To not replace all school uniform

[Allyg1185]

Everyone I know buys everything new for going back after the summer. Am I the only one that thinks this is a massive waste of money if it's not needed?

I just replaced ds shoes and polo shirts at the easter holidays as the shoes had seen better days and the shirts were evading my stain removing abilities. I've tried on his jumpers and they still fit and aren't washed out.

So new I've bought socks and trousers as they were threadbare at the knees where he has fell etc and socks going the same way. He asked for a new more grown up school bag.

Anyone else the same as me and reuses what they can?

To whoever said second hand looks second hand; why does that matter?
Here we are recycling our paper and plastic and yet some people seem to think nothing of binning clothes that are just not new. I've been honestly amazed by this thread.

I'm.sure kids would much rather a nice day out together than waste 15 quid on a cardigan that looks exactly the same as the one in their sisters wardrobe after the first wash .

I think there is real value in teaching your DC to avoid waste, to 'reduce, reuse, recycle', to think of the planet, and to budget.

No, I don't mean you force them to wear rags. But neither shouid anyone replace perfectly serviceable clothing just because it's September, or condemn all second-hand clothing, when it's perfectly obvious that much is in excellent condition. (Especially in schools which sell unclaimed, unnamed lost property).

Some really unpleasant attitudes on here. My children are by no means deprived but they understand the value of a charity shop bargain as well as anyone - and know they're on to a winner if we go into one as I don't have the same qualms about frivolous expenditure and wasted natural resources in a charity shop. In fact we nipped into one just now - I got a lovely cotton jacket, they got a wooden toy catapult and a
Cluedo board game that we'll play together tonight. Mostly they get clothes and are just as delighted. I bought dd1's Brownie uniform from someone selling it locally this week - we got 2 t shirts (one long sleeved and one short sleeved) 2 types of trousers and a hoodie for a tenner - I was delighted. I could have afforded new but I probably wouldn't have bought 2 of everything or the hoodie and I wouldn't have the spare money leftover for other treats.

We are moving to secondary this year so I was really glad to buy stuff second hand as most of it was not available in supermarkets etc

Nope..... I only replace when it is outgrown or worn out. It is only for school. The exception is that I replace the shoes at least once a year because old worn out shoes are not good for your feet.

And I might add that the deputy head recently commented to me that my DCs always look very smart!!!! I think I it's because they have the correct uniform and don't roll up theirs skirts etc.

I only buy what's needed.

"Showing your kids that they're worth more than someone's cast outs" just encourages children to value others and themselves by what they're wearing, which I'd say isn't a particularly good trait.

Tabatha, but isn't a parents job to teach their child their self worth isn't related to the clothes they wear and that the value you place on them isn't reflected in how much you spend on them on clothes or trainers or gadgets?

Is a child who wears second hand school uniform less valued? Does the fact that some parents would rather spend their hard earned cash on food or activities or days out or music lessons or a new bike or a family holiday or saving up for uni, a sign that they value their child less?

I do think this 'must have new and must replace it with another version of new as soon as it is available' is always a sign of people who need to try too hard - who need the world to know they can afford new and have something to prove to others and themesleves, so who aren't just confident in themselves and their children, but need an outward show for themselves and the world. I guess if life has been hard and previously you've had to wear second hand or damaged clothes, once you don't have to, then there's novelty and delight in new. There is certainly a difference between having to wear second hand becaue that is what you can afford and choosing to wear it for ethical, money saving reasons, when you know you could nip down to the shop and get a new uniform if you wanted to.

I agree that teaching our children to mend and re-use and re-cycle is important and it can't just be words. They need to see us sew a button back on things rather than buy a new shirt, to see us use stain remover rather than bin a stained item, to give a bag of clothes to friends, the charity shop or school and to happily receive a bag of hand me downs, visit the second hand sale and receive second hand and wear it ourselves from a friend or shop. It's good for them to see us take a reusable cup to the coffee shop and to reuse our mug through the day and not leave the tap running and to hear us say 'I will wear this coat for another season because although I don't love it anymore, it's still a good coat' and to pass on an old bike to a neighbour or receive a toy from someone who no longer wants it. None of this means you are poor or don't think your child is worth spending the cost of new on.

I used to run her secondhand school uniform shop - very mixed school in terms of income

One mother (married a millionaire) was always first in the queue for the school jumpers, gave back the ones the children had outgrown as well.

Do you think she values her money or values her children any less because they have a decent school jumper for a fraction of the price?

What rubbish!!

@ChocolateWombat beautifully put!

My DCs both used to get so excited when friends gave us bags of hand me downs. They’d go through trying things on with more excitement than if I took them shopping! Then I’d see the look of excitement on another friends children when I took my DCs outgrown stuff to them!

TBH I can afford to but almost whatever I want brand new but I often have a look in the charity shops for things for all of us, secondhand does not mean tatty.

