trip home. This effort at all the walking and planning made those trips rare but very much worth the time and energy.  These days, if our daughters want extra things, it is important for them to earn the money themselves. This could be as simple as extra housework or babysitting.  

Leaving a Talbots store in New England. 

For we mothers it is not likely we need new clothes as often as our growing girls. Personally, I do not have a clothing budget for myself. But I do enjoy walking through the shops and looking at all the merchandise. I may not be able to buy anything, but I love seeing what is offered for sale.  It is good to be the example to the younger generation that we are not wasting money that could be put to better use.  A practical view of a modest clothing budget will be a wise example. 

Remember, as ambassadors of the dear Lord, we want to look as nice and pleasant as possible.  We ought to look our best and also behave in a lovely way with good manners and an attitude of kindness and benevolence.  If we have a focus on always shopping, always buying new clothes, and always thinking of materialism, our eyes are on the wrong goal.  To live this life in a beautiful way means we must prayerfully plan and manage the resources we have been given.  Teaching this to our children and grandchildren by our own way of life, as we cheer them along in goodness, is a wonderful use of time and money.

Blessings

Mrs. White

From the Archives - 

Encouraging children to clean -  Nobody wants to Clean a Messy House. 

Wise Homemaking Advice from 1744 - To Earn and Not to Spend. 

Some Help - The Secret to a Clean House.

Advice for Hard Times  - How the Old Time Mothers Survived Poverty.

- To find out more about this blog, or Mrs. White, please visit our About page. -

Learn How To Manage Money on a Small Income, with this helpful book:

- It is an honor to be the bookkeeper for the house! - 

Find detailed instruction and inspiration in budgeting on a small income, along with a method for keeping a handwritten ledger, with lots of thrifty ideas, in Mrs. White's book:

 -An Old Fashioned Budget: Humble Financial Management for the Christian Housewife. 

 Paperback, 77 pages.