No new year's resolution not to spend more on womens' clothes.... just the opposite

Last year I found myself spending more and more on womens' clothes, and I was constantly buying stuff. Many times throughout the year, I kept on thinking about how much this was costing me and how it was hard to say no. Granted, I have not maxed out credit cards or gotten myself into debt, but I have put virtually no money into savings, instead spending almost all of my extra cash on feminine clothes. The only time I didn't buy anything for about 2 months was when I was saving for a vacation.
Now onto the new year's resolutions.... My first thought would have been to simply not spend as much on clothes, but I knew right away that I was going to see many things I liked and go ahead and buy them. I would not be able to resist, unless the price tag was just so high that I would have to pay it off over time instead of the next credit card statement. So there was no point in making a resolution not to buy as much. If anything else, I'd say I was making a resolution to at least spend what I did last year on clothes, and maybe even more if I saw something that caught my eye.

I certainly understand the attraction of buying clothing that catches your eye, but from what you describe, your buying habits may be limiting on other aspects of your life. While it makes sense to set boundaries on spending for clothing, (womens or mens) as part of budget management, I also understand how difficult it can be. One thing that helped me curb habitual shopping was to adopt a budget, and stick to it. But the thing that really enabled me to stick to that budget was the realization that many of those frankly impulsive purchases simply did not work for me, given my stature and my age. The third thing was to just not spend as much time looking at clothes.

So the resolution is to spend at least as much as last year? That should be easy to keep anyway.

If you don't have the cash don't buy it.
Using a credit card is not all that wise of a thing to do especially if you have no control.

I had to curb my spending a bit. I have more dresses, skirts and tops then I can wear (one at a time) in months. If it looked pretty or if "I just had to have it," I bought it. Mistake!

Running out of room to put stuff is another good deterrent to spending more on femme stuff.
and yet if there is a really good sale..............Doh !!!!:facepalm: :bonk:

Much as I like buying clothes for myself I already have more than enough, so I limit my spending to getting makeup, accessories and the like (though I did buy two new wigs on Friday....). And, I take cash, without a card you can only spend what you have with you.!!

Browsing the online stores it's possible to find soo many nice things but like Diane I have more things than I can wear.

At the end of the week I spent fully enfemme even though I'd kept what I took to what I thought was the minimum, I still came back with things I'd just not had the chance to wear.

So my resolution is 2 fold. To only buy while enfemme having tried it on in store. To buy it if I have a realistic chance of wearing it or if I can loose something out of my wardrobe and make this it's replacement.

I will allow myself a little indulgence once in a while. I did buy a necklace from Amazon at Christmas but it was only a few pounds and one of my goals is to improve my jewellery box.

In fact while on my last trip I tried on 3 or 4 skirts in M&S. All fitted well and looked good but it truth I'd have had little opportunity to wear them so back on the rail they went. I just cant see the point of having nice stuff that just sits in the wardrobe unworn perhaps for years.

I'd rather spend the cash on letting Helen have a pleasant meal in a decent eatery and show off some of the nice things I already have.

I store my excess wardrobe in plastic bags and mothballs.

Great to go through it a year later and find that the items stored are fashionable again.

Still buy the odd top and skirts tho'.

I have been crossdressing for a little over a year and have not yet worked up the nerve to go into a store to buy things yet, so I buy stuff online. I fear it may get worse when I eventually get to this point. That being said, I am able to manage my finances without any problem. I am 1 of the few people who can pay off his credit card statements each month and on time (the credit card companies hate me cuz they can't charge me interest :) ).
I guess the main point was, I am not saving much money, as I am constantly adding to my wardrobe. Once I see something I want, its hard to say no. I don't even open the emails I get, but when I saw 1 that said "70% OFF", I just had to take a look, and then I wound up buying something, spending about $25 after shipping. I constantly ask myself this question.... "If I could go back and change everything and not become a crossdresser, and put more money into savings as a result, would I change that?" Well my answer is ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! Because a new exciting chapter has opened up in my life, and I love it way too much to give it up.
Putting aside cash to use for whatever I want is easy enough. I have a system.... I am a delivery driver and get cash every single night when I go home. Depending on how much I make in tips, I will set aside a certain amount into my extra cash cup and let it build up. Works well, except when I get up over $100 or more, I start looking more frequently at the online dress shops, figuring that I can use the extra cash if I need to.

Rainbow,
One promise I made to my wife was my CDing wasn't going to cost a fortune. I had to bite the bullet and start using charity shops but what a revelation it has been ! To able to buy top brands at ridiculous prices and as it turned out making good friends with many of the sales people . Some are volunteers so they don't get a commission and yet they are so helpful and accepting . The outfit in my avatar was less than £20.00 that includes the heels, OK it may be last years style but it didn't stop me receiving some lovely comments .