I not only value my children but also the world they and their children will have to live in long after I’m gone. Reduce, reuse, recycle. It’s good for the planet as well as the bank balance.

Oh and most of our curtains are from the charity shop including some fabulous thick velvet ones that I never would have afforded new.

I only replace what's too small or trashed. Usually trousers and shoes, because I don't replace them the last few weeks, even if they get a bit short.

@Tabathatwitchett exactly! I always had 2nd hand clothes as a child even though my parents could have afforded to buy new, and if they did buy me new it was always slightly dodgy designs from ex-catalogue shops or seconds and I definitely felt like I wasn’t good enough for new clothes, I really feel that it affected my self esteem when all my peers had the latest trainers and fashionable clothes.

I buy as needed. That said, I always get them new school shoes which is a complete waste as within 6-8 weeks they are in their winter boots. I’m really going to try and resist buying them any this year, they can go back in trainers but whispers what about the start of a new school year photos with trainers on??? Horror 😱😱😱

@BigPinkBall I am sorry you felt that way. It hasn't persuaded me that there's anything wrong with second hand though. Once I had my own clothes allowance I used to shop in the vintage shops like Affleck's palace and even raided my parents' wardrobes for original 70s items. If anything second hand has gone more mainstream now with facebook selling sites and ebay, and I'm sure I would have embraced those too.

I agree with chocolate that it's our job to teach our children not to make superficial judgments or base their self esteem on having the latest trainers and gadgets - but also agree with her that there no doubt is a difference when you don't have a choice. If I'm honest with myself I know that my children probably come across as reasonably privileged despite their second hand or even slightly scruffy clothing and this no doubt has a bearing on the fact that what they wear is not that important to me. I'm also confident they do not feel hard done by - MIL is a car boot queen and they always rush to see what she has bought when she visits - but even if they did, I think I'd eyeroll and point to all the ways in which they ought to count themselves lucky. I'll keep it under review as they get older but if they want to spend a lot of money on clothes I will be clear that it is at the expense of other things.

Replace only as needed, and from the second-hand uniform shop. One of mine is about to go into sixth form, so I'm hoping the uniform which was enormous when he was 13 will still fit him (rarely see him in it, as it's a boarding school, so am relying on him to moan if it's too small).

Tabatha
My friends kids school uniform costs £300 in total brand new. There isnt a choice of supermarket jumpers or t-shirts or shorts in same colour. Even sports stuff has to have school logo on it. And its not a private school just her local secondary.

Not everyone has a bloody choice about where they get uniform from. My friend can only go to one shop for that school uniform. Getting good 2nd hand stuff is vital to many people. All the 2nd hand stuff i have ever bought has been in excellent condition including the fully lined beautiful curtains i got for £3 and the full length camel coat i got for £5 that had never been worn (i could never have bought it brand new)
People who are snobby about 2nd hand are missing out.

Boarding here, too, for one of mine. A well known school where one might expect everyone to look new and shiny and expensive - but they're mostly in hand-me-downs, second-hand stuff donated to their Houses etc. Nobody cares (believe me, these are the most confident teenagers on the planet - they don't need brand-new uniform to boost their self-confidence ). And even if a uniform were new, it would look second hand within a day of my DC having worn it.

The others are at day schools, and the same applies to them. Plus all our books, games, crockery, glasses etc come from charity shops. Even if I weren't paying school fees which rule out anything new, I'd still buy from charity shops. Quite apart from anything else, you can't beat a good trawl around them.

I do buy all new. However I pass DD's uniform on to a lady who has 6 DC, her eldest DD is same age as mine.

willow secondary is more expensive and specific I agree, having just set my dd1 up with it all for y7.

it's our job to teach our children not to make superficial judgments or base their self esteem on having the latest trainers and gadgets

And that is the point of uniform isn't it? That they all look the same? But yet in creeps the snobbery of a part worn jumper that is in essence the exact same as everyone else's - which they will no doubt lose!

Kids primary had vertually indestructible jumpers that washed well even some in their 4th kid.

3 kids x 3 jumpers each per year @ £20 each is a lot of money! Much prefer a weekend away and spend the money on clothes they want to wear.

This all being said I probably do need a few bits and I think that Sainsbury's do their 25% off everything at some point during the Summer holiday? I imagine she'll be going back in the Summer dress and sandals for a few weeks but I might get a couple of skirts and tights for when the weather changes and I will see if her PE kit still fits. I had spotted that her school T shirts were getting a bit small but they have to be ordered from school anyway so will have to wait.

Polo shirts go into the annual bucket of bleach then kept, passed on or donated to school (if they haven't gone into holes where they've been left in said bucket of bleach). We just replace as needed from the school second hand box, or receive hand me downs from people.

The only thing I buy new for school is proper shoes when they need them.
I spend as little as possible on school uniform out of principle but I realise I might not get away with this approach once the DCs are teenagers and will probs care about having second hand stuff.