'Clothes are cheap these days, no need for second hand'

[Upsidedownandinsideout]

Just read this exact phrase on a current thread re FB selling groups but see it again and again on here.

Am no saint, I still buy things from Zara as well as preowned, and haven't darned a sock in my life. Still I worry that if even the members here, who generally work hard to do the best for our kids and worry about their futures, think nothing of buying new school trousers every growth spurt instead of taking up or down, or buy a new costume (flown from China) every year for World Book Day, or can't see the point in bothering to sell a second hand item - that's not a great sign for the future of our environment, especially when our fast fashion industry means that there increasingly isn't much value in donated clothes either.

Realistically though, AIBU to even spend time worrying about this? I feel like a (small, full-time-working and time- and money-poor) drop in a very large ocean every time I think about these things.

I used to buy stuff from charity shops when dc were very small but there is never anything at all for older kids.

Plus it gets harder to judge the size and they like to try things on.

Although I agree that things have swung too far towards cheap= disposable I also remember what it was like to clothe children on a very low income.

You couldn't do it unless you went to jumble sales and stored stuff until it fit.
Your choice for clothes was mothercare, C&A, M&S etc. No primark or supermarkets.
It was very hard. School uniform was a nightmare. It cost me around £300 when DD started school in the mid 90s. That was for a standard state primary.
I could kit out both her younger brothers for a whole year on that now.

I had to buy up winter coats in sizes 3 x too big just because they were there. Shoes were a real problem. You couldn't get the second hand and the choice of shops were limited.

So lets not hark back too much to the good old days of slow fashion. I don't want to go back to a time where you could pick out a poor child by the state of their clothes.

Same RingFence - I get quite a bit for both me and DCs off Facebook selling groups for brands I like and eBay. I don't really go to charity shops because the ones here are rubbish - I don't want to buy ten year old Next and Primark stuff! But my mum and sister live near better charity shops and have had some brilliant bargains. Once, my mum got a Jaeger coat with the tags still on. Buying cheap, poorly made new clothes is false economy. I'd rather buy better quality stuff second hand. I think DS1 has only ever had one or two brand new coats - all the rest off Facebook and eBay for a few quid.

I have no objection in principle to second hand clothing but rarely see anything I like that is actually in my size in charity shops.

Tbh charity shopping is a hobby of mine so I buy an awful lot of mine, dd2 clothes and toys for her from them. However, now she is getting close to 3 I'm finding there is less choice of clothes for her. Plus the charity shops around my way will charge £4/5 for worn out Next/Boden/Jojo tops so it is often cheaper for me to buy 3 pack of tops from Asda for £6. That said, I have got some amazing bargains in the past but that is more down to the fact that I look in the charity shops at least once a week.

I disagree with the blanket view that cheap clothes are always a false economy and rubbish. I have some Primark jumpers and New Look tops that I've had for around 10 years which are still going strong. I use to buy my jeans and jeggings from Next and M&S but have gone back to buying from Primark because the Next and M&S ones are developing holes in the knees and crotch within 6 months. I'm competent at sewing but I can't pull off the patched knee look(!) I've gone back to Primark jeans because if they develop a hole in 6 months I'm only £8 down instead of £20-£40 down (and in fact, they are still going strong).

Most high Street store clothes are made abroad, even the 'naice' ones. Unless the brand is making a big deal out of its ethical working conditions the workers conditions are probably no better than any other brand with sweatshops.

I think I need to move. Whenever I read threads like this or talk to friends in other cities they have always found amazing bargains in charity shops, particularly for children. Whereas ours never has anything halfway decent in.

Everyone where I live seems to be obsessed with selling everything on Facebook sites which I don't like buying from. Sometimes I see people I know selling stuff on them for £1 which I'm sure would sell for more in a charity shop. I know these people definitely do not need the money (they just can't be bothered to drive to the charity shop) but I do wish they would donate it and then money would go to charity.

I only buy from charity shops, I have the time and energy to look round and I frequently find good designer brands at very reasonable prices.

I now have a 'rule' that I will never buy full price, I just enjoy the 'hunt' for nice stuff.

There is a fabulous on line site for Oxfam which has loads of designer stuff on it at very good prices.

KNain - don't know where you live but where I am on (not at all a 'posh' area) we frequently get donations of White Stuff, Boden, M & S (new), Monsoon, Zara, Jigsaw, Old Navy etc etc.

