to not want to buy my kids material possessions?

[harimo]

Well, that's it...

I don't want my (pre-school) kids to have designer wardrobes. I'm quite happy to dress them from Sainsburies or M&Co (who I love!) or Ebay or Oxfam....

Don't get me wrong, they are VERY well dressed, just I buy the essentitals from tescos or sainsburies or M&co and then a few 'nicer' items from Ebay or Oxfam (and, yes, I look every week, just in case!)

I just want to be able to spend my disposable income (which I am lucky to have) on experiences with them - take them on days out, go and see Thomas the Tank Engine, or Peppa Pig Live. or, even, a savings account - cos I'm sure they'd prefer designer clothes when they were 20 not 2.

These things are, to me, more important that always being in designer clothes. And, If IANBU, then why do I feel down that someone had a pop at me today for shopping in Oxfam

Why would you stop buying secondhand once your children reach school age? My 5-year-old DD loves choosing 'new' clothes on eBay and understands that it is better to re-use/recycle things than to buy new. She is positively evangelistic about eBay and is regularly dressed in Boden, Gap etc. that I wouldn't buy new but enjoy buying once everyone else has tired of/outgrown the range.

Children's theatre doesn't have to be children's theatre per se; the Royal Opera House do seats for some of their matinees for about £4. We've taken DD to see the Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty for less than it would cost to go to the cinema - I'd recommend the 'bench' seats (which are real seats) up at the side as it means the children can stand up and wriggle around without spoiling the experience for anyone else. Greenwich theatre, the Albany, Soho theatre and Halfmoon are others we've been to over the past five years along with the Albert Hall.

I live in Sydney, nappyaddict.

People do it with books (both children's and adults') too. There's often a neat little box of books sitting on someone's front wall.

I picked up a bike for DD a few weeks ago and the woman came rushing out of her house to ask if I wanted the helmet too. I love my neighbourhood.

Oh, I know. See, I have no issues with a Charlie and Lola play, yet I do with Lazytown/Peppa Pig etc.

Artsdepot v good - lovely, lovely kids shows (used to work in the old arts centre and regularly snuck in to see them even pre-kids). They sell out fast though - don't be one of those who turn up on the off-chance and tell their children, 'the lady won't let us in, darling' (no, mummy didn't book any tickets )

Oh, and some good charity shops in North Finchley too

can we remember what we wore or played with when we were little? no - apart from a few special things. can we remeber days out etc, yes... thats what matters in the long run.

No need to stop when they go to school: you can get second-hand school uniforms. Ime school shirts and pinafores in particular last forever. And they're often very cheap.

But of course, as Nightshoe points out, it does depend on other people being generous enough to buy clothes new and then pass them on to the charity shop when no longer new.