how much $ do you spend on clothing for your child??

Ok. I'm not a crazy shopper... but I'm really confused here. How does one spend less than $1k a year on kid's clothes? I mean, I do get some good hand me downs. But none of the clothes that Liana wore in the Fall fit her anymore, and I'm in the process of building up her Spring/Summer wardrobe. Yesterday I stopped in Century 21 (for those of you who aren't NY'ers, that is where I used to go to pay $100 for a $450 dress when I was young and cute) and I bought four shirts, two pairs of pants, a pair of shoes and a nightgown, and I felt really good about walking out having spent less than $130. One pair of pants was $35, which is more than I would like to pay...but I have so much trouble finding pants that are appropriate for potty training (no flies or buttons) and they were so cute and went so well with two of the shirts that I decided to splurge. The shoes, which were $9.99 were originally priced at $55. I felt like overall, I'd done pretty well. Hardly a season's wardrobe. But some great items. The nightgown was also $10, but we are in a sleepwear crisis at the moment. Some time in the fall she decided that she preferred nightgowns to pj's, so I invested in 5 warm nightgowns, at about $12 each. Now they are too warm, so I am building up our sleeveless cotton nightgown collection, and the cheapest I've seen they for EVER was $7. I've spent almost $300 on sleepwear alone in the past year! Winter coats. Hats and multiple pairs of mittens. Spring jackets. Rain jackets. Socks. Tights. Winter boots. Rain boots. Sneakers. Dress shoes. Sandels. Crocks. Sleepwear. Fluffy slippers. Bathrobes for getting out of the bath. Party dresses. Play clothes for everyday. Cute outfits for outings. And each season a new supply because she is growing so fast? And the majority of you say you are spending less than $1K a year? What am I missing here?

Over $1,000.00 definitely BUT I get major major MAJOR clothes, hundreds of outfits as I buy EVERYTHING new, but on big-time clearance..like 80-90% off. Plus I work for a clothing store so most if not all of my kids clothes and shoes, brand new cost me between 69 cents for lands end shoes and boots and shirts for the same price. I buy jeans for my kids between 1-3 dollars..I even bought my kids dress pants..like 10 pairs for 39 cents after clearance price and my discount. I get a 20-30% discount on top of the sale and clearance deals...so its well worth working there for the savings I get. My kids most times are wearing really expensive clothes but their total price COMPLETE..meaning EVERYTHING they are wearing could be as cheap as 5-8 dollars. And of coarse I buy myself and my DH clothes as well. So again, I save big-time money. I work part-time just a few hours a week and with 2 kids and hoping for a 3rd soon...it pays literally! The reason we get some great sales prices is because we have first shot at most everything on sale, as we are the ones putting out the merchandise. I just grab what I want and buy it after work. Just love the perks and how cute we all look! ;-)

Oh..also for my kids...I can buy major clothes...as my boys who are 12 and 10....grow very very VERY slow..so they can stay in clothes for years and years and I mean YEARS! Like 3-5 years! Not joking! SO If I bought less clothes....or cheap clothes..never ever have I had one hand-me down...ever...my kids ALWAYS wear out the clothes before they outgrow the clothes..so I HAVE to buy good quality clothes OR buy a LOT of clothes! UGH! So why I buy SO much...I may buy a LOT of clothes EACH year..but years later they are STILL wearing them...maybe they are old..but they still fit practically forever, shoes are the same way! LOL

One, my daugher is only three and wears 2T size so her clothes are cheaper than clothes for a teenager or older child. Since my daughter is small and grows slowly, many of the shirts she wore last summer, she'll be able to wear this summer also (not so much the shorts though). Two, I usually shop at Target or Walmart where shirts are between 5-15 dollars, pants/short are between 7 to 20 dollars, shoes run 7-15 dollars and coats may be 20-30 dollars. I plan on checking out a new consignment store that opened up recently here too. Three: Frankly, does anyone need 50 shirts or 60 pairs of pants, etc? My daughter has about 10-15 (at the most) summer shirts, about 4 sun dresses, around 10 pairs of socks/underwear, about 10 pairs of shorts, around 10 pairs of jeans/pants and about 5 pairs of shoes (I plan on buying a few more pairs of sandals this week). Since I'm not a clothes horse, I don't live vicariously through my daughter when it comes to clothes (maybe on other issues though!) Yes, sometimes I get sick of seeing her in the same clothes week after week and will occasionally buy a new outfit for the fun of it. But to me, if your child can wear a different outfit for a month or more at a time, that (to me at least) seems excessive and wasteful. I'm not saying everyone who spends over $1000 a year is like this, since we all buy clothes at differently shops (some more expensive and some less so) and, obviously, once a kid hits the teen years, he/she will automatically require (demand!) more expensive items, but it sounds like some people do go slightly overboard, IMO. It's not the price of the clothes but the sheer amount that seems overboard, that is. After all--they outgrow most of it!

