NINE-hundred and forty dollars.
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That is roughly how much money I have spent on new clothes this year.
And that's just "investment" pieces, like dresses, jeans, jackets, and more dresses.
It also doesn't include shoes.
I am also probably remembering buying things cheaper than they actually were.
And it doesn't count if it was on sale, etc.
According to moneysmart.gov.au, an Australian aged under 35 spends about $23 a week on clothes and footwear, and Roy Morgan says that the average Australian women will spend $834 a year on clothes.
(I can't find any stats for men, go figure.)
Other research shows that 62 per cent of women have clothes that they've never worn, and 83 per cent of chicks have clothes that they've only worn once or twice.
We will keep things in our wardrobe for years on end, waiting for it to "fit again" or that special occasion that will call for a Lurex jumpsuit.*
There is a lovely Launceston lass who found herself a similar situation, and earlier this year made a public pledge to not buy any new clothing until she had worn everything in her wardrobe - you can watch her play along at wearitoneday.wordpress.com
I always thought I was pretty good at recycling things and being thrifty and not too consumerist, but the facts point to the opposite. In fact it's leaving a bit of a bad taste in my mouth.
So it's a good thing that this week is National Op Shop Week and I not only have fodder for a column, but a good opportunity (pun!) to purge my unworns and my it-will-fit-one-days.
I once heard someone say that they had never been to an op shop because they had "never needed to", in terms of being reasonably well-off.
It was not said in snobbery. Op shopping is about more than bargains, it is about supporting charities who did good work in the community and breaking the cycle of mass consumerism.
It's also a lot of fun.
The National Association of Charitable Recycling Organisations inc. says that reusing clothing, through avenues such as op shops, saves four kilograms of Co2 emissions per kilogram of donated clothing.
The same organisation said that op shops saved more than 300,000 tonnes of clothing from landfill in the 2013-14 year.
That is an easy way to contribute positively to the environment's future without having to deal with carbon taxes and what-not.
In yesterday's The Examiner, there was a story about how the City Mission is looking to develop online stores to compete with internet buy and sell forums.
While the organisation was unable to put a dollar figure on how online shopping had affected its op shops' revenue, fund-raising manager Brian Roach said one-third of its income was generated from its mission shops.
The City Mission is one of many charities that run op shops in Launceston, among the other big players are the Salvos, Red Cross and Vinnies.
All three charities contribute a lot to the community, whether it be a hot meal, a bed for the night or a food parcel for the week.
The least we can contribute is a portion of our $23 a week, and our neglected I'll-wear-it-one-days.
*I don't own a Lurex jumpsuit, but if anyone has a lead one where I can find one, let me know.
- To find out more about National Op Shop Week, visit www.nacro.org.au or www.dosomethingnearyou.com.au