To spend £600 every time my daughter goes up a clothes size?

[ivebeentotheyear3000]

Every time my daughter goes up a clothes size I end up spending about £600. DH thinks this is a ridiculous amount to spend but I don't really see how I could do it for much cheaper!? I buy from a variety of places but generally Asda, H&M, Tu, Matslan - nowhere really expensive.

Vests £10
Knickers £10
Socks £10
Tights £20
Jeans £30
Leggings £20
Shorts £20
Short sleeved tops £25
Long sleeved tops £25
Dresses £50
Fleece £15
Hoodie £15
Tracksuit £20
Winter coat £25
Summer waterproof £15
Pyjamas £40
Ballet uniform £75
School uniform £75
Trainers, shoes, wellies, sandals, slippers £100
Swimsuit £10

AIBU? How much do others spend and if less, how do you save money?

I tend to buy in the sales for the year ahead although obviously you can't do that with shoes or things that don't get discounted like logo'd school uniform. I have almost a whole wardrobe of the next size up for my DS bought in September and January sales. He will need Summer sandals, trainers and Winter boots and that's it. Also, not in the sale, but I got 5 pairs of pyjamas for £20 from Asda recently for him.
OTOH my 12yo is now generally in adult sizes and the secondary school uniform has a lot of mandatory logo'd items so that's getting quite expensive.

I know my family was fairly poor when I was a child in the 90's or 00's, but we never would have dreamed of replacing everything each year. Our coats, jumpers, t-shirts were all a bit big to start with in order to last more than one year. Socks don't tend to fit just one year group either. I do think this sort of stressing is part of a shift towards dressing children "stylishly" (or rather, little girls have to look cute and cool). Maybe clothes fall apart too quickly now? I don't know, it just seems a bit much.

Am I correct in understanding that £600 is for a years worth of clothes then? I think that’s quite impressive.

a few comments

lots of kids clothes get longer but not much wider.
If you put dresses size 4-5, 6-7 and 7-8 next to each other there is veyr little extra width, it is all in the length

So for dresses, my girls used to have a size up, so it was long, and then next summer it was knee length and then the next summer it was short and they put shorts/leggings under it.
This is expecially true of summer dresses where they got worn for such a short amount of time, so were not remotely worn out.
That way you buy eg 1 new one each year and they have 2-3 from last year/year before so it cycles through.

Short sleeved tops are the same, looser one year and then more fitted the next.

So many things did 2 years. Including winter coats.

Also, it is sometimes a choice between more washing or more clothes, and which you prefer depends on you and your budget.

I think your dh is correct. It is ridiculous and unnecessary. Especially if you buy it all in one go. You can get some amazing bundles of used clothes on ebay and selling pages. You'd get a whole bundle for less than £100 including designer stuff, coats and shoes. You just need to keep and eye out.

Personally I would much more understand a £150 on four seasonal shops (especially if your having to make an effort to get to the shops etc) surely try their summer stuff on and buy what's needed for summer for example.

I do find these threads funny. If the DH thinks she's doing parenting wrong, he could do it couldn't he? Is that a pig I see flying by?

@Mostlyjustrunning

Out of interest I’ve just added up how much I’ve spent on clothes for 11 year old ds in the past year and I think it’s £38 (though £12.50 of that was Father Christmas…).

Forgot £30 for football boots which were a birthday present!

It makes no sense you'd be buying summer dresses at the same time as a winter coat.

Also, I do think some of these are expensive. £40 for pyjamas? You can get two for £15. How many does se need. £50 for dresses, how many is this? 3, 4, 5? That's many dresses.

@deeplyrooted

Am I correct in understanding that £600 is for a years worth of clothes then? I think that’s quite impressive.

I guess it varies from person to person, because to me £600 for a year of children's clothes is a ridiculous amount.

There's no way everything the OPs child already owns has suddenly stopped fitting. Vests, pants, socks, swimming cotumes usually last years before needing to be replaced, and often clothes from different shops are slightly different in sizing / fit. The fact OP is replacing everything at once suggests to me it's because she feels like that's what you have to do, rather than actually needing to buy new clothes.

I bet if she checked a lot of the items actually still fit despite not matching the child's age, and will have many months / years of wear before needing to be replaced.

