Accounting for Style is a series at the Mancunion Fashion & Beauty section, in which anonymous Manchester students track all of their fashion and beauty purchases over the period of a month. Get a glimpse into the way your peers spend their money on their style, the splurges, and the savings…
Age: 21
Degree: Electrical Engineering
Yearly maintenance loan: Unfortunately couldn’t apply for a loan
Rent: £483 a month including bills
Part-time job: None, but intern during summer
Monthly budget: I allow myself £250 for non-essential purchases every month, most of which is spent on eating out/going to bars
Extra cash: sometimes when I make a sale on Depop I get extra cash
Fashion and beauty spending habits: I only really spend on beauty if my skin is doing bad. As for fashion, I keep my spending generally low, apart from a few impulse purchases here and there
Monthly estimated spend on fashion and beauty: Probably £150 because I need some stuff for my fall wardrobe and a few new skincare products
Monthly Spending:
Sunday 4th October: £80.60 – I know it seems like I’m off to a bad start, but I finally found the shoes I wanted for months, the New Balance 530, at Urban Outfitters in Arndale. I was lucky enough to find the last pair in my size. The shoes totalled £80, while the 60p was spent on cotton rounds in Primark.
Wednesday 7th October: £69.79 – I know it seems bad, but when I was in Urban Outfitters a couple of days back, I saw this coat that really reminded me of the Saks Potts Kahlo jacket in Pistachio. While the regular jacket retails for around £1000, this one was only £59 with student discount! I also bought a matching green tank top. Let’s face it, I could only go down from here.
Wednesday 14th October: £30 – Back in Arndale again, but this time for skincare. I had restarted my skincare again at the start of the month, so I was just using my 3 basic products – cleanser, toner and moisturiser. Even though my skin was doing ok and I’d had no major breakouts, I still struggled with textured, oily skin, and needed something more. I ended up only getting an oil cleanser to use as a double cleanse, and a night cream, because Boots didn’t have the treatments I wanted. I also bought some hair products to replenish my stock.
Monday 26th October: £16 – I had been using the skincare items I bought from Boots for some time back then, and with no problems, so I guessed it was time to add some new products. I ordered a sample of the Paula’s Choice BHA Exfoliant that everyone had told me to try, as well as the Azelaic Acid Booster. Hopefully, they will fix my skin issues.
Wednesday 28th October: £15 – I bought a jumper from Depop, simply because it’s autumn – there’s not much more to say.
Saturday 31st October: £40. I did a NastyGal loungewear haul in anticipation of the new lockdown rules. If I’m going to stay at home for the next month, I might as well look cute doing it.
Total spend: £251.39
Overall verdict: I spent more than I anticipated but I’m not mad, as I got pieces that I really like, and my skin seems to be doing a little better. Tracking my spending has opened me up to how much I still rely on fast fashion and I hope to shop less at Urban Outfitters and more at thrift stores, as soon as they re-open in future months.
Would you like to anonymously track your fashion and beauty purchases for the period of a month for Accounting for Style? Email [email protected] to express your interest or come along to our Zoom meetings every Monday at 5:15pm.