Do you drive or fly? Because if you do, you do more harm than someone who buys new clothes.

But less harm than someone who drives or flies AND buys new clothes.

I buy a mixture. Second hand as much as possible but new if I have too. I love clothes swap parties the most though, you can't beat free!

I miss rumagging for charity shop bargains (DS gets cranky and its always hard to manouver a stroller)

I also used to find darning and customising things quite enjoyable.

Annoyingly now I have less money I tend to buy things new as its quicker and easier!

@fintress
@Domino20

3000l per cotton t-shirt?

Do you know if that must be fresh water, or can sea water be used? Or do you mean water for growing the crop? (Doh!)

I buy second hand where I can, and often things are good quality as people give away things that are barely used simply because it doesn't fit any longer, or the colour wasn't quite right etc. Children grow so quickly, we had dozens of items given to us that we gave away unworn because they didn't fit. Plus many more that were very lightly worn.
Resources are scarce, and we should minimise out use where we can.

I don't think I've seen anything with a enough hem or seam to take in/let up, let down in the last 30 odd years

I grew up in borderline poverty and our clothes were always from charity shops or the nearly new shop (and taken back to the nearly new to be sold if still wearable when we’d outgrown them.)

We did get picked on for not having the latest trainers etc but that was the fault of the other kids whose parents hadn’t brought them up to have empathy or some awareness that not everyone wants to keep up with what’s in fashion. There’ll always be bad parenting.

Now we are pretty comfortable, but I’m reluctabt to spend money on badly made stuff from the likes of Primark when I can find better quality second hand. My children are happy to wear second hand clothes and are aware that saving money on clothes means we can afford to do more hobby stuff.

@haba, yes for growing the crop. Most cotton crops are grown in very dry areas eg parts of India and they need a lot of fresh water.

@fintress thank you!

I do think that on the whole charity shop clothes are over priced, in line with cheap clothes shops really, but that said I still scour them for bargains. I admit that a great deal of my children's clothes are bought as bundles from ebay and such like, we only have one wage coming in, it just makes sense. Anything tatty or poor quality when it arrives is binned, I wash everything before they wear any of it, and my kids always look smart! Obviously still buy new clothes as well!

I recently bought a princess dress up dress for me niece in a charity shop for £2.95 in perfect condition, doesn't even look worn. Something like that new would of cost a lot more, so it all depends what you buy. You can get some great bargains at charity shops and car boots. Sometimes tho I find charity shops can be more expensive than buying a brand new item of clothing from say next clearance, as next clearance do new child clothes for £1.00

I also have to point out I love having a good rummage in charity shops! It's the mystery of what you might find in there because you come across everything in them.

Hand me downs here! Not just siblings either, from cousins!
Until the kids get older, they don't care what they wear as long as they're warm and clean!

I never buy clothes second-hand. I look in charity shops for second-hand books, cds and DVDs, but that's more for the purpose of supporting the charity than buying things I need. Not clothes, though.

Oh - we do buy pants and socks new obviously though.

Fast Fashion is one of the most disgustingly wasteful industries on the planet. Somehow they escape relitively unscathed in all the media and commentary despite the green focus. Many large brands use all that energy to make clothes that they then just burn, just so a few people on the planet can feel superior because they have a specific label in their garments. It’s unbelievably unethical. There’s nothing wrong with recycling clothes by buying second hand. If I’m buying new I prefer to buy more expensive items very infrequently, at least I then know they will be used for years to come.

But yes it’s ridiculous that I go into some charity shops and find myself thinking ‘that’s a bit too expensive’. I think they have a duty to make their seconds affordable for those with limited disposable income.

YADNBU! Alongside the facts you mention that some people would actually struggling with buying clothes new, there is a massive environmental factor associated with ‘fast fashion’. I buy a lot of a second hand stuff on eBay, vintage shops, charity shops. Nothing looks worn or old, generally stuff that is worn to the point of looking worn wouldn’t be sold or accepted at a charity shop anyway. The mentality of just throwing stuff away doesn’t appeal to me in general, as the environment is utterly fucked so we could be doing what we can do help it, as others seem to not care. And you can get some bargains too. Designer gear that once cost a fortune you can get for a few quid because someone decided they no longer like an item they have worn once.