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?

[quote apprenticewage]@liveforsummer the only place I shop online is next and that's because it's free delivery and I can easily get to one to return stuff. Anywhere else (except one other local store) is generally a HUGE hassle to be honest.
Out of interest I just went onto eBay and I don't see anything that is cheaper than in a shop. I filtered it to girls hoodies and I got 1 result which was a boys jumper at 25quid 🤪[/quote]
I don't know what you did wrong because there are thousands of girls hoodies on eBay 😆. I've one in my watch list just now that is the larger size of a similar colour that dd has and loves which is now too small but isn't actually available in the shops anymore. It's new price would indeed be about £38. At the moment it's £4. It didn't take me anything like the time to find that as it would making a trip to the shops either. I typed in what I wanted and clicked watch - took seconds. It will remind me 15 minutes before the end of the auction when I'll then bid and pay which will take another few seconds.

Can't you just buy bigger sizes to begin with? I always do

I’d say this is all entirely normal.

I don’t replace everything at once but we must easily spend £600 on clothes over the year. Do they EVER stop growing?!

DS has gone through three shoe sizes in the last year. He has ridiculously wide feet so most supermarket shoes are uncomfortable so his shoes are either clarks or next/Nike. Easily £20/30 a pop.

DD must have been a commando in a previously life because she goes through the knees in EVERYTHING. Leggings? Don’t make me laugh. Reinforced boys joggers? Not on that girl. Easily has 10+ bottoms that are binned/fixed/turned into house clothes a month. Next, M&S, Zara, HM, ASDA, Primark, Biden, Sainsburys… tried them all. We buy bundles and even that’s expensive

The only thing we get good use on is coats, we buy nice neutral coats for DD and 9/10 they are handed down to DS.

It’s endless. Meanwhile Mummy is currently ironing in pyjamas she bought at an Ed Sheeran concert in 2011 as Lord and Lady Fauntleroy roll around in pyjamas bought at Christmas that already are too short in the ankles. Bastards.

If your going to do it this way, just buy a size larger in the sales and store for the next year. Makes it much cheaper. So if she is eight by size 9 in the end of season sale and store till the following summer. I used to do this every year with my boy. I would also buy high quality and sell on when grown out of to buy the next lot of clothes.

I used to do a big trying on session at the 'start' of every winter/summer (so April & October) and got rid of anything that didn't fit any more.
I expected most thing to do at least 2 years, and coats 3 if I could get away with it.

I've never bought a year's worth of clothing in one go.
At primary school age and younger you can easily pick up teeshirts, PJs, joggers in the sale that are a year or two too big. PJs I expect to get 2 years from, minimum. Who care if the legs are a bit short?
Charity shops often have some kids clothes up to about age 8, although in our town only some charity shops do kid's clothes so it's a case of knowing where to look.
Socks and pants will wear out before they are outgrown.
Coats are also available in the sale but should last 2 years.
I have 2 dc and DC2's clothing is at least 50% hand me down from DC1. Including sandals and wellies.

I have no idea how much I spend when they go up a size but it's not cheap. I lessen the blow by keeping everything in fair condition and using for the next child though. With our eldest we didn't have much storage space and sold things to pay for the next size. I buy lots in sales, dh knows if a sale sign is up I am like a moth to a flame.

Second hand is your friend. Sell on her outgrown things and buy used.
We all produce too much waste anyway.

I try to buy things in the next size up so she gets two years wear. Just roll them up. Or I cut down on dresses. Basically, depending on age, they need 7pairs of trousers and 7tshirts. They don't need dresses. I buy a lot off Vinted

My dc wear the same things for years. They start off too big and end up as crop tops/shorts.
I have never systematically bought a whole new wardrobe in the next size up. I washed a pair or pants the other day age 7/8. Both my kids are teens.

I possibly spend more but never all at once. I buy stuff as and when they need it. Some things they’ve technically outgrown but still fit. Some things they skip sizes in. I can’t imagine buying everything together.

I think those costs look about right for the amount and average price of clothes. If anything, under budget for annual costs and definitely supermarket prices rather than brands.

Like most, I don't buy kids clothes all in one go, but pick stuff up as needed. 95% is second hand and clearance sales too here. Often I'll buy a size up and hope they get 18 months wear out of them. I would also spend £25 on a second hand Boden/PoP coat and then sell on for not much less, mostly funding the next years coat. But that is time consuming and it's such a faff storing stuff.

You're mad to buy it all new - why don't you get stuff second hand? I don't know anyone who buys all new.

