3 ms·

> I did a double-take at the 3.5k Euro spend per year on clothing. My own spending is probably 2-3 orders of magnitude smaller. One order of magnitude would be

> I did a double-take at the 3.5k Euro spend per year on clothing. My own spending is probably 2-3 orders of magnitude smaller. One order of magnitude would be €350; two orders of magnitude would be €35; three orders of magnitude would be €3.50 I sincerely doubt that you spend €3.50–35/year on clothing!

margalabargala 2y ago
There have certainly been years when I bought almost or actually no clothing. For people who buy clothing frequently, this might be unimaginable, but I assure you that there are people who are happy with the clothing they own and do not buy more except to replace things that wear out or develop holes. And I do this by choice!
- literalAardvark 2y ago
  I doubt anyone is spending 3 bucks per year on average on clothing. Unless you're in Bangladesh or something.
  - ranguna 2y ago
    Like the parent comment that you've replied to said: > For people who buy clothing frequently, this might be unimaginable I too have not bought any clothes in the last 3 or 4 years. I have no need to. My current clothes fit me perfectly fine and my shoes are not in a bad state.
    - benediktwerner 2y ago
      That still doesn't mean you spend zero on average. I assume pretty much all your clothes are less than ten years old. To have a 3.5€/year average, all the clothes you own would need to have costed at most 35€ total, which is clearly unrealistic. Though 35€/year maybe is achievable, especially if you get/wear shirts, hoodies, maybe even shoes from conferences or company events. You probably at least still need a decent pair of shoes, one set of nice clothes, a jacket, pants, and underwear. 350€ to get that stuff for ten years still sounds very tight but maybe possible.
      - literalAardvark 2y ago
        Exactly, it's very difficult to keep the average so low. Not impossible, I'm sure I've done it in some of my broke Eastern European years, but most people probably spend more than that on socks and underpants.
      - ranguna 2y ago
        Buying second hand actually makes things even cheaper as well. The second hand culture is growing really strong in the country I live.
- thaumasiotes 2y ago
  > I assure you that there are people who are happy with the clothing they own and do not buy more except to replace things that wear out or develop holes. This is mostly my style. Actually, I can keep using things well after they develop holes. The shirt I'm wearing right now has four different holes developing around one of the wrist cuffs. I'd believe $60 / year for replacement-level clothing. $3.50 / year isn't enough to replace things that develop holes.
  - n4r9 2y ago
    I'm similar. If a hole is not glaringly obvious, ugly, and undarnable, why bother replacing the garment? I have several jumpers with holes in the armpits, t-shirts with small holes in various places, boxers with holes, shorts with slightly ripped pockets, etc... . Most of these I tell myself I'll eventually get around to repairing, but I'm in no rush. I'm not bothered what anyone else thinks of me for this. The only exception is socks, because the feeling of the bare sole of my foot touching the floor in just one bit of my foot is distracting.
- rendaw 2y ago
  3.50 EUR a year means one 35 EUR shirt every ten years, and no other clothes.
  - margalabargala 2y ago
    Why on earth would I spend that much money on a shirt? I have $15 t-shirts that I got 12 years ago in college that are still perfectly fine. But, fair enough. The sub-$10 number might still be my median, but my mean is for sure higher.
  - poincaredisk 2y ago
    Unrelated to GP, but right now I don't own any t-shirt that I've bought myself. All tshirts I have are from conferences, competitions, gifts, work swag... Similarly, I didn't pay for any hodie that I wear (except one I use for hiking), and I'm building a gifted/given socks collection. Now I just need to convince some conferences to start giving out pants and shoes...

margalabargala 2y ago

There have certainly been years when I bought almost or actually no clothing. For people who buy clothing frequently, this might be unimaginable, but I assure you that there are people who are happy with the clothing they own and do not buy more except to replace things that wear out or develop holes. And I do this by choice!

literalAardvark 2y ago
I doubt anyone is spending 3 bucks per year on average on clothing. Unless you're in Bangladesh or something.
- ranguna 2y ago
  Like the parent comment that you've replied to said: > For people who buy clothing frequently, this might be unimaginable I too have not bought any clothes in the last 3 or 4 years. I have no need to. My current clothes fit me perfectly fine and my shoes are not in a bad state.
  - benediktwerner 2y ago
    That still doesn't mean you spend zero on average. I assume pretty much all your clothes are less than ten years old. To have a 3.5€/year average, all the clothes you own would need to have costed at most 35€ total, which is clearly unrealistic. Though 35€/year maybe is achievable, especially if you get/wear shirts, hoodies, maybe even shoes from conferences or company events. You probably at least still need a decent pair of shoes, one set of nice clothes, a jacket, pants, and underwear. 350€ to get that stuff for ten years still sounds very tight but maybe possible.
    - literalAardvark 2y ago
      Exactly, it's very difficult to keep the average so low. Not impossible, I'm sure I've done it in some of my broke Eastern European years, but most people probably spend more than that on socks and underpants.
    - ranguna 2y ago
      Buying second hand actually makes things even cheaper as well. The second hand culture is growing really strong in the country I live.
thaumasiotes 2y ago
> I assure you that there are people who are happy with the clothing they own and do not buy more except to replace things that wear out or develop holes. This is mostly my style. Actually, I can keep using things well after they develop holes. The shirt I'm wearing right now has four different holes developing around one of the wrist cuffs. I'd believe $60 / year for replacement-level clothing. $3.50 / year isn't enough to replace things that develop holes.
- n4r9 2y ago
  I'm similar. If a hole is not glaringly obvious, ugly, and undarnable, why bother replacing the garment? I have several jumpers with holes in the armpits, t-shirts with small holes in various places, boxers with holes, shorts with slightly ripped pockets, etc... . Most of these I tell myself I'll eventually get around to repairing, but I'm in no rush. I'm not bothered what anyone else thinks of me for this. The only exception is socks, because the feeling of the bare sole of my foot touching the floor in just one bit of my foot is distracting.
rendaw 2y ago
3.50 EUR a year means one 35 EUR shirt every ten years, and no other clothes.
- margalabargala 2y ago
  Why on earth would I spend that much money on a shirt? I have $15 t-shirts that I got 12 years ago in college that are still perfectly fine. But, fair enough. The sub-$10 number might still be my median, but my mean is for sure higher.
- poincaredisk 2y ago
  Unrelated to GP, but right now I don't own any t-shirt that I've bought myself. All tshirts I have are from conferences, competitions, gifts, work swag... Similarly, I didn't pay for any hodie that I wear (except one I use for hiking), and I'm building a gifted/given socks collection. Now I just need to convince some conferences to start giving out pants and shoes...