Jeans: A Cost-Per-Wear Analysis

Do you ever do a "cost-per-wear" estimate before buying an item? It's where you take the the value of your item and divide it by how many times you think you'll wear it to see if it's "worth it". There's even a calculator to help you with it if you don't feel like doing math.

As a quick way to judge whether or not a purchase is "worth it", it isn't bad. However, it has some definite short-comings. First, it can distort the idea of cost, After all, even if your jeans only cost you $5 per wear, you still spent  $100 on them. Secondly, in the heat of the moment you can definitely rationalize that you will wear something more often than you really do. (This is why I own the world's most uncomfortable pair of sparkly heels). Also, if you wear something to death, the cost-per-wear becomes so negligible that it's hard to put into context with the rest of your wardrobe. For example, it's hard to compare the cost-per-wear on a winter coat with your favorite shirt.

All that said, cost-per-wear can be useful in understanding value--which i'm defining as the benefit you get out of owning/wearing item versus it's price. In light of my most recent jeans purchase, I wanted to take a look at a select sample of jeans from my closet and see if I could develop a metric for understanding whether or not they were worth the price.  A little bit on my methodology:

• I took 4 jeans of varying price points (two inexpensive and two high-end) as well as different styles (two are more everyday jeans, one is super casual, and one is dressy). I did not include the Ayr jeans I just purchased because this is an historical look at value.
• I chose to first look at how much I wore the jeans in the first 6 months--I often find that I wear a new item a lot in the first few weeks of purchase, but over time, the frequency of wear decreases if it's not an item I really love. Six months is kind of a good gage for me and it also gets you through at least two seasons.
• I then estimated what the jeans were worth today--this is obviously a rough estimate, but it's based on how much wear and tear they've experienced and what I'd pay for them today (in their current state)
• I then estimated how much longer I could continue to wear them before they fell apart and how often I thought I would wear them (per month).

Disclaimer: Obviously the accounting terms are a little tongue-in-cheek. But, I couldn't help myself.

Obviously, from a pure cost perspective the AG jeans and the Gap jeans got the most wear. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, the AG jeans got more wear simply because they are a skinny style that I can wear to school or on casual fridays at work (I do wear these jeans at 2-3 times a week). The Gap jeans, on the other hand, are a light wash bootcut that I use for running errands, moving, anything involving outdoors and hiking etc. I definitely don't wear them every week, but they're a good style to have. The BR jeans didn't get nearly as much wear as I expected because I realized that I just didn't love the straight fit or fabric.

The Paige jeans . . . OUCH . . . $63 per wear. . . that number kind of hurts. These jeans are actually a lesson in why you shouldn't let sales clerks talk you into things. I let the clerk persuaded me to leave them long because she claimed they would shrink over time and that I would always wear them with 4 inch heels. Neither of these things has proved to be true. And, I'm sad to report I've been too lazy to get them properly hemmed.

The next step was to look at where I think the jeans are today:

Note: Remember all of these values, especially depreciation and current value are pretty subjective. 

The BR jeans, at this point, are a waste of space and I'm donating them to Goodwill (excuse the nerdy accounting jokes).  Considering how little I wore them, in terms of value, they were clearly not a good purchase. The AG jeans, which I've loved to death, sadly didn't last as long as I would have expected for the price. Because of that, I only anticipate them lasting another 8 months.  I'm not sure if the faster wear is due to overuse or if the jeans aren't as durable (they're really soft but also a bit thinner than other jeans). That said, I think I certainly got my moneys worth out of them. I'm curious to see how the Ayr jeans wear over time in comparison.

Lessons Learned

1) Fit and tailoring matter. If I want to get more value out of my Paige jeans, I really need to get them hemmed. Who knows, maybe they'll become my go-to going out jeans and I can give my beloved skinnies a rest.

2) Spending more on an item makes more sense (from a cost perspective) when it's something that you're going to wear a ton. On the other hand, it's not clear that spending a ton on more special occasion items (like going out jeans) is best from a purely cost-per-wear perspective.

3) Using Cost-Per-Wear is an interesting metric, but if you want to get a better idea of an items potential value, think about how much you'll wear it in the first 6 months. If it's only a couple of times, then it might not be the best purchase. However, if it's an item you'll wear all the time, it might be worth a splurge. 

Please note, that I don't think you have to spend a ton on jeans to feel great. You can definitely find great jeans at places like Gap or BR . . . it's all about finding the right fit and style for you regardless of what price point you're shopping in. But, buying a "cheaper" pair of jeans that you don't love and won't wear is less cost-effective than an expensive pair you'll get a ton of use out of. 

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What do you think? Do you think about cost-per-wear when you buy an item? Would you rather splurge on something you wear everyday or a special occasion item?

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