Building a realistic apparel budget starts with understanding all the cost categories: not just the per-shirt cost.

A complete budget includes: (1) garment cost, (2) print/decoration cost, (3) setup/design fees, (4) shipping and fulfillment, (5) storage if you maintain inventory, (6) waste budget (10–15% for reprints, damaged pieces, size corrections).

Annual planning approach: identify each program type (staff gear, events, member gifts, retail), estimate quantity for each, get per-unit quotes at expected volumes, multiply by frequency, add 15% contingency.

The mistake: budgeting only for the shirt cost and discovering setup fees, shipping, and rush fees at invoice time.

For stakeholder presentation: cost per wear is a useful frame. A $25 shirt worn 50 times costs $0.50 per wear. That framing makes quality investment more defensible than "shirts cost $25 each."