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…
Profile
Age: 19.
Degree: English Literature.
Rent: £114 per week, including bills.
Extra cash: I have a part-time job at home but I’m on the hunt for one in Manchester. I make some extra money from selling my old clothes on eBay.
Monthly budget: I don’t have a set monthly budget but I restrict my clothing purchases to a couple of items per month.
Fashion and beauty spending habits
I used to be a serial online shopper on eBay and Depop when I was in secondary school, but I have restrained myself since being at university. Whilst living in Oak House last year I spent some money on costumes for the many dress-up parties held around Halloween. But I don’t spend much money on beauty products as I still use my old and crusty makeup from when I was 14 (the beauty product I buy most often is eyeliner).
Monthly estimated spend on fashion and beauty
I usually spend under £50, but I am predicting that it will be quite a bit more this month as I need new shoes. It’s also Halloween this month so I’ll probably end up buying a few things for costume parties. Hopefully, I won’t splurge as much as last year!
Monthly spending
4th October 2022: £25.00.
I have been in need of a new pair of trainers for a while but I have been putting off buying any as the ones I have found online and in high street stores are very expensive. For instance, I found a pair of white Nike Vapormax trainers that I liked but they cost nearly £200 and they didn’t even have them in my size.
I wanted a similar style of trainers but preferably in pink rather than white. I had a look on eBay and somehow I immediately found the perfect pair for only £25. They were second-hand, which was a bonus, as I prefer to shop sustainably when I can. The trainers are pink Nike Shox trainers from 2006. I am hoping they do not fall apart by the end of the month, but they are in great condition considering they are over a decade old!
5th October 2022: £25.99.
I decided to buy a top on eBay that I had resisted buying for a couple of months. It’s a pink off-the-shoulder Jane Norman top. I was hesitant to buy it because it cost £25.99 which is more than I would usually spend on a second-hand top but I think it was a good price for vintage Jane Norman.
11th October 2022: £12.
I finally went to one of the Student Union vintage clothing sales which I’ve been meaning to go to since the beginning of first year. I found a grey The North Face zip-up fleece and a white bolero top. I was unsure about buying these two items as I didn’t necessarily need them and I am very frugal when shopping in person rather than online. However, both items were quite cheap so I bought them.
19th October 2022: £14.80.
I was trying to find a beige corset for my Halloween costume on eBay, Vinted or from one of my friends, but couldn’t find one. I gave in and bought one from Amazon. Although I try to avoid fast fashion, it was perfect for my costume.
Total spent: £77.79.
Final Verdict
Overall, I spent more than I usually do in a month but I’m not too surprised – I needed new shoes and it was also Halloween. I managed to reuse old costumes for Halloween and I found a much cheaper alternative for the shoes I wanted, so I actually saved a lot of money in the end!
