Throughout 2020 I have definitely got better with my money and seem to have managed to control what I spend my money on instead of wasting far too much each month. But I want to try up my game a bit more and be even better with my money so I can put more money into each of my savings each month. One way I plan on doing this is by giving myself a monthly clothing budget as this is definitely an area where I spend far too much money on things I don't actually need. 

I am sick of wasting money on things that just don't get worn as I have impulse bought them with no intention of actually wearing them. This is the case with most t-shirts I buy as I like the game they refer to so I pick them up then I don't wear them as I go off the printed merchandise. I do this far more than I would like to admit but I really need to stop as it is just throwing my money away. 

The amount of clothing I have with tags still on that don't even fit me is actually ridiculous or clothes with tags on as I forgot I had them is also a common occurrence.  This is because say Primark has a sale on I will pick an item up just because it is cheap and then I just throw it in the bottom of the wardrobe and forget about it. I would love to wear everything I buy but thanks to me buying so many items just for the sake of it I don't get the chance, especially with me losing weight nothing seems to last two minutes these days. I honestly think it is a case of I can't go shopping without picking something up so new clothing is an easy option as you can find some bargains for clothes. 

My wardrobe is shared with Liam and I have far too many items in there compared to him so he barely has space for his own bits which I am feeling guilty about these days. There is also the case of the rail literally bending every time something new is added to it so before long if I carry on shopping as I am the wardrobe will definitely end up breaking.

So here is the plan for from now on to stop the waste and save me some more money... 

Cut back on the shopping trips

I have found with the lock down's in 2020 that I don't need to go shopping as much as we used to. Previously we would go shopping basically every weekend and some nights after work, we definitely don't need to do this anymore and I can't believe it has taken me this long to realise this. Instead of shopping I will spend my time going to watch the football (when we can do) and playing the games we own for our video game consoles. This means I am getting through my backlog of games and not wasting money on games I don't play thanks to going shopping all the time. It will nice spending plenty more time in the house with Liam too without him driving me around all the time.  

Budget of £30 a month

This might still seem like a big budget to some but even if I don't spend this money on the money it was meant for I can always build it up for one big shopping trip when I really do need more clothing either due to my weight loss or just general wear and tear. The budget will be a lot less than I spend now and it is going to be nice to have that money building up ready for a big trip when I need it. 

Shop my wardrobe

If I am out and see something I like I am going to leave that item behind and try find something similar in my wardrobe back at home. I buy myself far too many items that I practically own already as they are so similar so by doing this I can stop having so many of the same items. 

Make a list if I do go shopping

If I do go shopping I am going to try make a list before I go so that I am only buying things I need. This way I have a clear goal in mind and aren't buying what I need. If I just have the list on my phone as a tick list I can add to it when I do need something new and then remove things as I do get them so I don't go overboard and end up with more than I need. 

I am really hoping I can stick to this and budget in more other areas (posts on that coming in the near future) so that I can have more money for things I want to do such as jobs in the house or going away. It is time to stop wasting money for the sake of it and actually save and make a better impact on my bank account and I guess on the environment too as I won't have a load of clothes to get rid of when they don't fit or just hung in my wardrobe never being worn.

Do you budget for things such as clothes so that you aren't wasting money?