AIBU to wonder how much you spend on your children’s clothes per year?

[NoseinBook3]

Hello,

Just realised that none of the kids now fit in their clothes so I’ve put an order in. I’ve got two children and it came to about £400... but that includes two coats, two pairs of trainers and then jumpers, tshirts, trousers, underwear and dresses.

I probably still need to get another pair of shoes for them both, pjs and swimwear.

Also I found it quite difficult to find any decent coats.

I very much hope that’s them now set for a while... but it did make me wonder. Do you budget for clothes for the year?

And they will probably need sun hats and sandals at some point...

It's surprising how little you get for that money isn't it. Ours changes each year depending on finances. Sometimes we find some great second hand bargains. Although if we go into shops around £150 tends to get them the few main bits but it always needs topping up.

We pass down clothes between children where we can. I am also careful not to buy more clothes than we need. I always did this when they were small and finally realised over time they didn't need half the clothes they had.

Oh gosh so much. In Australia, where everything is expensive, but I’d spend that on uniforms and school shoes alone, not including anything else.
I do well buying clothing bundles from eBay in their correct sizes, but nicer brands, I’ve just bought my daughter and entire size 8 wardrobe for Summer and Spring that includes shoes. But she’ll still need hat, Winter shoes, new trainers and that was $180 to do. I’d probably spend about $400 a year on each of them. And much more on the baby! I only buy very hood quality shoes for them, which ends up being several times a year.
They could have less clothes but they don’t ever seem to have a week’s worth to go on holidays, not such an issue at the moment. If we ever go away, I usually have to spend a couple of hundred to fill gaps.
Probably over $2000 a year for 3 kids including uniforms I’d imagine.

I’m mean secondhand. I buy them a lot of second hand more designery stuff. Not designer-designer, but the nicer kids brands.

I’m a terrible mother. I’ve just realised that except for school clothes I don’t think I bought very many clothes for them last year at all. No wonder nothing fits. Bloody lockdown!

My ds is lanky & skinny as a bean pole so buying clothes, especially trousers, online is a nightmare. He needs to try loads on because if it fits around the waist then the legs will be too short & vice versa.

I can't wait for the shops to reopen so I can start buying for summer and next winter. I've bought next winters coats from the land end sale in the next size up so I saved £30 per coat. Ditto with jumpers/thermals & wellies, just buy 1/2 sizes bigger & it'll last longer.

I suspect it probably does work out at about that across the year if you include uniform, shoes, swimming kit etc but there’s no way I could afford £400 in one go. I might buy some new t-shirts or jeans occasionally if they need them when I’m doing the Sainsbury’s shop but rarely do a big shop of clothes for them all in one go. I tend to replenish uniform in August if they need it, and summer clothes get replenished if needed as it gets hotter. They tell me if and when shoes get too tight.

Also in Australia-yes uniforms here are shocking!!never forget buying DCs first school uniforms (private school )and it coming in at almost $1200..and growing through shoes at a rate of knots..now theyre teens I reckon I only spend about $500 a year on clothes/shoes per person absolute max. They have like nice trainers but still arent fussed with brand names for anything else so happy with that! I like to treat it like its a weekend away in the city and stay somewhere nice so makes it special,go to the oulets.get a nice meal etc.

I couldn’t afford £400 in one go either. I’m paying it in three instalments. Paid one on purchase and then the next one is due in 30 days and then final one another 30 days after that. Thankfully interest free. The only good thing was that since it was a big order and I opened a new account I got about £60 off the order price.

I couldn't tell you, I don't keep track and just buy stuff as and when it's needed.

We have 'out clothes' and home clothes. This always meant we bought fewer as home clothes are ok being tatty - it was trousers going through at the knee due to playing on the floor that made them unwearable usually. So I patch the home ones and keep the decent pairs for out. I got quite into/good at visible mending which helped.

