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 think there is an issue about children's clothes sizing generally. UK brands (M&S, Asda, tesco, Next) tend to be big / wide (especially for boys) and not long enough in the body/legs. Going up a size simply adds to the width.

For thinner children European brands are best. School uniform is a nightmare though - DS trousers flapping around his ankles to get them to fit his waist (even though slim fit)

Well quite, but surely second hand clothing is perfectly eco?

I have £100 for all my 9yo DD's clothes - not including shoes as her dad buys them. My 14yo DS has double as he is in adult clothes but he has it monthly as part of his allowance. Therefore I do find £600 an awful lot but of course if you can afford it it's up to you.

School uniform - I get most second hand for 50p a piece at the school shop. If I buy new I generally buy the size up so it lasts a couple of years. Cardigans can last longer.
Ballet is difficult if you have to have a specific uniform. I got my DD's gymnastic leotard second hand. Maybe you could suggest that uniform is passed down when grown out of.

I use Primark quite a lot:

Knickers - 10 - £5
Vests - 3 - £4
Socks - 10 - £3
Tights - 3 £4
Pair of jeans - £4
Leggings - 2 - £9
Shorts - 2 - £9
Short sleeved tops - 5 - £15
Long sleeved tops - 3 - £10
Dresses - 3 - £18
Fleece - £6
Hoodie - £6
Tracksuit - £14
Winter coat - £15
Summer coat - £8
Pyjamas - 3 - £12
Shoes - £50
Swimsuit - £4

That comes to about £200. I wouldn't spend that much each year, though as I'd get some second hand and I'd buy big to last 2 years. Summer dresses can last 3 years. This is based on prices for a 9 yo. If your DC is smaller it would be cheaper, if they are a teen it would be more!

@daisyjgrey

Sorry, but when was it standard to know which centile your 9 year old is on? Surely unless they have a health problem that impacts it, you just file the red book thing away once they've started school?!

It's not standard to know! I only measured my daughters height for a bike and thought I'd check on a height predictor calculator which uses centiles and then did the same for her weight, more out of curiosity not because I have to know. Up until last week I would not have had a clue. Not that I should need to explain myself to yet another judgy type on here! 🙄

2022herewecome m and s school trousers are the best we found. They have a range of different fits but for super skinny Ds their slim leg skinny fit are the best. Even when he was underweight they would fit him when pulled in

@Sirzy

2022herewecome m and s school trousers are the best we found. They have a range of different fits but for super skinny Ds their slim leg skinny fit are the best. Even when he was underweight they would fit him when pulled in

Their extra long are a godsend for tall slim children.

@2022HereWeCome like posters above, slim fit isn't slim.enough for DS. The best fit I've found are the M&S extra long trousers @Runningupthecurtains mentions, they are something 3-5 inches longer than the standard trousers. You can then go down an age group or two to improve the waist band fit. DS aged 7 is currently in age 5-6 extra long trouser - which are actually the same length as their age 8-9 trousers.

One thing I am thinking is that 600 pounds is a lot of money. If you could take even 200 pounds of that money and invest it for your retirement, you would be doing yourself a huge favor. Or even 100 pounds. I don't know what it is about women, but we so often forget to be nice to ourselves in the most important ways. I wish more young women would know how much the little bits and pieces of money they can save up could matter if they invest it intelligently and then ignore it for a long time. It really is like magic.

Thanks for the tip about M&S trousers. I tried slim fit one year in a size down but they fell off him - maybe I need to experiment. I've always found next jean style slim fit quite good for DS.

Anyway if OP is still around, I've finally got around to buying DS new swimming jammers, football boots, slippers, football tights and base layer and a new thin waterproof. It's come to approx £70-75. He still needs new pjs.

That's insane! I get all my daughters clothes 2nd hand.

Give it a wash, and it's as good as new.

I hardly think you can retire on saving £200 per year

Thanks for the tip about M&S trousers. I tried slim fit one year in a size down but they fell off him - maybe I need to experiment.
I'd check the size chart but often slim fit or skinny fit is just referring to the shape or leg. Often the waist is the same as the regular fit.

I have older teenage dds now, both completely different shapes and sizes, so ltd swapping of clothes. Could normally make things last a couple of years though, bought big and then you can generally get a couple of size increases out of the items, the only thing I ever bought true to size were shoes. I tend to avoid trousers when they were little, you could get away with longer or shorter skirts and dresses but not really shorter or long trousers. Winter coats normally lasted 2 years. But depends on your budget, if you can afford it and enjoy doing it that way carry on, but if you want to make savings I think it will be easy to. I work in a school,and most people buy school uniform to last a few size increases.

I tend to avoid trousers when they were little, you could get away with longer or shorter skirts and dresses but not really shorter or long trousers.
I found once DS got to school age, cuffed joggers would last two years, that was his winter school uniform and only available in even numbered sizes. Jeans can be turned up. Formal school trousers he'd have needed single sizes until at least 6 though.

@2022HereWeCome slim fit is generally either 2cm slimmer round the waist (e.g. Sainsbury's) or 4 cm (Next, Asda, and M&S). I had DS in the next ones but they were still quite baggy until I worked out the trick with the M&S ones. They also come with another 2 inches loosely tacked up hem so you can let them down part way through the year if needed so they will go even longer / skinnier. I now start by measuring DS's waist and inner leg sizes, to work out what I need and then work out what combination of age / leg length gets me closest.

@Svara

Thanks for the tip about M&S trousers. I tried slim fit one year in a size down but they fell off him - maybe I need to experiment. I'd check the size chart but often slim fit or skinny fit is just referring to the shape or leg. Often the waist is the same as the regular fit.

Skinny fit maybe, but not slim fit in my experience (they are different things). I specifically buy the slim Verbaudet jeans for DD because they fit her skinny hips. They also come in regular and wide fit.

@SkankingMopoke
I checked the M&S website and I was wrong there at least, they do have a real slim fit. Though, they also have a slim leg and skinny leg so it is easy for parents to get confused and think these are for slim children. I've read posts on previous threads where parents are saying even the 'skinny fit' is too big, so they likely mean skinny leg, which is a regular waist.

I don't have some of the costs you have (no ballet costumes or school uniform) but even so I spend much less than that per year, and that's with DD growing out of clothes twice a year and shoes every 2 months. Most clothes I buy second hand or in sales - all John Lewis/M&S/Next/Frugi but never full price. The only big spend is shoes, I buy them new at Clark's but DD only has one pair per size.
New clothes are always going to be more expensive even if you buy them at Primark and Asda so if you want to save money second hand is the way to go! I've bought stuff in nearly new condition on Vinted/eBay/Facebook marketplace/charity shops and choose it all carefully, so second hand doesn't have to mean scruffy.