Crossdressing Expenses

[Sarah Doepner]

I normally keep it down to $40-$50 a month, but there are occasions when it jumps well beyond that. I probably spend close to $1,000 in the month leading up to and including the annual trip to Diva Las Vegas. That would include travel, room, food, drinks and entertainment as well as any new clothing or makeup I buy for the trip. This month I took a draw down from my retirement savings, partially to help my kids but mostly to take care of my pent up need for car and home repair. Since I haven't spent it all on any of that I've bought a new wig topper that I can wear in the hot weather and hopefully be a little cooler, new glasses, new breast forms and hip padding, all of which were long overdue. It will average out over the year to $100-$120 a month, not counting the trip to Vegas. That's a lot less than I spend to help my adult kids and grandchildren or on cable and internet.

I believe that it's actually a pretty small amount compared to what I get out of it.

[Rachel2000]

If I had to hazard a guess, I would say that over the past 40 years I've spent at least one year's wages on cross dressing. So we're talking somewhere around $100,000.00. That's a lot of money and would have never cost anything near that if I hadn't gone thru massive purges every couple of years.

[Tracy Irving]

Prom, quinceañera and wedding dresses are all expensive. They take up too much real estate in my closet and are ridiculously impractical. I have way too many and wouldn't part with any.

[Kim Young]

Looks like I'm coming in on the high end. $300/month would be a cheap month for me.
I'm coming off back to back months where I blew out the budget.
A few bras from a boutique, a few shapewear garments for my hips and butt, and a few dresses to die for.
It's probably time to cut back so I'm hoping to finish the rest of the year under Heather's $300/month.

[Nikki A.]

The Thrift Shoppe is your friend.

Well I don't keep track. I know I try to be careful but sometimes a deal is a deal. I bought, a guy's muted camo shirt, 2 nice sleeveless blouses and a floral short and blouse set for a total of 10.50. By buying the man's shirt it isn't all pink fog talking LOL
In general I try to keep my spending to around 40-50/ month.

[abby054]

About a dozen years ago, one of us commented on line that, if we take this thing seriously, we will spend at least a thousand dollars a year. She wrote that the average CD will spend closer to three thousand dollars annually to do this right. If we cannot do afford this, she recommended that we would be happier if we find something else to do with our time.

At the time, I did not take such an estimate seriously. I do now.

[Jenn A116]

As a recovering bean counter, I don't keep track on what she spends. Most months its zero. Some times a shopping trip with my wife to Kohls/Macy/JCPenny will result in a sale item or two finding their way into the cart, for maybe $40 in that month. But coming up there will be a couple of larger expenses.

Need a new wig and new boobs. The old wig never really did suit my face and style so it didn't get much use. Going to go and try on a bunch of different colors and styles until I find one that works. Expect to spend ~$200 or more on a new wig. I'm also planning on a new pair of boobs because the old ones have served me well but after ~5 years are ready to be retired. Probably going for the self adhesive type this time. So, around $300 for them.

[Lea]

I do not keep track on the amount I spend but I do keep track on the amount of time I am dressed.

Once you have everything you need I do not think it is very expensive. My clothes have been bought while on sale or at consignment shops. My closet is full so I do not buy as much as I used to. Usually it is just makeup, makeup remover and other maintenance items.

Probably will need new breast forms in a few years and I have be debating about dress tech hips. But those expenses are not on a regular basis.

My wife will purchase my makeup for me or while out shopping try skirts on for me to look at. She jokes that it is cheaper than if I golfed, went out drinking with the guys or bought a car to fix up.

[Krea]

I don't know exactly how much i have spent on CDing, but the total is very little
One of the biggest concerns my wife had when i came out to her was that i might start spending large sums of money which we couldn't afford to lose. Given that i am in & out of work i promised her that this would not happen.
Most of what i have was either bought cheap online or from shop sales plus a few things which my wife gave to me as she did not want them.
Other things that keep the costs down include gradually buying knickers to replace male boxershorts.
As i do not use a wig, forms or makeup this fortunately means less expenditure and i am not out in public, so no new shoes.

[Crystal 42]

I have a good idea of how much I have spent since I made the decision to never purge again since I pretty much started from scratch. Probably about £1700 which is about $2200. Of course I still need to spend at least another grand to get my wardrobe back to the state it once was. As long as I don't impulse buy I don't think my expenses are particularly bad especially when I consider how much happiness my purchases bring me. Makeup tends to be the biggest cost.

[Linda E. Woodworth]

I've never added up what I've spent over the years but I "always" think about it before making a purchase.

One bone of contention in my early days was my wife throwing at me that we would now have to pay for a 2nd wardrobe for me. Since that time I can't make a purchase without thinking whether or not I really need this.

Even with that most of my clothes, except for lingerie, come from GoodWill, Thrift stores or consignment shops.

[MarieAnn]

When I first started to buy things and for a while I was keeping all of the receipts because I am one of those people that thinks if I need to return something, I need the receipt. But then one day I was looking through them and kind of adding things up in my head, I had the thought that if my wife ever found this paper trail, I would have no way out but to admit everything, and I was not ready for that. So I got rid of all the paper trail. I have an idea of what has been spent, and at times I think that I have spent a lot of money on nothing more than a "hobby", but then when I am able to put them on and I realize how it relaxes and calms me, I am brought back to reality that this is so much more than a "hobby". It is a need!!

[Dana44]

I don't keep track but we have recipes But I have filled my closet in the past year. I am sure I don't want to know.

[trixie lee]

Wow, I never kept track, but i could travel to Europe on the money i have spent! By the way, I have never regretted a single penny spent. The joy of dressing was more than worth it.

[Bobbi46]

No I don't keep a track of what I have spent, If I think Oh I'll go and get such and such very often when the time comes and I see something I say to my myself well I have got a blouse similar to that at home do I really need it? but out of it all I would like a better variety of skirts to wear.

[lingerieLiz]

I probably spend more than most here. Traveling nearly full time and with lots of time to kill I tend to shop more. My wife and I have a lot of fine clothes. I'm a bargain shopper, but spend quite a bit. I purchased blouses that cost a few hundred dollars at 50% off. One thing I have noticed is top flight clothes draw attention.

[Kayliedaskope]

A lot. Just like any other "hobby", all the little bits and pieces add up. I used to save receipts so I could keep track at one point, then decided it didn't matter. I needed what I needed, and I got what I got.

[Tahoegurl]

Thanks for saying that kaylie....same for me