While I love to shop as does my wife we don't really buy that much. I did in the past when I traveled. Lots of free time to search for bargains. I'm not buying anything now because I have so much and it will be warm before I wear all my winter things. Same with summer I will only wear a lot of the tops once or twice before it gets cold. hummm

I've never made any New Years Resolutions, ever, even concerning my crossdressing. Well, its now (almost) the end of January - and I haven't made one fem purchase so far this year.
I'm still dressing as much as I can, but mostly in the purchases I made last year. I think in 2017 I spent more in that one year alone than I've spent in my entire cd-ing life put together. The entire year was a big pink haze of shopping, especially at my local Dressbarn! And even at Christmas when I said I shouldn't buy anything else, I still ended up buying myself a little xmas present in the form a beautiful new dress they had just brought out. I expected buyers remorse, but no, I'm really glad I bought it and I'm wearing it a lot and loving it more than I thought I would.
I've spent some time this month (online) browsing and "window shopping", but not feeling the urge to buy anything new (especially for just the sake of it), well just yet anyway. I'm wondering what will be the first thing to take my eye and be the first "must have" of the year!

I few years ago I would buy things on impulse that looks cute ect.. ran credit cards up you know the dance. Now I buy a top or bottom every once in a while when needed. What changed is when I came to the fact I knew I would be transitioning some time in the future. I hope to have everything together before I'm 40 to start the process. I knew at that point where I really wanted to spend my money and have been watching every dime since. It is amazing thought I still have full wardrobe and don't spend a fortune any more. So I guess I didn't make a new years resolution I made a me resolution.

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Originally Posted by SarahMarie

I few years ago I would buy things on impulse that looks cute ect.. ran credit cards up you know the dance. Now I buy a top or bottom every once in a while when needed. What changed is when I came to the fact I knew I would be transitioning some time in the future. I hope to have everything together before I'm 40 to start the process. I knew at that point where I really wanted to spend my money and have been watching every dime since. It is amazing thought I still have full wardrobe and don't spend a fortune any more. So I guess I didn't make a new years resolution I made a me resolution.

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Maybe I haven't gotten to that point yet because I've been doing this less than a year and a half. Also I did not start cross-dressing until I was 42, half my life gone already. I constantly remind myself of this and how I got such a late start in life on cross-dressing. For me, looking around and buying the clothes is almost as fun as actually wearing them as I anxiously count the days, checking my tracking numbers, and looking out the window to see if the mail came. Personally, I hope I never get bored with it so that I don't hardly ever buy any clothes and it becomes routine. Although I don't think that will happen, at least not any time soon, because womens' fashion has so many different styles and things u can buy. And I just discovered a new style that I fell in love with recently.... An off the shoulder dress. Pretty sure some other style I haven't tried yet is going to catch my eye sooner or later, and then I'll fall in love with that too. No matter what happens though, I'm going to take this for a ride as long as I can. But I seriously doubt I will ever tire of cross-dressing. I know I will never ever purge my clothes, I've invested way too much money into it already for me to just get rid of my clothes. It'd pain me way too much.

Shopping for (and buying) women's clothing is something we all do and there's no harm in it as long as the spending is under control. I used to satisfy my shopping urge by putting a little bit aside each payday and when I saved up enough for a shopping spree I went and had a ball at the clothing store. I always had a nice wardrobe and was never in debt because of it.

IMHO New Years' resolutions are bunk. I've never made one all my life. My feeling is if the pledge to do or not do something is worthwhile, then it should be done anytime. Men and women are alike. Many women spend too much on clothes and shoes. Guys may do the same tricking out their car or truck. What's the root cause for either.

I've read numerous stories over the years of the next of kin cleaning out an elderly woman's house after her death and finding tons of unopened packages from QVC or the HSN. A compulsive disorder? Retail therapy for a shut it?

A counselor I know suggests buying stuff you really do not need is a form of "retail therapy." How did I acquire 158 dresses? Or the hundreds of slips? And, now since I have pretty much exhausted the availability of full slips, it's on to panties with patterns. I know there is no way I'll ever wear all the dresses and slips or even the panties. I collect coins too! The panties are more fun!

I can readily afford my buying habits, so I really do not expect them to change. It is a form of retail therapy for me. I equate my buying habits to be less injurious than self medicating with alcohol or legal or illegal drugs.

My recommendation to you is to set a budget just like you do with rent and utilities. Create an account for short term savings for a vacation. If you can save into a 401(k) at work do that. Or have a direct withdrawal to a savings account right of the top of your pay check. Many times a person really does not have a clue how much he or she spends on his or her impulsive purchases and toys. Create a Word or Excel document to keep track of purchases. Seeing exactly how much is spent on clothing is better than just knowing there is no money left for anything at the end of the pay period.

Heck, I just was notified by an eBay seller my new pair of vintage panties has been shipped! Pretty ones at that!

My problem is that I see something that I want I go and buy it . I have run out room for my things I'm on purging my male cloths to make room.

I am absolutely, positively sticking to my New Year's resolution of not purchasing--oooh, look! Sale on panties at Soma!!