Home School clothes

[packrat]

We just took London shopping today for school clothes. Yikes at the prices! I actually wasn''t *too* horrified, but I''d been watching some nice lots of clothes on ebay, and let them go b/c I thought they were too high---and then went to the stores today and thought aw crap, ebay was cheaper! I was supremely irritated with myself!

This is the first year we didn''t have a bunch of clothes packed away already for her-one of my friends used to bring her daughters stuff in and I''d go thru it and she''d sell it to me for cheap-she can get more $ doing consignment, so she does that now. So, London doesn''t have a whole lot to start with this time.

Do you guys spend a lot on clothes for the kids at the start of the school year, or do they get a few new items to mix in with what they already have?

 

[D&T]

Date: 8/6/2009 7:07:33 PM
Author:packrat
We just took London shopping today for school clothes. Yikes at the prices! I actually wasn''t *too* horrified, but I''d been watching some nice lots of clothes on ebay, and let them go b/c I thought they were too high---and then went to the stores today and thought aw crap, ebay was cheaper! I was supremely irritated with myself!

This is the first year we didn''t have a bunch of clothes packed away already for her-one of my friends used to bring her daughters stuff in and I''d go thru it and she''d sell it to me for cheap-she can get more $ doing consignment, so she does that now. So, London doesn''t have a whole lot to start with this time.

Do you guys spend a lot on clothes for the kids at the start of the school year, or do they get a few new items to mix in with what they already have?

well I don''t have school bound aged kids yet, but I really only buy them clothes twice a year, and once in a while here and there if I find them on clearance or something, I have been able to find lots of stuff from the Children''s Place and bought a cute set for my almost four year old (pant and top) for $8 total brand new. But I usually try to do my shopping spring/early summer, and again in the fall/winter, kinda off season, but I stock up for the next year for the size that they will wear, and I have them mix and match through the year.

 

[packrat]

Date: 8/6/2009 7:21:10 PM
Author: D&T

Date: 8/6/2009 7:07:33 PM

Author:packrat

We just took London shopping today for school clothes. Yikes at the prices! I actually wasn''t *too* horrified, but I''d been watching some nice lots of clothes on ebay, and let them go b/c I thought they were too high---and then went to the stores today and thought aw crap, ebay was cheaper! I was supremely irritated with myself!


This is the first year we didn''t have a bunch of clothes packed away already for her-one of my friends used to bring her daughters stuff in and I''d go thru it and she''d sell it to me for cheap-she can get more $ doing consignment, so she does that now. So, London doesn''t have a whole lot to start with this time.


Do you guys spend a lot on clothes for the kids at the start of the school year, or do they get a few new items to mix in with what they already have?

well I don''t have school bound aged kids yet, but I really only buy them clothes twice a year, and once in a while here and there if I find them on clearance or something, I have been able to find lots of stuff from the Children''s Place and bought a cute set for my almost four year old (pant and top) for $8 total brand new. But I usually try to do my shopping spring/early summer, and again in the fall/winter, kinda off season, but I stock up for the next year for the size that they will wear, and I have them mix and match through the year.

Yes, methinks I should start doing something like that, rather than wait until last minute "oh crap she''s outgrown everything and school starts in 2 weeks". Start hitting end of season sales to stock up on things etc!

 

[D&T]

Date: 8/6/2009 8:51:00 PM
Author: packrat


Yes, methinks I should start doing something like that, rather than wait until last minute ''oh crap she''s outgrown everything and school starts in 2 weeks''. Start hitting end of season sales to stock up on things etc!

sometimes its hard to do, as the years go by so fast with these kids and by time you remember its here and almost over. I know I always say oh I should get this or that, and then next thing I know its two months already that passed by

I bet you''ll find some soon. I think London will be ok for the first few weeks while you check out some more bargains.

I also just get some hand me down from my sister as her kids are a few years ahead of mine, but we live in a different state, so I only get to see her twice a year, and my old coworkers used to bring stuff into work as well, it was fun while it lasted.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

I''m super bad in this department. Every year at the start, I spend a ton on BOTH kids. The bad thing is my younger son can wear his brother''s outgrown clothes, but yet I buy my younger son clothes too. . .so my younger has so many between new clothes and his hand-me-downs that his dresser drawers doesn''t even close!

