To think keeping kids in clothes is so expensive??

[Namedilema123]

When they go up a size and you have to replace everything...tops, leggings, vests, socks, coats, shoes, jumpers, cardigans....it is so expensive! I often find myself on eBay or Facebook marketplace buying second hand clothes for them and feeling bad that I don't buy them new things. I have a 6 month old and twin 3 year olds and we definitely earn more than the national average, but sizing up for all 3 is really expensive. Am i missing something? Someway to have presentable kids in nice clothes without breaking the bank? How people kit their kids out in head to toe next/gap/m&s is beyond me. Maybe im being tight rather than U.

My younger 2 are 5 & 7 and i think I've bought 3 pairs of shorts from Asda between them this summer. Shoes are a bit more of an issue, spent £60-£70 between them on shoes for the summer.
I buy everything big & they've got to the stage where most things will do 2 years. DS also gets DD's hand me downs (she will only wear 'boy's' clothes). School uniform can be really cheap for us, with just an optional badged sweatshirt.

From when my dd was a baby up until she was about 7ish (and started to get fashion conscious) everything apart from shoes, underwear and some of her school uniform was either hand me downs or from charity shops.

I bought nice clothes whenever I saw them (even if they were for children a few years older) then put them straight up in the loft. I had bin bags labeled with different ages and everytime she seemed to be growing out of clothes I'd go up into the loft and fetch a bag down.

I'd forgotten most of the things that I'd bought and she didn't have a clue so opening the bag was a bit like Christmas. She was happy and I must have saved a fortune over the years.

T-shirts are £1.30 in Primark- I kit out DS for the childminder very cheaply and just buy nicer bits for weekends.

Not all clothing needs changing at the same time. Buy ahead and in sales. Stash it away.

well you won't need to buy for the 6 month old as you will have kept the twins' clothes

Charity shops, jumble sales, chain stores. It's v easy to dress kids cheaply

Normally I just buy in the sales. If you trying to buy 2 matching thing of everything for your twins, you should still be able to do it.

As you see stuff just grab it, as opposed to waiting for them to grow out of it and then Buying everything at once. Just keep a list in your purse/phone so you know what you have so you don't buy 30 vests

I love the sales! I get all my bits from there in the next size up, mostly H&M, M&S, John Lewis, some mothercare. Sainsbury’s if I can get to one that sells clothes. I couldn’t justify full price for a whole wardrobe full but sales make it fairly good value I think as they all wash well and I will either use them again or pass on once done. I’m lucky that I have a friend who passes on her old stuff to me too.

I only have one though so can imagine three does get pricey!

My DC are 9 (boy), 3 (girl) and 2 (boy).

I can't do many hand me downs as 7 years between the boys is just too big a gap to be holding onto most things.

I get most stuff in Sainsbury's / Asda for the younger 2. M and M direct for the eldest who wants to wear sportswear all of the time these days (no ironing there - yey!)

We hand down clothes amongst friends a lot. This saves us a LOT of money, and even the more worn stuff can be used for playing outside.

My DM buys the kids their shoes, thankfully. I don't know about your house, but ours is coming down with toys! So at Christmas and birthdays, when family ask I tend to ask for a clothes or specific toys I know they don't have and would enjoy playing with. Your kids aren't old enough to know the value of things, so I wouldn't feel bad about getting them a few cheaper toys that they'd really enjoy and then clothes. Saves them getting a whole load of tat and it means we have some lovely clothes along with the basics.

I try to buy a season ahead. So all of her stuff for this summer was bought at the end of last year. Now the sales of summer stiff are hitting I've bought next year's stuff. I bought her winter stuff for this year at around Easter when it was all on sale. Once you get into the habit of shopping ahead you get in a good rhythm and it saves a fair bit. I just top up if I need to at Primark etc but most of DDs stuff is Primark/Supermarket/Outlets anyhow.

Honestly, it only gets worse. Clothes cost a lot more the older they get and when they become teenagers and start nagging for designer brands...

