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?

Most of us don't buy in one go. We buy as we need but it would be interesting to keep a log. I bet we easily spend £600
In a year. Shoes alone can be pricey

But when I was single, id easily rip through £600 in a few weeks of clothes, make up, nights out

Everyone saying "buy everything in the sale"... if everyone did that there would be no sale. Shops must have to sell a certain proportion of stuff at full price to make it worth their while having a clothing department at all!

I used to work in Debenhams.(admittedly not the clothes dept) They had to sell something for 30 days at full price before it could go in the sale. There was a sale or offer for 11 months of the year. The month there was no sale was the most tedious and boring to work because literally no one came in - they were waiting til next month when the sale started!!

I sew and make PJ'S out of DH's old t shirts.
I also shop in the sales and buy the next size up. But like most people I just replace as she grows out of things.
Also in-laws always get clothes for Christmas, so like a winter coat, nice jeans and jumpers etc.

Never, ever, ever bought everything at once- that just seems quite odd to me to be honest! My 11 year old has items from age 8- age 13! Winter coats are always bought large and last for at least two years, if not three. Do you have friends with older kids? A lot of things my girls have are hand-me-downs from friends, and in turn our clothes go to friends with younger kids….

Car boot sales are your best friend when kids are still growing!

Where you're going wrong, I would suggest, is to buy it all in one go. Some of it must end up not being needed or used to replace stuff that isn't really outgrown?
Things like t-shirts and pyjamas are quite forgiving in sizing and often fir for several years. The ballet stuff is expensive, isn't it - look at buying secondhand from your class, the teachers often offer this or there might be a facebook group for the class. Same for school uniform if it has to be a particular type.
Why so much on dresses? Use eBay for these as they don't get much wear so second-hand ones are often a bargain on there.

@3Sheetstothewind lots of areas don't have cat boot sales...I know mine doesn't

@3Sheetstothewind Christ no thank you!

@RussianSpy101 that's what I really wanted to say 🤣🙈

@DockOTheBay

Not much at all really? It's a month's wages for someone on 20k a year! Take home pay for someone on 20k would be about £1400, not £600.

The post I quoted said TWICE a year. So 1200.

@DockOTheBay

If you only spend that twice a year on clothes for your child then it's not much at all really.

@apprenticewage 😂😂😂

Some things need replacing quite quickly when they're outgrown, e.g shoes, skinny jeans. But other things can be eeked out for a bit longer, e.g. tshirts, pyjamas.
And different body parts grow at different rates. So if I notice DS's trousers too short or tight then I will replace trousers but not going to then buy new shirts and jumpers just for the sake of it!
It sounds like you kind of enjoy buying clothes tbh

[quote Phormiumjester]@DockOTheBay

If you only spend that twice a year on clothes for your child then it's not much at all really.[/quote]
Got it, sorry
Still its not that much if you earn 50k, it's all relative

@sharksarecool

Some things need replacing quite quickly when they're outgrown, e.g shoes, skinny jeans. But other things can be eeked out for a bit longer, e.g. tshirts, pyjamas. And different body parts grow at different rates. So if I notice DS's trousers too short or tight then I will replace trousers but not going to then buy new shirts and jumpers just for the sake of it! It sounds like you kind of enjoy buying clothes tbh

They're fine on Thursday and then you look again on Friday and the flipping jeans are 2 inches too short! They do it overnight.

Emergency jeans shopping.

EBay bundles. Plus I have several dc so things get passed down and I get things from others’ kids too.

Other posters have said this but we don’t buy everything at once. So, say I buy things for the Winter… then Summer I buy the biggest size I can, usually next size up. Then it still fits next Summer! Some of the previous year’s stuff will still fit and I replace it as they outgrow?

@Rtmhwales

I also like H&M because their clothes tend to be for 2 year ranges like 8-10Y or 6-8Y though they look a bit big when they first start wearing them.

It's no different to just buying every second size where items are single sized, like the 7-8, skipping the 8-9 and buying the 9-10. There is still two years size difference between items, nothing special about duel sizes.

Buy in the sales so you have things ahead of size for less. I also buy lots second hand and if I see it cheaply and it’s great quality I buy it even if it’s several years ahead in size. Coats especially.

@Tiredtiredtired100 I tried that and I ended up with the wrong stuff at the wrong time...wrecks my head!!

@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.

If she’s only on 50th centile there is no way she’s growing out of everything every year. All clothes are designed with allowances in them - my 99th centile DN who is 12 is still wearing some 9-10 dresses. They are a bit shorter but still look good. Things like knickers / vests / leggings - unless she had a massive growth spurt or gone through puberty you wait until she complains it’s too tight & even then some items will still be comfy enough to fit.

You are being extremely wasteful in my opinion.

You are being extremely wasteful in my opinion. I agree. I think the single sizes encourage waste, when DS was in primary overseas the uniform was only available in a 4, 6, 8, 10, 12. So you'd only buy new after a year if an item was outworn.

Good lord...

I don't think it is much to kit a child out with everything in a new size. As i said as long as people live withing their means that's what matters, if op can afford to spend the £600 and not get into any kind of debt then i think that's fine. If some parents need to buy in cheaper/charity shops, sales, secondhand etc to suit their budget then that's fine just as it is if some parents have more disposable income and choose to buy in more expensive/designer shops.

When my daughter was young I never bought everything in 1 hit and think most people don't. I also used to buy a bit bigger so the size lasted longer,especially school uniform. I also used to buy in the sales for the following year so in the summer sales buy for the following year in the next size up which saved a lot. Bought shoes as needed and coats too. If you are buying a whole wardrobe in 1 hit you will notice it's a large amount. Also things like PJs can be bought as Christmas presents if relatives or friends ask what to get your child

Wow. You must have money to burn. Yes you are being ridiculous and totally unreasonable. Surely you buy a few sizes up, receive thongs from bigger friends, gifts and aren't they mostly in school uniform? What a complete waste of money. You could be saving most of that for when she really needs it.