So, yes, to answer your question, I go crazy at the start. . .but then I do not buy any more clothes for at least four to six months. They have what they have and the only items that generally need replacing before that time period are athletic shoes and rain boots, so we shop for those.

Clothes are just an obession with me. . .I do spend a lot on my kids'' clothes, but with experience, I''ve determined which stores are worth "investing" money in to get long-term use out of. I will spend more to get a shirt that will last through both kids.

 

[Aloros]

My stepson''s school has a uniform policy, so we end up buying a lot at the beginning of the school year. Hopefully they''ll last through at least half of the year. I have the feeling he''s going to grow a lot this year, so I don''t think we''re going to buy for the whole school year. We''ll probably end up getting him new stuff 1/2-way through.

For every-day clothes, I check clearance racks for off-season stuff, and buy just a smidge too big. I usually find some really nice stuff at a fraction of the price I would normally have paid! Oh, and I love love love the website threadless.com. They have the cutest shirts, their shirts last forever, and I signed up for their newsletter so I get notified when they do $5 shirt sales (about once every 4-6 months). Then I stock up! My stepson loves getting these. So I buy pretty sporadically.

I''ve stopped (mostly) buying new sweatshirts/sweaters, because he loses them at an average rate of one every 1-2 weeks. Since these tend to be almost disposable, we try to nab them at garage sales or thrift stores.

 

[packrat]

I think I''ll check out that website Aloros, thanks!

 

[Girlrocks]

my 3 oldest that are school age fortunately have spring birthdays, so they pretty much get their summer cloths then from grandparents, aunts and uncles and me. They don''t need as many summer cloths...seems like we are in bathing suits every day.

Then at the start of the fall, I ususally only have to buy pants. They get a lot at Christmas from their grandparents, me, etc. And at the end of winter I buy long sleeve shirts when they go on sale for $2-3 at Old Navy, Gap, etc. and save them for the following year.

With all girls, I am lucky enough that my 5 year old can wear her older sisters hand me downs, and since they are twins, she has quite a huge wardrobe! I don''t know if they will last for #4 though!

i really don''t buy anything for the start of school, it is still 90 degrees here for the first month so they wear summer cloths still. And I spend a couple hundred dollars on school supplies, back packs, etc.

I bought a lot of stuff from E-bay last fall which was VERY affordable. That was my first time, but I bought a bunch of stuff for them in the spring again and it was so much cheaper!

And at the end of the school year, I bought my older 2 brand new tennis shoes that they haven''t worn yet, so the only thing left to buy is new sneakers for my 5 year old.

 

[pennquaker09]

I totally recommend LL Bean book packs, you''ll never have to buy another one and if your child gets tired of the color, you can send it in and have it exchanged.

 

[D&T]

Date: 8/7/2009 5:37:22 PM
Author: pennquaker09
I totally recommend LL Bean book packs, you''ll never have to buy another one and if your child gets tired of the color, you can send it in and have it exchanged.

really? that''s good to know, I''ll have to look into that.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 8/7/2009 3:22:50 PM
Author: Girlrocks

i really don''t buy anything for the start of school, it is still 90 degrees here for the first month so they wear summer cloths still. And I spend a couple hundred dollars on school supplies, back packs, etc.

Yep, the school supplies are a killer when it comes to back-to-school budgeting. It''s odd that this year, less than half the usual amount of items have been requested for each grade. Parents must have been complaining!

We use backpacks for as long as possible. My older son used his for three years, but my younger''s zipper broke off during the middle of kindergarten, so both ended up getting new packs for next year. I don''t mind spending $15 per kid every few years. We never get the fancy brands. Just ones from Target.

 

[lyra]

My youngest daughter works at the chain store Once Upon a Child. Don''t know if you have one near you or not. They are very strict about what they accept, it has to be one year old or newer, only specific labels in some cases. You might check it out, if even just for "filler" items. Actually, the "sister" store to this one (same franchise) is called Plato''s Closet, and is the same thing but for teens. My daughter works there too, same owners, and although she is very picky, she loves the idea of picking pieces from her favourite stores that she missed getting earlier at bargain prices. I would definitely go ebay too, and just supplement with some new high quality stuff. I found my one daughter would actually outwear clothes before she outgrew them, while the other was just the opposite. You never know!