I’ve got three primary aged DC. I buy a lot of their stuff on eBay still. Good condition and really good brands so it doesn’t make me feel guilty. The rest I get from H&M. I don’t bother with supermarket or primark because it’s a total false economy, they don’t last two minutes. They do have undies from primark but that’s it.

Summer stuff not summer stiff! (Oo-er)

School uniform is cheap enough, shoes are the expensive part. Again, it’s a false economy to buy cheap ones so I’ll only buy Dr Martens or kickers in the next size up. They last the year thankfully but it does set me back £130ish for the three of them.

I have been lucky to be given lots of clothes passed on from friends so only just starting to buy clothes for DS. I buy from eBay and charity shops but that can still cost a lot so I set myself a price such as £1 a t-shirt to aim at. Best bet on eBay are to buy bundles rather than individual items.

I'm another one who buys ahead in the sales and preloved. You get to know when the sales will start for brands you like so you can get in before the sizes you need sell out. I like Frugi but couldn't pay full price for everything, so all our new Frugi tends to have been bought at between 30% and 70% off in the sale. If you haven't already, sign up for emails from your faves so they tell you when the sale starts!

There are also brands that do regular "events". For example Sainsbury's 25% off that they do regularly starts next week, and the Aldi baby event starts next week too.

Don't size up unless they have actually grown out of them. Always try to buy a size up for more expensive items so they last longer. Buy the best brand you can afford in the sales (which may mean not shopping seasonally), eg I just bought 2yo a winter coat in the sales that should have been £60 but was instead £25 and is size 3-4 years. So it will last 2 years and be handed down to her sibling. As it's good quality it will last.

I used to buy a fair amount on eBay (Boden, joules, John Lewis, Gap etc) and they have lasted very well. I put £20 aside per child per month - then when I need to buy I have a stash of money. I also use the TU 25% off sale for bulk shopping for basics and I sometimes ask for things for birthdays too (if asked what to get).

I don’t really get why people say kids grow out of things within a couple of months.

My oldest grew 8 inches between May & August the year he was 11

I've always bought cheap or second hand for my two. No guilt at all. It's a complete waste of money otherwise. Unfortunately, even though both my boys have always been tall, they are completely different shapes so not much opportunity to hand down. My youngest, now 16, is now much taller at 6ft 3 than his brother and as thin as a stick insect and still growing.

We buy ahead in the sales. My little boy is 1 and we have tubs with sale items folded away all the way up until 5yrs old (non seasonal stuff mostly).

I always buy things in the sales for the following year. Works out so much cheaper and then buy bits and bats through out the year.

I buy ahead. We probably have plenty to last until Summer 2019.
Im not planning on buying anything over the winter.

I buy things and stash them away too. We have one particularly great charity shop that sells everything for 49p or 99p. I’ve got quite a few lovely Boden shirts and tops for DS to grow into from there!
I find Gap lasts really well and they quite often email 40% off vouchers, so I tend to wait for one of those before I do a stock up or buy a winter coat.
Oh and always look through sale rails. H&M are great for selling off stuff for a couple of quid.

Next sales are great for kids' clothes.

I suspect you're feeling the hit more because you have two the same age. Hopefully some of their stuff can be handed down.

Kids don't need that many clothes and when they size up just replace what doesn't fit - they don't grow out of it all at once generally. 2nd hand is fine - they are in them 5 minutes so often little wear, buddy up with someone with slightly older kids and get them to hand down - you can buy them off them if you want as it all helps at this age.

I shop in the sales for the next size up - this means I can buy better quality for the same price as supermarket / primark. E.g. Little one is almost one but I already have lots of 1-2 bits for him. Ask around if you know anybody with an older child who you can pass bits around with - if your planning on other children then try and buy neutral things e.g. Vests / sleepsuits. Personally I find charity shops rubbish but that might just be my area. Also asking grandparents and so on to buy new coat / new trainers for birthday or Christmas. I also ask my mum (works in a supermarket) to keep an eye out on the sales for me in the clothing department

My one year old is at a really awkward stage just now.

9-12 stuff too small. 12-18 far too big.

She has like one pair of leggings and a romper right now.