Clothes have really gone up in price!

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Sorted out kids spring/summer clothes and nothing from last year fits ds16 or dd14. They’ve picked some bits and I’ve started ordering and already I’m up to just over £1K with a few things still to order plus both dc need new trainers and crocs as feet have also grown. Dreading going through my own clothes as haven’t replaced summer things in several years and I know a few pairs of my linen trousers are threadbare. DH can sort and order his own!
Do you set a budget per dc and say for example you’ve got £400 this season send me some links? Or do you just suck up the cost? I think this has been the most expensive year to date but both kids have grown a lot in the last 12 months.

As others have said, it’s the brands.

If you buy brand new designer clothes, expect to pay high prices. To lower the price you pay, either buy second hand or don’t buy designer brands.

My young teens are getting into labels, I've got Nike Pro gear much cheaper than JD on Amazon Sports Direct and independent sports shops. The Nike website often has offers on, I've got 2 hoodies for £40 each. The key is shopping around. MandM direct is good for designer bargains

Or yes, fakes, check out Hacoo - there are fb groups you can join that post links of the most authentic copies.

I'm all for kids not getting picked on but basic tshirts, vests etc with some decent bottoms still work, not everything needs to be named, and your dc need to learn that!

Coming from one of the most deprived areas in the country I assume all the highly branded kids have fakes 😂

Same, I walk around spitting the £19 north face coats a mile away!

Next online does older
boys - up to 17 years. My ds is 13 and 6ft 2.

I actually have a DD aged 15 the budget for her stuff which includes school uniform, trips make up and clothes, shoes stationery etc is £1000 for the year it doesn't include her phone or pocket money which is £10 per week. roughly another £500( DH and I also have a budget of £1500 for all the above but for us it includes all personal spends including takeaway coffees or trips on our own to a cafe if out or with friends family meals come from a different budget)
She has stopped growing so things last more than one year, but she is savvy got a hollister skirt for £4.99 in their sale nike trainers in tkmaxx she has one nike sweatshirt the others are more generic she is happy with some stuff from primark and so are her friends; she also looks on vinted got a second hand white fox hoodie ( there are plenty of fakes too) to be honest I can't really give her a bigger budget

You keep mentioning budgeting and expense but you’re buying expensive brands.

I don’t think you can afford for all their clothing to be branded - you need some cheap stuff for around the house and just a couple of branded outfits for when they go out.
What I used to do when shopping for a teen was buying basic T shirts/joggers/ hoodies/trainers from Primark/Asda/ sports direct - and anything branded was either given as birthday/ Christmas presents or they had to save up their allowance for it, although I sometimes got the odd bits in sales.

I think it’s quite easy to get fake stuff now though. DS and his partner have a load of stuff they got from some shop on TikTok (and also bought a pile of stuff back from Turkey but that only applies if you are planning a holiday there!)

Picking up on what you said about your DD’s school though - Are you saying that your DD’s school has actually stopped having a school uniform? I am so surprised at that. I thought it was well understood in schools that even the odd non-uniform day can cause upset, bullying and children not going in just because they don’t have the right clothes. I’m quite shocked at that.

@Jinglejanglenamechanged25which website has thosd hoodies please?

H&M, they have a 15% weekend around once a month so it’s worth keeping an eye out for that.

Madness to buy all these those brands - especially new!

I got crocs for 20£ nearly new on Vinted last week.

got my daughter doc martens for 60

Converse for myself for 18 (the ones I got retail at 80£ new)

Basic T-shirts and hoodies for sure - the bullying thing is a bit of a cop out - has it even happened? Is it really that big of a deal or are you just thinking that might happen

Yes, buy a few branded bits but not everything. I took have 3 brand conscious kids but it doesn't mean everything has to be branded.

This! Seriously.... Nobody should be bankrupting themselves just because their kids want a hoodie with the words 'White Fox' on the back.

Uniqlo?

My DS is a bit younger but still in adult clothes. We ask for Nike T-shirts from family for birthday and Christmas.

But sometimes, particularly with trainers, we have given DS a budget and told him if he wants to spend more it comes out of his pocket money or birthday or Christmas money.

We are still paying for it, but it feels like we are teaching him something.

I have started buying clothes from the charity shop for me. I feel like I should be able to buy decent new clothes for me...but that's life.

Nooooo. That's mad! Buy second hand from eBay and Vinted instead. Often in really good condition and a fraction of the price. And much better for the planet and climate!

Thing is you can get a couple of branded bits and couple them with primark/asda.

when our girls were little dh used to take them out twice a year to buy them a new set of clothes for the season. So spring/summer and then autumn/winter. Cost about £500 for them both back in those days (they are now 21 and 20!). They grew quickly and mostly the previous years stuff didn’t fit and was ready to be passed on to younger cousins.
Then ds came along and he does the same with him, they have a boys day out while I relax at home 😂 he’s growing like a weed and grows out of stuff quickly. Costs about £500 just for him now, he’s 13 but in medium adult mens clothes.
He’s grown out of the children’s sizes for school trousers now so he needs adult mens trousers. Cost me £70 for 2 pairs a month ago from Marks (closest shop to us and he could try them on) and I reckon after Easter they’ll be too fucking short again. My mistake but the longer length ones are the time we’re stupidly long. In hindsight I’d have just bought them!
Yes clothes are getting more expensive but there are definitely workarounds, vinted as a pp said is great if you’re looking for something particular.

We have a big family, lots of little ones of varying ages so we just do swaps and second hands ! Really lucky that way it's amazing. I would never spend that much on my kids, they grow so fast if I have to buy at all its second hand or primark bits!

Prices have gone up considerably, feeling it in this house, too.

"Branded shoes" depends what you mean by that? My ds wears Asics, and not their top range, I pay about £50-£60 for his. Yes he likes Hollister and Urban Outfitters , but those items have to be Xmas or birthday presents if brand new, otherwise ftom Vinted or eBay. He goes to private school, there's not really any judgement on clothes there, it's not considered cool to make a fuss about labels.

I understand that teens need to fit in and have the branded clothes but honestly spending £30 on a pair of swim shorts is ridiculous. You can prioritise things like hoodies and t-shirts but save on other things.

You have more money than sense OP. If you are worried about bullying, teach resilience not consumerism.

£1000 on "a few bits" is nuts. Get fewer bits or get fakes/dupes.

Omg your spending £175 on teen trainers 🤣

Absolutely nuts and I’m far from saying footwear doesn’t matter. It does. Not because of brands but because feet are important. I never buy footwear second hand and wouldn’t for my kids.

And I’m not a stickler either. I spent £650 myself on a pair of trainers once. But I am an adult and these weren’t everyday college trainers. They are collectors with dust bag kind of trainers.

I would never spend more than £100 on everyday trainers. And I usually spend half that as get a couple of pairs every Black Friday and save them for spring (so they don’t get instantly trashed).

If you are dead set on this OP you need to get more savvy. Deals, coupons, Black Friday, outlet villages, even vinted. Theres an obscene amount of new with tags stuff on there.

Or scrap that entirely. He’s 16. He can get a weekend job.

I hardly bought brands for my dc and they didn’t expect them. Bought Hollister in USA as I was more reasonably priced.