 

[mrssalvo]

I love Old Navy sales!! you just cannot beat the prices. I will also purchase from consignment shops though b/c I can get gently used designer items for cheap. I don''t send my kids to school in expensive clothes b/c despite all the supposed washable art supplies something ends up staining and getting ruined. oh and I''ll even hit good will or salvation army. I got my daughter the cutest like new gap dress for $2.00. I got another daughter a Free People shirt dress there too and she was over the moon b/c it retailed for $80 and we got it for $1.99. I love a great deal!

 

[packrat]

Ooo more tips, thanks!

We got her backpack from Land''s End-it has a horse pattern on it and she''s in love with horses. Good to know about LL Bean!

I wish we lived closer to stores. The mall is an hour away. All we have is a Kmart, tho I have gotten some good deals at the end of season clearance.

Now that I have a better idea of her sizes, and what the prices are like in the stores, I can keep better tabs on ebay I think. JD''s right on the cusp of his dream job-which pays a lot less, so I have to really start watching our pennies!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

How old is your daughter?

 

[packrat]

Mc, she''ll be 6 in November. She''s starting Kindergarten in a week and a half and is over the moon about it!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 8/7/2009 11:18:00 PM
Author: packrat
Mc, she''ll be 6 in November. She''s starting Kindergarten in a week and a half and is over the moon about it!

ooh, very exciting! My younger son just finished up Kindergarten and he so enjoyed it. From what I saw in class, most of the kids did NOT wear fancy new clothes. Most just wore fun outfits that would be okay if stained. It didn''t seem like new fresh clothes in that social setting made any difference. Kids that young really DO NOT care.

I spent a ton of my son''s clothes and now look back and think how silly it was.

Your daughter will have a great and successful year regardless of what she wears!

Just to add - I cannot believe how fast this summer has gone by. In about three weeks both my boys are going up another grade. They''re growing so fast. Now I kind of want more kids, but my DH is flipping. He''s willing to buy me a $750 worth of fish equipment to keep my maternal instinct at bay. lol

oooh, and, I just want to also say that accessories can be a lot more fun than clothes. Those seemed more cooler than clothes to the little girls in my son''s class.

 

[pennquaker09]

Date: 8/7/2009 5:54:39 PM
Author: D&T

Date: 8/7/2009 5:37:22 PM
Author: pennquaker09
I totally recommend LL Bean book packs, you''ll never have to buy another one and if your child gets tired of the color, you can send it in and have it exchanged.

really? that''s good to know, I''ll have to look into that.

Yes, they have a lifetime warranty. But I''ve never heard of an LL Bean ripping (new books) or breaking in any kind of way. Plus, they want you to be satisfied, so if you child wanted a sky blue back pack as a 6th grader and they decide the want the more sophisticated royal blue as a 10th grader, they will totally exchange them out. However, I think you have to pay for the monogramming on the new one. I might be wrong.

 

[packrat]

Date: 8/7/2009 11:30:02 PM
Author: MC

Date: 8/7/2009 11:18:00 PM

Author: packrat

Mc, she''ll be 6 in November. She''s starting Kindergarten in a week and a half and is over the moon about it!

ooh, very exciting! My younger son just finished up Kindergarten and he so enjoyed it. From what I saw in class, most of the kids did NOT wear fancy new clothes. Most just wore fun outfits that would be okay if stained. It didn''t seem like new fresh clothes in that social setting made any difference. Kids that young really DO NOT care.


I spent a ton of my son''s clothes and now look back and think how silly it was.


Your daughter will have a great and successful year regardless of what she wears!

Just to add - I cannot believe how fast this summer has gone by. In about three weeks both my boys are going up another grade. They''re growing so fast. Now I kind of want more kids, but my DH is flipping. He''s willing to buy me a $750 worth of fish equipment to keep my maternal instinct at bay. lol


oooh, and, I just want to also say that accessories can be a lot more fun than clothes. Those seemed more cooler than clothes to the little girls in my son''s class.

Thanks MC! I have a tendency/compulsion to sometimes/always make things into more than what they need to be. Mountain out of a molehill syndrome I think.

Boy, I hear ya about the kids growing up fast! I mentioned adoption to husband the other day..I think he''d rather I just do some little kid babysitting or work at a daycare or something instead to get my baby fix. Or he figures the puppy we''re getting shortly will work!