I think if I had bought everything in one hit I would have been but spread over the year it is harder to notice. I did do hand me downs and secondhand where possible. Coats especially are worth getting when you see something good in the sale as they are expensive if you suddenly need one in a rush.

About £300 plus shoes which is probably another £300.

I don't have a budget, but I spend a lot. My kids wear mainly frugi. I buy it second hand or in the sales (I've only ever bought one own full price). They have excellent resale value, so often after an item has been worn by both kids I can sell it for about 10% less than what I paid. Overall it will actually end up cheaper than kitting them out in supermarket clothes, and there is less waste. But its a big outlay in the first place.

I imagine about £400 per child, per year. Probably half that cost goes on good quality shoes and outdoor wear like hiking boots, coats, waterproofs. The rest goes on supermarket or H&M type clothes for every day and school uniform.

Probably a fair amount. Ds is still a baby so in the ‘grow every 5 mins stage’, so he needs whole new wardrobe every few months.
I don’t buy very much, a few of each item really. But secondhand and supermarket clothes don’t really exist where we live, so they have to be new, and online atm.
I guess each ‘size’ costs around £150-200 so far, we have had a fair few gifts he’s still growing into as well luckily.

For DS6 I would say I spend about £150 (usually at next) at the start of every summer and winter. Then I add in maybe £50 from other shops. Maybe £200 a year on shoes and £50 on uniform. Then probably another £100 on coats.
£750 a year seems expensive when you see it written down but we seem to fly through clothes. Luckily I’ve saved lots of his clothes and shoes for his younger brother so at least we can save some there.

We're in a phase where we spend very little . Both boys (16 and 11) mainly wear shorts, even in the snow . We have loads of shorts thanks to various football kits over the years! Dd just wants to wear leggings and baggy sweatshirts so she pinches mine. No uniforms. We also have lots of hand me downs. Biggest expense is shoes.

DS has needed his clothes all replaced about every two years, though not in one go. I buy second hand where possible. Coats have lasted two or three years, shoes usually one year. By the time he has outgrown one size the next would be a perfect fit with no room for growth at all as there isn't much difference between size. I have usually bought every second size, sometimes less for shorts and t-shirts. He is still wearing size 11 pyjama shorts bought when he was 10, now 14, they fit and he doesn't want new.

The kids get 125 per month each in maintenance from their dad , I put this straight into a go henry account and they buy whatever clothes they want / need themselves.Its a good way of showing them how to budget as well they are buying socks and undies this month and then saving the rest up for a few month to buy some new summer stuff x

Nowhere near £400 a year, my son is five and the majority of his clothes are second hand bundles bought online.

I always buy shoes/wellies/underwear new.

I wouldn’t have a clue - I do try and buy from ethical brands and second hand when I can’t afford to. Always buy good quality coats and shoes, they get hammered as we’re out all weathers!

Im due second baby and have kept everything from 18m onwards so won’t need to buy much at all for baby 2 once they get to that stage (still kicking myself for getting rid of everything up to that point, but was adamant I was never having a second 😬)

I’m not sure as I buy items every month as I see things I like, to spread the cost. Probably that each per year though, including uniform. They have one pair of Clarks shoes which last the year and then cheaper trainers and wellies from the supermarket (which also last until outgrown).

I just buy as he outgrows but probably about £300 a year, including shoes. DD is mostly in hand me downs (she's a baby so doesn't care!)

Probably more than that, shoes, boots, sandals alone in the last 12 months have cost about £300+ and that's trying to buy a couple of sizes ahead in sales out of season. I only really buy bobux, geox, startrite etc but DS is two and send to grow out of shoes quickly, I'm not willing to put him in supermarket cheapies especially while his feet are still soft and developing.

We spend over £1000 easily! Two kids very close in age so I often have to pay two of the same size instead of one getting a hand me down! I've just had to order 4 summer dresses for £42 each as the second hand shop isn't open, and most likely won't be open until September!!! And then I tend to do a huge Next shop twice a year for spring summer/ autumn winter.