Easy, you don't buy brand new. I have gotten my son great used clothes. I buy lots for the next season on ebay for a great deal. I buy clothing a year beforehand if it's clearanced to the the right price. Like Betelnut said, a child doesn't need so much.

DH took a big paycut this past Sept and things are tight for us. My kiddos are wearing hand-me-downs and Christmas/birthday gifts (grandmas always ask what we need - thank God for them :)) So, one winter jacket each. Oldest DS's from last year still fit him. DS no. 2 has a hand-me-down coat from DS no.1. Oldest DD has a hand-me-down from a friend. Middle DD has a hand-me-down from older DD. Baby doesn't need a winter coat -- stays wrapped in layers of onesies and a blanket if we go out - you can't get those little arms through coat sleeves anyway. No party shoes. No fancy dresses. Girls have a couple hand-me-down dresses from friends; they only wear them to church and then change into play clothes when they get home. I did buy one dress for middle DD this spring, on sale, for Easter. Other kids had hand-me-downs in great shape for Easter (hand-me-downs come from cousins, friends, and mom-to-mom swap). No slippers. No robes; they dry off and put their PJs on. No "cute" outfits for outings. The kids are cute - they look cute in anything :) My kids are all little (ages 6 and under) and I've discovered as long as they are comfortable, they are not too particular about what their clothes look like. They are not at an age yet where they are noticing what all the other kids are wearing. They look nice -- their clothes are clean and fit well. I don't put them in stained or ripped clothes. But, I spend as little as I can out of necessity. Oldest DS wears uniforms to school. I go to the used uniform sale at the end of the school year, and pay a couple bucks apiece for pants, shirts, and sweaters that other kids have outgrown. Guess I'm pretty cheap. I didn't realize it though.

I think it is different for boys and girls- as the mom of a little boy there are many fewer things available that are 'cute' and stylish that don't cost a gazillion dollars. We buy old navy on sale, consignment/resale store, and hand me downs. So far that's working- and he does have a lot of clothes (which he needs because I don't do laundry as much as I should, he literally rolls in the dirt all the time.) Now please don't start a poll where you ask how much I spend on myself, and certainly don't include wrinkle cream, hair stuff and spa days or I'm up a creek.

We just got back from Disneyland. I asked my husband on the second day we were there if it was wrong for me to know what brand of clothes most of the kids there were wearing and when they came out. He confirmed that I have a gymboree sickness. Of course I don't recognize a stitch of ladies clothing if it isn't from Walmart.

LOL! I'm the same way. I can tell you the brand of clothes and the type of shoes your child is wearing, but I wouldn't know if you wearing a Wal-Mart skirt or a Neiman-Marcus skirt!!!

Ok....that is why we are tight for money every month. I would go to Walmart for one thing...and walk out spending almost $100 extra for clothes for her!!!! Than I HAVE to hide it from DH....boy or boy..if DH knew, He would take away my bank card...:eek: and by the way I am usually at Walmart once a week. Her expensive clothes ex..RL, BG, Polo etc..(THANK GOD) are usually gifted to me (WHEW). But she sure looks cute in anything.

For me I HAVE to buy dozens and dozens of EVERY item of clothing and they don't go to waste. If anything, 1,000 could literally last 5 years BUT I get so tired of the same clothes. My boys, though 2 years apart wear the same size..so for us..I DO buy buy anywhere from 50-60 pairs of the same item OF EVERYTHING for both boys. When my kids where small I had literally 100 pairs in each size and unlike most kids, my boys rarely EVER outgrow clothes. At 12 and 10...they have FINALLY moved on from the same size they have worn for 4-5 years. THANK GOD! Our kids docs measured them a few months ago..and like usual..they ALWAYS measure at the lowest % for height....My boys will not be big kids ever which is already known. I am only 5'2" and DH is 5'6" and most all our relatives are very VERY short..so no big genes here. OUTwearing clothes is more likely! I always found it funny, that my oldest son was in 2T clothes for almost 4-5 years...and finally outgrew his 4-5T clothes when he was around 10 years old. By that time I had a garbage CANS full of toddler clothes. I can not imagine a kid who grows so fast..since I have not experienced that! But if I had those type of kids, I probably would not buy much. But in my situation, the more clothes the better..afterall I will see these clothes for a long, long LONG time. LOL :eek:

I've only bought Alex a few things new and not on sale. Everything else he has (pants, tops, coats, mittens, hats, pjs, socks, shoes, swim suits) are hand me downs. I've never bought Alex a pair of tennis shoes. And, I've only bought him one pair of sandels. (My husband did buy him a pair of cowboy boots last year - they are so cute) We realized last night that his tennis shoes are really starting to show wear. I figured I'd go this weekend and get him a new pair. Then my friend called and said that her son just outgrew his pair and did we want them. :) Alex has more clothes then ANY little boy should have. I can easily go 2-3 weeks without doing any laundry. And - I've bought only a couple pieces in his closet. Plus, as others said, he's not growing that fast. He turns 3 tomorrow, and I put him a pair of 12 month shorts today for school. :) (although he is now in 3T tops) I know I'm blessed with great friends - and a mom that likes to shop for him. Now - I'm not sure my answer would be the same if I had a little girl. Those dresses get me everytime I'm in the store. Kim

I thought about putting less than $100, but then considered shoes, so I went up to $200. I get hand me downs from a friend, so that is generally their play clothes. In winter, they have 1 pair of tennis shoes, and 1 pair of black dress shoes. In summer, they have tennis shoes and white sandals, and flip flops for my 5 y/o. I buy the dress shoes and sandals at Payless or Target. I do buy better tennis shoes. I usually go end of year clearance shopping - so last year I got them each 2-3 summer outfits at about $2/piece. I just bought them 3-4 pairs of shorts and T-shirts and didn't spend more than $4-5 dollars a piece (Target, JCPenneys). In winter, I get them 4-5 pairs of cotton pants/jeans and 4-5 long sleeved shirts at Target or JCPenney. The other clothes they might have are hand me downs. We do go to church every Sunday, so I make sure they have a few dresses, but get them cheaply at the above mentioned stores. Maybe it is because I have always dressed them like this, but honestly, they won't wear anything else. They have received sweaters and puffy vests, nice dresses and dress pants before for presents and they won't wear them. They like to be comfortable and I like to not worry about them "getting their good clothes dirty" I figure with two girls I will have a handful once they hit their teens, so I'll minimize the cost now. Plus, I'm a jeans and t-shirt girl myself. Less clothes = less laundry = less storage issues(we have a small house) = less choices - I like it this way!

I know for me, even if I didn't have the job I have with the hefty discount and cheap, cheap brand new clothes and kids who grow literally an inch or less (LOL) every other year....I still would have tons of clothes in my boys closets. About 9 years ago, in 2000 by DH was laid off two summers in a row, glad that my kids were slow SLOW growers at that time and that I bought so many cheap clothes way ahead of time...as my kid literally had expensive looking priced outfits for 90% or more off even during that difficult financial time. But even despite all of this..my kids grandparents..My Mom and StepDad spend hundreds of dollars on clothes for my boys every few months. They literally bring over these HUGE bags of all the clearance stuff THEY found. I Do NOT ask for it...and if anything I really do not know what to do with all these clothes. For a long time, like 2 years they kept buying my kids jackets..winter ones, spring ones, summer ones, fall ones...LOL....My kids have at least 15 jackets PER child to wear. My closet is overflowing and I have yet to buy a jacket for them in a very long time, try years. I feel very grateful to them as MOST of the clothes I buy, literally comes from them handing me hundreds of dollars and telling me to go shop. I am so lucky to have that...believe me I know..but my Mom is a clothes hound..she has no debt and just wants, no expects my kids to look a certain way. I have had to ask her to stop with jackets particularly because my closet won't hold anymore. And again, since my kids are extremely slow growers..I have all the jackets they bought and all the new ones they continued to buy! I mean, geez...I know I'd rather have this problem and not having anything...but sometimes, I feel like some of the other posters...like do kids really need THIS much? Ahhhh the Laundry!!! I guess the upside of all these mountains of clothes...is that I am able to pass down MAJOR stuff to so many people so they don't go to waste. And with the economy the way it is...it feels great to know that even if I can't get my parents to STOP buying so much!!! But as I write this, I am going to be doing a major overhauling of all the "stuff" in my house....I just really want a simpler way of life that is NOT overtaken by THINGS!

It was easier when FD was little. Then I got the really cute things at Target, etc. It's harder with teens - they like what they like. It's more about name brands for FD than quantity. If she likes something, she wears it a lot. So I'll get her name brands but she gets less. If she wanted Target, she'd get more. But prom was Saturday - hair, nails, tanning, makeup, dress, shoes, pedicure, purse, wrap, jewelry, tickets. Wow she looked great, though. Actually the dress was a lot less than I thought - it was under $100 at Windsor (but everything else really added up).