Some time ago, I saw on an episode of Hasan Minhaj's show that in the 80s, the average USAan bought a dozen new items of clothing a year, and nowadays that average is 68. 68!
That prompted me to do a little audit to figure out how many clothing items I buy every year. In 2019, my number was 8 items. In 2020, it was 16 if you count masks (13 if you don't).
the 2020 haul: 1 pair of jeans, 3 thermal shirts, 2 t-shirts, 1 pair of boots, 1 pair of socks, 5 pairs of underwear, 3 face masks
So I did the audit again this year, and I bought three items (unless I'm forgetting something, but I don't think so): a pair of jeans, a sweater, and a mask. So, 3 if you count masks and 2 if you don't, for 2021.
the 2021 haul
So I still live in the 80s, based on my clothes buying habits. I still feel like I have a lot of clothes, even after all the purging-of-stuff work I've done over the years; I can't imagine buying 68 items of clothing a year. That's more than one item per week!
I know we live in a "fast fashion" world, but I am a "first world poor" person so most of my things are not terribly expensive and they still last me longer than what people say "fast fashion" items last (stories about "oh they tear within a few wears" blow my mind; I'd be returning them and never buying that brand again, that's ridiculous). I do try and save up for a few quality items; I try and get nice shoes that are comfortable and will last (those boots from 2020 are Docs), and my two latest pairs of jeans are Levis (bought on sale - always wait for the sale! LOL. The last pair I recently bought during online black Friday sales for 40% off, which made them comparable to what you might find in a Target, price-wise). I wear them all the time because those are the only two pairs of jeans that fit me, and even the year-old pair barely look worn, so for sure worth it compared to thin, more easily worn out jeans (there's a huge difference between men's and women's jeans on that front; the Levis I'm wearing are men's jeans and are sturdy; women's jeans that I've had in the past are THIN and a wholly different fabric feel. Plus your phone will fit in your pocket if you buy from the men's section. Seriously ladies, you don't gotta be trans like me to buy men's jeans, I highly recommend it). ;)
Yeah I would probably buy a couple more things if I had money, but not much more than that. I realize that everyone has different needs and that's understandable, especially if your job is really hard on your clothes. But that 68 number still blows my mind.
So I'm really curious what other people's average is, especially in other countries. I'm posting this in the minimalism group so maybe I won't get a representative answer of average Joes, lol - but if you'd like to chime in, do let us know about how many items of clothing you buy for yourself (counting each family member separately, so if you're buying for kids don't count that toward your own number, etc.) in a year. :)
