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AIBU?

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Original poster

To think this is why people buy all brand new clothes for holidays?

545 replies

Kittythepink · 08/08/2020 20:33

We are going on a family holiday to the seaside tomorrow. I am so stressed under mountains of clothes to wash, iron and pack for five people.

AIBU to think this is why so many people go holiday shopping for brand new clothes? Put them straight into the suitcase what a brilliant idea! Wink

Seriously though, does anyone buy all brand new clothes for going away? I used to know someone who bought all brand new underwear and socks for each holiday, so maybe it's a thing?

OP posts:
HairyToity · 09/08/2020 08:15

I quite like a new summer dress or top or pair of trousers for holiday. I never go rediculous though.

speakout · 09/08/2020 08:16

I have stacks of summer clothes that ai rarely wear here at home. It's rarely warm enough.

I have my heating on at the moment and warm wooly socks!

GinWithRosie · 09/08/2020 08:17

My mum used to do this when we were little (this was in the 60s 😳). Holidays for us then were two weeks in a caravan in Rhyl 😂.

She'd start 'The Big Pack' about 6 weeks before, in a huge open suitcase in their bedroom (we didn't dare interfere!). Everything was new...things were purchased regularly, washed, ironed, folded and put in (so that scuppers the OP's not washing and ironing thing 😂). It was a military operation...there were 5 children!

My dad was exempt from this...he got very cross with it all and refused to be included in the 'new clothes' shenanigans, or the '6 week pack'. He packed his stuff the morning we left...two pairs of both socks, underpants, shirts, t-shirts and trousers and one spare jumper in case it got chilly, plus his Big Coat and shaving kit. That was it. Love him 🥰😂

FrameyMcFrame · 09/08/2020 08:17

Going on holiday is about the only time I DO
iron, you can fit more in the case if it's pressed, and it's nice to have ironed stuff to put on when you arrive. Smile

meltedintheheat · 09/08/2020 08:18

I don't have any items if 'holiday clothing' that I wouldn't also have worn at home plenty this year (including my swimsuit - do people never swim in the UK??).

Well I don't swim in the sea in the UK, far too cold for me! See I can't wear my "beach" clothes to work, as I have to look relatively smart. I also wouldn't wear certain items on the tube because of going up escalators etc whereas I would wear them on holiday. it's very unusual for the UK to have 6 wks of 35 degree heat daily.

Divebar · 09/08/2020 08:18

People shouldn’t be throwing clothes away - there are textile donating points if they’re not nice enough to donate.

MrsJBaptiste · 09/08/2020 08:22

I love buying new clothes as for me, it's great giving them a quick once over with the iron and they're done. You can never get your clothes that crease-free ever again!

drspouse · 09/08/2020 08:23

What are "beach clothes"? When we go to the beach in the UK I wear shorts if warm enough, a t-shirt, over my swimsuit if I'm feeling brave. I wear the same ones round the house.

SallyCinnamon3009 · 09/08/2020 08:23

@katy1213

Why would anyone iron children's clothes?
Because they're creased and need ironing?
whenwillthemadnessend · 09/08/2020 08:24

Loony vonny

God that's awful. I'd hate to never be able to wear my summer clothes

Move to the south!!

Mind you I do love it when autumn rolls in and I can get my boots and cosy jumpers out again.

stayathomer · 09/08/2020 08:25

And if you're the type who wears clothes into the ground, then why don't you have a load of summery clothes from previous holidays (unless you don't go away much)

We don't really go away at all (hilariousI say that as last year and the year before we went away for the first time in 15 years, that's when I bought some shorts and a skirt and some nice vest tops), our financial situation has only picked up in that time and we live in the midlands so dont really go to beaches so when we do I just wear whatever I'd wear during the year (we go to lots of parks, on bikes, have picnics etc so it's not as sad as it sounds, we just dont really do holidays!Grin)

itsgettingweird · 09/08/2020 08:27

Gin your dad sounds brilliant Grin love the fact he had wear and spare and not even a "wash" set

KatherineJaneway · 09/08/2020 08:29

I just get my holiday wardrobe out of the cupboard; wash and pack.

starfishmummy · 09/08/2020 08:30

Never done it.

I know someone who has completely different holkday clothes and when she gets home everything is washed and packed in a case ready for the next time!

