Price Per Wear

What is "Price Per Wear" and why does it matter? How many times have you purchased a trendy piece of clothing, wore it once (or never), and it gets buried in your closet?  I have been guilty of this and after years of practice, I now shop with more purpose and intention. 

One day while shopping with my sister, I was mulling over a pair of pants that I thought cost more than my budget at a whopping $150.  My sister told me to think about how many times I would wear them.  They were a neutral pair of black pants (that made my bum look *chef's kiss*) and I would wear them at least once a week. She then told me to evaluate the price per wear instead of the price per product and that she uses this process to evaluate affordability based on frequency of use instead of the product price. While I thought she may be enabling me to spend more than I wanted, I gave it a try and now swear by this for any purchase whether it is for clothes, skincare, novelty kitchen gadgets (okay maybe I didn't need the miniature waffle maker), literally anything.

This mindset empowers you to be more mindful of your purchases based on overall intended use which ultimately reduces over consumption (and will save you money in the long term). 

Price Per Wear Calculation: 

Product Cost / Frequency Worn = Price Per Wear

Let's run through an example below comparing the price per wear of two items over the course of only one year.

Plaid Shirt
Product Cost: $40.00
Frequency Worn: 2 times
Price per wear: $20.00

Black Pants
Product Cost: $150.00
Times worn: 52 times
Price per wear: $2.88

While the product cost of the black pants is significantly more expensive than the plaid shirt, based on the price per wear analysis, the pants end up being a better investment based on intended use.  The example above only considers the price per wear based on use for only one year.  If you are investing in quality pieces, your usage will likely exceed that duration reducing your price per wear even further.

To learn more about why we encourage investment in a capsule wardrobe check out our other post.  It gives you unlimited options, encourages investment in key essential pieces, and ultimately reduces your price per wear and consumption in the long term.