@liveforsummer I'm in Ireland I wonder is eBay different here? 🤣

I think this is probably being a bit too regimented about sizes … my children have a mix of sizes in their drawers so the expenditure is spread out .

You don't need to buy everything to "size".

I always brought jumpers/hoody/fleece the next size up - or 2 if I could get away with it!

Same with tracksuits, coats, shorts and T shirts.

Uniform can be got second hand or again size up.

In fact the only things you actually NEED to buy to size is footwear!

how I funded this was to buy good quality well made designer clothes second hand out of season on Ebay. You knew that because they were decent quality, they were not going to fall apart or distort like cheap stuff does, and they were desirable brands so they could be resold IN or just Pre season, to fund replacements.

so brands like Boden, Maresse, Ikks, Jottum, Petit Bateau, Monalisa, Catamini and Oilily

Its how I funded both my childrens clothing until they got to early teens. Saved me an absolute fortune, they always looked fantastic and not like everyone else. Some pieces I even made money on strangely.

@Washermother33

I think this is probably being a bit too regimented about sizes … my children have a mix of sizes in their drawers so the expenditure is spread out .

I agree. I'm not even sure I would have known what size the clothes my ds had in his drawers were at that age!

If it fit - it got worn.

When it didn't fit - replaced by the biggest size I could get away with!

The only thing I bought new were school shoes, as they were necessary to have fitted correctly, and they mould to the childs foot shape and posture

I expect to get at least two if not three years out of a child's winter coat (once they 3+ obviously younger they are probably going through 2 sizes in a year) the first year it's a bit big, the second year it's a good fit and sometimes it will do a third year. I buy the next one in the spring so it's in sales. I always buy things a bit roomy so they last longer. I start to pick up bits and bobs in the sales in the next size before they are needed so I don't have to buy everything at once and so I can get sale items rather than waiting until the growth spurt has happened and having to get things now. Mine is in the last year of primary and has had three sets of school jumpers in total, so one lot in reception Y1, one lot in Y2&3 and half of year 4 them a final set for the second half of Y4-Y6 covid may have saved us one set but it still would only have been 4 sets in 7 years not a new size every year. Cub uniform was comedically large for the first year but I was not going to resew a million badges every year to maintain a 'perfect' fit. I'm just trying to work out how large I dare go with a scouts shirt as again I am not prepared to replace that annually. Footwear is probably the only thing I replace as needed but even then I don't but wellies and sandals at the same time - they are needed at opposite seasons so there is no need to buy them together (if I bought sandals in the winter there is a danger that will be outgrown by the summer anyway).

I was really lucky that my kids had older cousins to hand things down to us, and then many of ours went to smaller cousins/friends.

I don’t worry about the size in the label, only if it fits or not, so my kids have an eclectic range of sizes. Just bought 15yo DD a running top for 12-13 year olds , it was a lot cheaper than an adults one.

I tend to go supermarkets/matalan/charity shops. My ds is 6. I get stuff throughout year look out for sales. etc. Plus people buy clothes for Xmas etc. I'd say roughly I spend;

Uniform £70
Hoodies x 2 £30
Long sleeve tops x 3 £8
T shirts x6 £10
Underwear £10
Jeans x2 £20
Trackies x 3 £12
Coat £25
Shoes £30
Trainers £30
Wellies £8
Slippers £5
Pjs £12
Walking boots £15
Shorts x 3 £10
So probably around £300 but not all in one go and as he's out growing some others may still fit.

It does seem a weird way of shopping to me. Is my sons coat is too small it doesn't follow that things like his trousers will be, or that his underwear (which is stretchy anyway) needs replacing. Likewise I wait until the relevant season because children grow in fits and starts and clothes come in different "fits" so needing a new winter coat doesn't mean he will need a new summer waterproof. I was going through my sons clothes the other day he has a mix of sizes anyway.

"I don’t worry about the size in the label, only if it fits or not, so my kids have an eclectic range of sizes. Just bought 15yo DD a running top for 12-13 year olds , it was a lot cheaper than an adults one."

I agree. DS fits both the largest kids tops but also the smallest mens. He has no interest in clothes so I just get whichever is cheapest.

I replace as they outgrow things as I find that different shops have different sizing. What I mean is just because joggers look to short, it doesn't mean their jeans are so I'd replace the joggers and not buy jeans.

Your dd is coming up to a point where things might last 18 months-2 years rather than a year or less so if I was buying now I'd have her try on 4-5 and 5-6 in the hope that it would last longer. Same with T-shirts a size 4-6 would hopefully do this summer and next