The price edit · No. 04
What does that coat really cost each time you put it on? Add the price, how often you'll wear it, cleaning, repairs and what you might sell it for, then compare it with the alternatives.
$1.00 a wear · 360 wears · $280.00 + $120.00 cleaning (6 cleans) − $40.00 resale = $360.00
$1.17 a wear · 60 wears · $70.00 = $70.00
$0.96 a wear · 260 wears · $190.00 + $60.00 alterations = $250.00
$50.00 a wear · 3 wears · $150.00 + $45.00 cleaning (3 cleans) − $45.00 resale = $150.00
Leather ankle boots works out cheapest at $0.96 a wear; Wedding guest dress costs the most, $50.00 a wear (about 52 times as much).
| Item | Wears | Total cost | Price ÷ wears | Cost per wear | Wears to reach $1.00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wool coat | 360 | $360.00 | $0.78 | $1.00 | 360 ✓ |
| Budget coat | 60 | $70.00 | $1.17 | $1.17 | 70 |
| Leather ankle boots | 260 | $250.00 | $0.73 | $0.96 | 250 ✓ |
| Wedding guest dress | 3 | $150.00 | $50.00 | $50.00 | never* |
✓ already reached with the wears you planned. * Never: cleaning alone costs more per wear than the target. The longest bar is cut short to keep the others readable.
Cost per wear is what you pay for a piece divided by the number of times you wear it. This calculator adds the running costs and takes off what you get back:
cost per wear = (price + cleaning + alterations & repairs − resale value) ÷ wears
The target sets the last column of the table: the fewest wears that bring each item down to that cost per wear.
A $280 wool coat worn 3 times a week for 20 weeks a year over 6 years gets 360 wears. Six cleans at $20 add $120 and selling it for $40 takes some back: (280 + 120 − 40) ÷ 360 = $1.00 a wear. A $70 coat that lasts one winter gets 60 wears, or $1.17 a wear. The cleaning narrows the gap, but the better coat still wins.
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation's 2017 report A New Textiles Economy found that clothing utilization, the average number of times a garment is worn before it stops being used, fell by 36% over the previous 15 years. The UK charity WRAP estimated in 2012 that keeping clothes in active use for just three months longer would cut the carbon, water and waste footprints of clothing by 5–10% each. Activist Livia Firth popularized a simple test in 2015: before you buy something, ask whether you will wear it at least 30 times.
There is no universal figure: it depends on your budget and what the piece is. The number is most useful for comparing options, such as a dearer coat against a cheaper one, or for checking a buy against your own target. The target box shows how many wears each item needs to reach it.
Look at a similar piece you already own. A winter coat might be worn most days for 20 weeks a year, sandals twice a week for 12 weeks. Be honest about how many years you will keep it: fit, fashion and wear all shorten that.
Yes for anything dry-clean only, because cleaning can add up to more than the price over the years. If cleaning alone costs more per wear than your target, the table says the target can never be reached, however long you keep the piece.
Yes. Money you get back reduces what the piece cost you overall. Resale prices are hard to predict, so use a low estimate, or leave it at zero to see the worst case.
Yes, in this browser's local storage on your device, together with your currency and target. Nothing is uploaded. “Download CSV” gives you a copy for a spreadsheet.