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.

Ebay is excellent, I just got two Joules sweatshirts for a fiver each including p&p. They'll be perfect for mucking about doing messy things and preschool while also looking nice. I also got a pair of Next trousers for £3, and they are as good as new. Because things get outgrown, they often have a lot of life left in them, I find.

Just wait until they're teenagers.

Are there any friends with older kids you can 'inherit' from? My son's stuff almost all comes from a friend. DD got stuff from family friend up to age 6. Now they're both in school they don't really need many off duty clothes.

I buy second hand as they grow out of it so quickly.

Omg I feel you OP. 50% of my DC clothing comes from sales. Or mix and match deals. That too from reasonable priced places, F&F, George, TU where they almost always have end of line sales every 3 months. only time I have shopped in Expensive stores is during seasonal sales too. eBay is amazing to pick up Brand new clothing with/without tags at knock off prices. Buy all my DC underwear and socks from primark 2-3 times a year. (£2.50 for 5 pairs of colourful and stylish socks, can't beat that price anywhere else!!). I have all my female family members on WhatsApp group and we always give each other the lowdown when there is a sale so even if I don't walk into a store on sale I get the heads up from someone followed by Strategy and budgeting. Voila somehow my kids have an amazing wardrobe all year round.

George , primark, matalan, h&m & sometimes f&f mother of three and always bought they clothes at these stores espes online sales, I buy according to the season so four bowts of clothes shopping a year & find it keeps with they growth never have to buy bigger sizes inbetween seasons just shoes (buy spring clothes towards they xmas presents, summer clothes in April mayish so count for new holiday clothes too, auturm clothes towards my two youngest dds birthday presents as oldest birthday is in spring but they are both summer babies & winter clothes i get about early november, never really been a problem for me doing it this way but my oldest dd is now 10 and wants the named stuff so I bought her a couple of things for her birthday this year and plan on doing it that way

I have a network of friends who trade clothes. We inherit boys clothes from one friend for Ds but give them what dd has outgrown for their daughter. I rarely buy clothes at all.

I buy loads of things for my 2 granddaughters, all from ASDA. The quality of their stuff is decent, and the price of clothes is brilliant.

DS1 is 12 and wears mens clothes because he's so tall (5'10" when we measured him a few weeks ago) and takes a size 9 shoe. I am endlessly being informed "this doesn't fit" and having to buy new stuff for him. It's ridiculous and he's not even a teen yet.

DS2 seems to be going the same way, fortunately I've saved lots of 'big' stuff like coats, hoodies and jeans from when DS1 was younger so poor DS2 won't have anything new unless he overtakes his big brother.

I don't think charity shops save you any money. You can get a t shirt in Primark for less than £2. Yeah I know, the environment, blah blah...

I agree though op...it adds up.

This month I need to get new uniform, coats, school shoes, pe kit...then after that some new pjs, welly boots and other bits and pieces.

Oh and don't get me started on how much school dress up days cost me!

I buy from the Ebay Joules outlet store and Dr Martens factory shop (Northamptonshire). Always buy up in sales too and TBH I can afford for DD(4) to have lovely stuff/lots of toys etc because i stopped breeding at 1. Not telling you off for having 3 kids but, well, i could have 1 child very well provided for or more with money increasingly thinly spread.

TBH I can afford for DD(4) to have lovely stuff/lots of toys etc because i stopped breeding at 1. Not telling you off for having 3 kids but, well, i could have 1 child very well provided for or more with money increasingly thinly spread

What a sweet comment.

Personally I think there are no possessions which can make up for the companionship, joy and fun which siblings can bring...but hey ho.

Nothing ever goes out all at once!
With two dc I have never had to suddenly buy everything new.
Anyway.... H and.m. Sainsburys tu when 25 %off usually beginning of each season is brilliant.

Sainsbury tu school clothes are amazing.

Top up if your short of cash... Baby markets, charity's shops ebay

😂😂😂😂😂. I couldn't afford to breed when I had dd but we scraped by. Everything dirt cheap, secondhand or free. We have fabulous free cycle around us.. One Xmas two people having pre Xmas clear out.. Two huge sacks of toys. Of course not all of it was suitable but dd then 3 had so many wondeful gifts.

She never did without anything... Bikes, scooters... Days out courtesy of tesco... There was no difference at all in our home and our more well off friends bar they had more holidays.
That was all around cc... Things have ever so sightly eased now but we still live so frugally in many respects... But the one... Addition she thanked me for from the depths of her heart was he sibling.

I've got 3 children too and it is expensive. Today with the rain I went to put them in jeans and legging and realised that they were too tight / short.

But I buy a mix of cheap basics and nice bits and always look at the sales or have some hand me downs. So for my little girl I bought some nice tops from fat face in the sale, but her pants, socks, pjs, jeans are from primary

George at Asda/TU at Sainsbury's for the day to day basics, JoJo Maman Bebe sale, Next sale and Joules sales or eBay stores for their nicer 'occasion wear', also sell anything on that's branded. I recently sold a JJMB dress for £22 that I bought for £5 in their sale last Xmas, so made £17 and it'd be worn for 5 months!

I buy lots second hand, and underwear in Primark. I get some more expensive items as a luxury, but it needn't be expensive.

90% of my kids clothes are from eBay/charity shops/Facebook selling groups. There’s no possible way anyone could notice (plus better for the environment and the moneys either going to charity or going to the parents who were selling off their kids old clothes presumably to find new ones) if any of the clothes they’ve grown out of are decent quality you can sell them on again too

Their growth does slow down!
I tend to buy big and make things last that way. My son is kitted out by a friend with a slightly older / bigger child. My daughter seems to cost more, as all the kids slightly bigger than her have younger sisters. We pass down anything in decent condition to another girl, but girls leggings don't appear to be made for girls who move, play, scoot, climb or dance. We basically pass down dresses that family buy her for birthday and Christmas rather than functional clothes.
I buy unisex when I can. At 6 this is pretty much limited to PE pumps and wellies (although P E pumps now come with gender assignment flowers and hearts, I haven't told DD that they sell those in the places I shop!)

I have 4 dds 5 years apart. I buy ahead in sales and size up. I was always a bit fussy about brands (less so as they got older) but when younger they had miniature, pop, indep Scandinavia brands all purchased at this amazing pop up sale that used to be held in London. Stuff just lasted because it was generally better made (really recommend. Exp po.p stuff for this. As they get older it’s more gap jeans and Boden tops. Better brands last for longer and I don’t buy much!

I have four children and they only wear Boden. I find with the 20% off and mid season sales I can always keep them in new clothes. I haven’t bought anything second hand as you just don’t know really what kind of home they come from.

I have four children and they only wear Boden. I find with the 20% off and mid season sales I can always keep them in new clothes. I haven’t bought anything second hand as you just don’t know really what kind of home they come from.

Have you spent so much on clothes you can't afford a washing machine?

I have a washing machine, but spores and smoke could survive the cycle. Shudder!

I have four children and they only wear Boden. I find with the 20% off and mid season sales I can always keep them in new clothes. I haven’t bought anything second hand as you just don’t know really what kind of home they come from.

Wtf? 'What kind of home they come from'
Ffs, really?

Why isn't the six month old wearing the 3 year olds old clothes? We have two. Weve bought the youngest about ten items of clothing in his entire life.