M.W. asks from Elkridge, MD on August 22, 2011
How Much Do You Spend on Kids Clothing per Month or Season?
Wondering what the average amount per month other moms spend on clothing per child per month?? My little girl is only 2 so clothing for her is still relatively cheap, but I'm sure it gets more expensive per piece of clothing as they get older...?
How many outfits per month or season do you account for within this monthly budget?
How drastically does your budget increase per month as they get older... say.. clothing expense per month for a 6 year old compared to a 2 year old??
Featured Answers
H.K. answers from Gainesville on August 23, 2011
I sell kids clothing on ebay....so in my search for nice things to sell, i run into almost everything i need for my own 3 toddlers. I dont spend much at all this way and it makes it a fun way to cloth my own children. I find some really adorable outfits! I have started sewing my girl simple little dresses....i get my ideas from etsy. Fabric is not much because i need about a yard for her dresses!
1 mom found this helpful
A.W. answers from Washington DC on August 23, 2011
I just spent $80 on three kids for the season at a used clothing sale. Then I might have to buy a few more things new on sale like socks and undies and/or shoes so maybe $100. I get a lot of new clothes from the grandparents for nicer occasions.
1 mom found this helpful
K.S. answers from Dallas on August 23, 2011
i typically buy the kids clothes 3 times a year, their bday, christmas & back to school...typically i spend about $100 each of these times on each child, not counting shoes, which i typically spend $50-$100 on. also my sisters & I hand clothes around between us for the kids so this typically "fills in the cracks" with play clothes & jeans & such...
I only shop sales & clearance...i pick up clothes all year round even though they only get them usually at these times.
More Answers
T.H. answers from Norfolk on August 23, 2011
if you plan ahead it's very cheap. depending on how many outfits you want you can go to yard sales and get items for 50 cent, thrift stores for $2, and craigslist for cheap too. if you want brand new go to jcpenny, kohls and the childrens place at the end of each season to get stuff marked down to $5 and lower. undergarments, socks, tights and leggings should always be kept and can be used a few seasons or a couple years. so for me i probably spend 200 a year. they grow out of most thigs so quick that it's best to get stuff used.
1 mom found this helpful
B.A. answers from Chicago on August 22, 2011
We suppliment hand me downs, rummage sales, garage sales with a few new items here and there. I buy pants that have the adjustable waists, I hem so a pair of new pants bought a little big will fit for a while, same thing with shirts although you can't get too far ahead on size you can make stylish adjustments to be able to get more wear out of clothes with scarves, bands to help shirts that are getting too short. I have 3 kids and just spent 106.00 on back to school clothes including shoes. I possibly will have to get a mid-season or end season winter coat replacement for one of them if they grow alot and possibly new shorts for the youngest one as the clearance sales get to 75 percent plus off. I thought as a young 20 something I would never let my child wear "used" clothes, but as a 40 year old I see the sense in taking those very wearable clothes and making them into great outfits for pennies on the dollar. My kids wear brand names that I often have gotten for free or small change. No one has ever singled them out as dressed funny, in fact one girl asked if she could borrow half of my daughters wardrobe as her closet is stuffed with very cool stuff. As far as budget per year we budget 200.00 per person per year for a family of 5. Keep in mind they grow and don't get too many clothes for a season in one size as they may never wear them and others will love buying your still tagged items at a garage sale for a 1.00 an item. Also consider if any of your grade schools do Clothing and child supply resales to participate so you can get some money back for the clothes and equipment as she outgrows it so it doesn't clutter your home or rot.
1 mom found this helpful
A.W. answers from Washington DC on August 23, 2011
I just spent $80 on three kids for the season at a used clothing sale. Then I might have to buy a few more things new on sale like socks and undies and/or shoes so maybe $100. I get a lot of new clothes from the grandparents for nicer occasions.
1 mom found this helpful
H.K. answers from Gainesville on August 23, 2011
I sell kids clothing on ebay....so in my search for nice things to sell, i run into almost everything i need for my own 3 toddlers. I dont spend much at all this way and it makes it a fun way to cloth my own children. I find some really adorable outfits! I have started sewing my girl simple little dresses....i get my ideas from etsy. Fabric is not much because i need about a yard for her dresses!
1 mom found this helpful
L.L. answers from Topeka on August 23, 2011
Put it this way my 3 kids have enough clothes that they don't need to wear the same thing twice in a month,except for shorts/jeans.I'am always buying them clothes I see a good price I will get it for them.I don't mind Walmart Target clothes it depends on the style or the brand but it is usually polo shirts/character shirts or plain shirts to wear under other clothing.They are still young they have an abundance of clothing so they won't wear out as fast for cheaper clothing & what I pick out for them is still ok,they know mom will pick what they like if not they don't have to keep it.Shoes I just bought my son 3 pairs for the new school year they are name brand I won't let them wear cheap shoes to school those are for playtime,fishing,whatever they do in those is their buisness but school shoes are just for school.My daughter she has 3 pairs also she is in preschool so they won't wear out as fast,my 2 yr old she will be getting more shoes soon.So roughly i'll try to keep it under a hundred a month on the kids clothing school time is where I buy lots my son still has all new shirts from summer that he never wore so I only bought him 12 new shirts/4 shorts to begin the school year with.I also rotate their clothing once it has a stain or faded it becomes play clothing I put these types of clothing in their dresser all others I hang up in their closets,it keeps my sanity that I know where everything is at plus I know what new items I need to purchse.The budget goes up & down monthly as long as I know that they have good clean clothes to wear the next day i'm fine.
B.C. answers from Los Angeles on August 23, 2011
To figure out how many outfits your children NEED, not want, figure out how long between times you wash clothes. If its once per week, then you need 8 days of clothes.
If you expect him to wear clean underwear every day, then thats 8 sets of underwear. ETC.
When I went away to college I wanted to wash once per month. I had 30 pairs of underwear, 30 pairs of socks, 15 pairs of pants, 30 shirts, etc. I washed every 4 weeks. It took all day, but I had my other weekends free of laundry.
Good luck to you and yours.
C.R. answers from Kansas City on August 22, 2011
We buy my kids 7 outfits at the beginning of the school year and they will wear those until summer. They get clothes for Christmas and they have leftover T's that they wear with their new jeans so it is not as bad as it sounds. My oldest (10) cost around $150 for her new clothes this year, my middle (5) cost around $100, and my youngest (3) cost around $65.
As they get older it gets more expensive! Luckily grandma helped with Back to School!!!
D.P. answers from Pittsburgh on August 23, 2011
Well, I buy what he needs. When he needs it.
For example, too many years (son is 8, starting 3rd) I bought "back-to-school" pants that he didn't start wearing til October and had outgrown by November!
So this month (he starts school next week) I went and bought him about 4 pr. of shorts and 4-5 new summer tops and that, along with his "still-decent" summer stuff is what he will start school with. He has ONE pair of pants from last spring that still fit, in the even of a cold snap! LOL
So for school, 6-8 pr. of shorts and 10ish "good" shirts are enough.
I do laundry all the time, so he never is "out" of clean clothes.
I'd rather have fewer, better quality things than a lot of junky, cheap pieces.
Once it gets cool, we'll get him 3 pr of athletic pants, 2 pr of jeans and 2 pr of khakis and some long sleeved shirts so...maybe $200? That will get him into spring, and hopefully the shorts I just bought to start school will still fit in May and NOT look like hot pants, like they did last year! LOL
Email