That seems quite a lot and I am fair well off. Some thing like pyjamas tend to last for a long while because you buy a big size to start with surely. Knickers tend to last many children for years.

I tended to find it better to let their father do the shopping (as I earn much more and he has school holidays - teacher). We also passed everything down the 5 children and even the oldest had second hand school uniform from the private school uniform second hand shop

lots of kids clothes get longer but not much wider. If you put dresses size 4-5, 6-7 and 7-8 next to each other there is veyr little extra width, it is all in the length

Dd used to really like the t shirt style polo dresses, like a school polo shirt material with the collar and buttons. These would last such a long time as they looked equally good just above knee, mid thigh or as a long line t shirt/tunic top. They could also be worn year round as a dress in summer and with leggings and a jumper/hoody in winter. We had some lovely quality ones (Ralph Lauren bought from eBay for a couple of £) and joules (70% off in sale) that lasted absolutely years through my 2 dc and have been passed on now do do a few more years duty with a friends daughters.

We generally get 2 sizes out of socks, vest and pants. I also buy high price items (coats etc) in the sale or second hand. I also buy bundles of leggings, tops and t shirts in the next size up in the sale.

I doubt I've spent £600 in DDs life time (but she's only 3).

£600 per year is about £50 a month?

Not that bad for clothes. It’s just that you buy it all at once it seems a lot.

I don’t spend much on clothes but a new pair of jeans and a t-shirt would easily be £50 one month, a new coat and shoes another, jumper and swimming costume another.

I think it’s reasonable.

@Mostlyjustrunning so what exactly does your DS wear?? Is it all second hand, hand me downs? If so that's great...but say that because 38 quid is literally A JUMPER! It's impossible to cloth a child for 38 per year

I have never heard of this pattern of spending on children’s clothing.

This sounds like a research project into how much families spend on children’s clothes.

@ivebeentotheyear3000

I see the point about her not needing it all in one go, but I tend to buy all at once and then just get it out gradually as she outgrows that item in the size below.

She is on 50th centile for everything so pretty much outgrows sizes at the age designed. So she's in a size for a full year and requires both summer and winter clothes in each size.

So you are bulk buying before she has even grown out of things? What if she skips a size or you/she goes off something? It seems ridiculous to have £600 of clothes sitting there unworn in anticipation

While I think the OPs approach is unusual I don’t think the total is completely crazy because individual items are on the cheaper side. I suspect we spend much more on shoes than the OP has listed. £25 for a coat is cheaper end as well. I suspect we’d buy one that is at least double that but would expect it to last a couple of years.

School uniform doesn’t seem totally excessive for a child in infants as they lose/ruin bits as well as growing.

I’m absolutely sure you will spend less money if you buy stuff as and when you need it.
For example we have had years where we didn’t buy a new winter coat as last year’s still fitted until around March and then was no longer needed.

Your post reads like once a year you go and buy an entire new wardrobe. That seems very odd although I can see the point of buying cheap in the sales. My children choose stuff that they like right now.
If I bought something for them to wear “when they grew into it” there is a good chance they will have gone off it by then

@Xenia

That seems quite a lot and I am fair well off. Some thing like pyjamas tend to last for a long while because you buy a big size to start with surely. Knickers tend to last many children for years.

I tended to find it better to let their father do the shopping (as I earn much more and he has school holidays - teacher). We also passed everything down the 5 children and even the oldest had second hand school uniform from the private school uniform second hand shop

Hi Xenia Nice to see you back and on your usual form.

I have never shopped for kids clothes in this way. It sounds crazy to me! I buy bits as they need to be replaced, particularly as both my kids have had spurts.........some clothes last a long time in one size and others don't .......shopping your way op would have resulted in some clothes never being worn.
I buy the majority second-hand anyway so wouldn't spend anything like £600 a year on each child!
Is your husband complaining because you are spending too much in one go or because he feels you are spending too much on kids clothes?

Buy too big wear for much longer! My four year old is in some 7/8 clothes . Looks ok will last a couple of years .I Always get over two years from a coat. Sizes are just a guide. Buy in the sales put away.

Buying all at once is very risky. One year she's going to shoot up and you'll have wasted a whole season of clothes.

I’ve never replaced everything in one go. Coats last a few years for my kids. I definitely didn’t spend £600 every year

Also winter coats should last two years.