Majority Of People Have Saved £500-1,000 On Clothes Over The Past Year

• A poll by money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk has revealed that the majority of people (39%) have cut the amount of cash they’ve splashed on new clothes by £500-1,000 over the past 12 months
• “A shift in lifestyle coupled with wanting to keep a tighter rein on their finances have led many people to be more selective about the clothes they buy,” says Consumer Expert Tom Church 
• There are “lots of ways that you can keep a lid on your clothes spending in the long run”, he adds

Swapping glam evenings out for cosy nights in and working from home during the pandemic means that many of us are spending less on clothes, according to a poll by money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk.

The majority of people (39%) who took part in the poll in the community’s Facebook Group Latest Deals, Extreme Couponing & Bargains Group, which has 204.2k members, revealed that they have cut the amount they've spent on new clothes by £500-1,000 over the past 12 months. Just 1% of people have spent more on clothing over the same time period.

“Clothing stores have suffered during the pandemic, in part due to non-essential store closures during lockdown, but our poll shows that people’s budgets aren't necessarily being diverted online,” says Consumer Expert Tom Church, Co-Founder of LatestDeals.co.uk. “With economic uncertainty casting a shadow on confidence, many people are keeping a tighter rein on their spending. 

“This is in addition to lifestyle changes that have led us to be more selective about the clothes we buy. The shift to homeworking, which may be here to stay to some degree, makes it easy to understand why there would be less of an appetite for formal workwear. Similarly, with social events cancelled for the foreseeable future, snapping up occasionwear may be low down people’s list of priorities right now. Looking to the future, it has opened people’s eyes to how much they could be saving on clothes.”

Here are Tom’s top five ways to reduce the amount you’re spending on clothes in the long-run…

Tom’s top tips

1. Save your money for the sales. Unless you’ve spotted something you simply can’t go without, try to plan your shopping sprees around the sales. Fashion retailers are working hard to get our attention all year round, but key dates for your diary include the January sales, summer sales and Black Friday. It’s good discipline, as it can help to cut down the number of impulse buys you’re making throughout the year. Often I find that if I add an item to my shopping basket and then sleep on it for at least a week, I realise I may not really need it after all. 
2. Sign up for discounts. I rarely buy anything that’s fully-priced, no matter how much I want it in my wardrobe, as there’s usually way to find a discount. As a first port of call, check if you can get a discount by signing up to a retailer's newsletter. Current examples include: New Look, which is offering new UK customers 25% off full-priced New Look branded items bought online when you sign up; Converse is offering 20% off your next purchase; and GAP is offering 20% off your next full-price purchase.
3. Seek out coupons. There’s a community of dedicated money-savers out there who seek out discount codes and share them to help each other out, so tap into their insider knowledge. We’ve compiled all the latest discounts, vouchers codes and deals by retailer at LatestDeals.co.uk so it’s super easy to search for offers from your favourite shops and brands. Examples of offers that members have recently shared include: a voucher code for 25% off plus £5.99 next day delivery at PrettyLittleThing, and a voucher code for 10% off full price items at Superdry.
4. Check out online thrift stores. Charity shops may be shut at the moment but you can still browse and buy online. Oxfam has a great website where you can browse thousands of second hand, ethical and new items. The British Red Cross has a fantastic Ebay store, which is a treasure trove for rare and interesting labels. Sense also has an ebay store with a dedicated section for clothes, shoes and accessories and all the proceeds go to the charity.
5. Declutter your wardrobe and sell items you no longer wear. Channel your energy into streamlining your wardrobe and getting rid of any items that haven’t seen the light of day for years. You can make a tidy sum by selling pre-loved items online. Plus, once you’ve organised your wardrobe it’s much easier to see what you have. In turn, this will stop you from doubling up by buying similar items on autopilot, like yet another pair of jeans when you already have five.

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