Reassure me

We are heading to the beach next week, and it suddenly entered my awareness that I had two girls who were in desperate need of sandals, swimming suits, and some more summer clothing. I took advantage of a free afternoon to go do some shopping. (Not my favorite thing!)

What started out as just a recognizance trip turned into a full blown shopping trip once I made the choice to buy a lot, take it home and have them try it on, and then return anything that might not work. This is not how I usually function, but it suddenly seemed easier than going back, collecting the girls, and having them try things on in the store.

So for ~$200, I brought home, two pairs of sandals, three (new, not thrifted) swimming suits, 6 or more pairs of shorts, ~8 t-shirts, and 2 summer dresses. Nearly everything will work, but I'll be taking back 5 or 6 items that didn't fit. It will probably drop my total bill down to $170. If I do that math, it averages out to $9 an item, though the shoes and new swimming suits are certainly skewing the average.

I have lost all perspective on buying clothes for children because, believe it or not, I don't do it that often. I do a lot of hand-me-downs and garage sales. I try not to buy huge batches at a time because I don't like big totals, so this feels a little high to me, though I realize I bought a lot.

So tell me, how much do you spend on children's clothes? I'm really curious, because I truly don't know what's considered usual. Also, how often do you buy your children clothes? Obviously, I tend to put it off until I'm embarrassed to be seen in public with them or they don't actually have anything to wear. There is probably a happier middle ground in there somewhere.

Regardless, four people now have some new additions to their wardrobes and two girls in particular will find it much easier to get dressed in the morning.

Comments

Amy said…
I shop for clothes at yard sales, thrift shops, and end of season clearance sales for my 5 kids and we get quite a few hand me downs too. I don't really keep a running total and my kids have a lot of clothes. I quickly added up the approximate prices I paid for my daughters clothes in her closet and drawers and added in winter coat, boots, and shoes. The total is about $150. This child hasn't grown in about 3 years and has about 8 pairs of pants, 8 pairs of shorts, 30 shirts, 8 sweaters, 3 dresses, 3-4 jackets for different weather, 4 pairs of shoes, and a couple swim suits in addition to the winter jacket and 2 pairs of winter boots (one nicer and one play). I typically pay anywhere from 50 cents to $2 for a clothing item but will go up to $5 for something really nice. I did splurge on a new winter jacket for this child last winter which cost $14 on clearance. I spend more on my two girls than I do on my boys since they don't care about clothes as much.
sandwichinwi said…
Well, my youngest is 14 now, so garage sales are pretty much out. They do not mind (boys) /love (girls) St. Vinnies shopping and usually find wonderful things there. We buy swimsuits (<$20)and a few other things at the Lands End warehouse sale in late July. And my new go-to for reasonable teen clothes is Old Navy, especially clearance sales. At ON, I spend between $4-12 usually for things, even jeans.

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