HellSmith · 09/08/2020 08:30

I have a holiday wardrobe that stays in the case as I wouldn’t wear most of the stuff at home. The clothes gets washed on holiday for just a few quid before I fly home. I’ve never bought all new stuff, but If I get something new it gets packed without washing as I can’t risk shrinkage in the wash. Usually I buy non iron stuff, but have been known to iron some things before packing them, they don’t crease either once I’ve finished folding them. If I buy stuff it won’t be from Primark as I can get much better quality & cheaper in the sales from other shops. I see a holiday as looking & feeling good so I wouldn’t keep old tat for holz.

iminatent · 09/08/2020 08:30

OK. I do swim in the sea in the UK occasionally, though usually in a wetsuit to be fair. But if I'm going to take the kids to a pool (not often but it does happen) then I need to have a swimsuit to do it in. This then goes on holiday with me. I also have two bikinis, which I wouldn't wear in the public pool, but I've had both of them about five years. I don't wear 'beach clothes' to work either, although I do have a couple of summer dresses that are OK for either work or holiday. But most of the clothes that I wear on holiday (cut-off jeans, t-shirts, the odd pair of shorts or summer skirts and dresses) are exactly the same clothes I would wear on warmer weekend days in the UK. Except here I might also stick a jumper over the top. And if I lived in a colder part of the UK then my summer clothes would presumably last even longer because I'd wear them less often when I wasn't on holiday.

meltedintheheat · 09/08/2020 08:31

@drspouse my parents are immigrants, do you think I wear the same attire when commuting & working in a professional environment in London as I would in their home county where they have a coastal property & temperatures are commonly 40 degrees?

ChristianGreysAnatomy · 09/08/2020 08:33

I don’t buy new holiday clothes. But I am uniquely and madly organised about packing/preparing before holidays.

The only time I buy new stuff—my honeymoon—we lost our luggage Grin Never bothered since.

CarbsAreNotMyFriend · 09/08/2020 08:34

I used to HATE packing until I changed to the outfit roll method!

So if we're away for 7 nights, lay out an outfit for each day - shorts, t-shirt, pants, socks etc. Lay them all on top of each other, roll them up and lay them in the suitcase. Pull out the outfit for each day, no faffing with outfit matching while on holiday.

Plus much fewer creases. Game changer!!

To think this is why people buy all brand new clothes for holidays?
iminatent · 09/08/2020 08:36

Love that idea carbs, but how do you know what kind of activity you're going to be doing each day, or what the weather's going to be like?

meltedintheheat · 09/08/2020 08:38

Back in May it was over 25 for about three weeks straight.

I feel the cold & am used to hotter temperatures so wouldn't say that was particularly warm. Plenty of people in other countries would wear a coat at that temperature!

boatyardblues · 09/08/2020 08:38

@IceCreamSummer20

Total waste of money buying brand new for holiday. New cossie maybe.

Also, you really don’t need much. I’m a seasoned single mum traveller on public transport and planes. I know we don’t need half of what we bring!

Put out everything you think you need on the bed. Then HALF it. Honestly, a pro travel tip!

I followed this pro top one year and took all my cropped trousers out of the pile, bar one. The morning of our flight I squatted to pack items into a case on the floor of our airport hotel room & split the seat of my cropped trousers. Result: no trousers for a week. I also now always pack extra bras, having had the underwire escape from a bra on an overnight business trip where I hadn’t packed a spare. (If aren’t an off the peg size, this is a problem.)
GinWithRosie · 09/08/2020 08:40

@itsgettingweird he was brilliant 💓😂 The socks went in his trouser pockets (I'm sure he did this just to wind my mum up!)

We kids thought it was hilarious of course...he'd come downstairs with these two bulging pockets and announce 'right. I'm packed, let's go kids!' 😂 And we'd all jump around squealing like crazy 🥰. My mum was not impressed 😂😂

CarbsAreNotMyFriend · 09/08/2020 08:43

@iminatent Depends where you're going. If it's abroad it's easier as fairly standard garb. If in the UK, I would pack a mixture of outfits (shorts, dresses, trousers) plus add in a couple of staples like hoodies, waterproof jacket to add in to the mix as needed 😁

The weather app is also my most over-used app, so I've got a fairly good idea of what the forecast is before I pack!

This works for kids and adults by the way, I do it for myself as well as the kids

KANNET · 09/08/2020 08:43

I have a family member who does this. They always go away the last week of August. She spends all year buying new clothes for the holiday that no one is allowed to wear before the holiday, they then don't fit the kids the following year. Utter waste

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