Back to School Wardrobe Budget

[jjameson]

Okay, so this is my first time having to go back to school shopping for kids. Heck, it's the first time I've really had to shop for the kids (new stepmom duties). I'm looking for about how much we should spend. One girl, 9, and a boy, 5. They both need essentially everything jeans, shoes, shirts, zipper hoodies, light jacket, pjs, skirts and leggings, well, for the girl only obviouslySo how much should we be spending? Any input is greatly appreciated.
TIA

 

[Jerseyguy's Wife]

I can't really tell you how much $ you'll spend; that all depends on your mad shopping skills. I can, however, tell you what I bought/am buying for my DS6 for school. He is getting:
-24 prs of socks (ALL the same style this time)
-No new underwear yet (he has scads of them and I'll buy more when he outgrows them-usually 10-15 pair)
-3 pairs of jeans
-1 pair khakis and 1 pair darker "dress" pants (usually Navy)
-2 pairs of black or grey sweatpants (He wears these on gym days)
-5 white long sleeve tees and 5 black (he loves to wear his regular tees, so this makes it possible in winter)
-3 or 4 printed long sleeve shirts or polos
-1 white turtleneck, 1 black or navy
-1 nice sweater (he HATES them, so I only really make him wear them for pics)
-2 zip hoodies
-1 winter coat
-hat, gloves, possibly a scarf
-1 pair new sneakers (that's all he ever wants to wear anyway)

I don't tend to buy tons of stuff at the beginning of the year because he outgrows it too quickly. I mostly just buy enough to get through the week without having to do laundry (in case it comes to that). Hope this helps. I don't know a thing about shopping for girls, though. Sorry! Good luck!

 

[mom_of_3_mousketeers]

It really depends on where you shop and what deals you can get. I have 3 kids (9, 6 and 3) so this year I have to buy clothes for all of them. My 3 year old gets my 6 year old's hand-me-downs usually and I'll add in some new shirts and jeans. This year I have to buy for him because the 6 year old skipped over the size he is in. Grr. Anyway, I will probably spend $300-400 per child. We've got longer colder months (Mid Oct-Mid May), so I buy them quite a bit to wear. I buy a lot of Old Navy, Gymboree and Crazy 8....they have the best sales.

 

[drinkme]

I budget around $200-$250 per child. I don't buy as much as the PP. Like I will only buy probably 1 pkg of socks for my ds10, so that's like 6-8 pairs, unlike the 24 pairs of socks the PP is buying.

Also, both of my kids are growing so fast (dd12 and ds10), so what I buy them this month probably won't fit them by December.

My ds10 will need at LEAST 2 more pair of gym shoes before the end of the year. He just wears his gym shoes to school everyday. And my dd12 gets a cheap pair of gym shoes for her gym locker every year (they have P.E. every day).

DS will only wear shorts/sweats and tshirts to school, so we don't even buy jeans for him. DD has so many clothes already! lol.

So, I will buy more clothes for them around xmas when there are sales. Then again in the late spring when the weather starts warming up.

 

[eliza61]

Personally we wait for back to school shopping. I'm in Southern NJ and when my kids go back to school it's still pretty hot so buying jeans and long sleeve shirts is pretty useless unless it's an outrageously great sale. They are not going to wear jeans in 90 degree weather. We'd get them their backpacks and supplies but to buy turtlenecks & sweaters?

Price wise I do so much better waiting 1 month until October. Sales are a lot better. I've grabbed hoodies, sweats and long sleeved shirts routinely 40% cheaper a few weeks later. I just find stores around here (I don't do Kohls so I cant say about them) tend to artifically inflate prices to mark them down and call them a sale.

 

[21yankees]

I just did my kids shopping yesterday. They are 9 (dd), 7 (dd), 5 (ds). I spent about $100 on each of them. The first thing to do is see what they really need. I know some people buy their kids a new wardrobe but do they need all of those close or do they still have things that fit them?

We live in Southern CA and it stays warm here into October. My kids will be wearing shorts/skirts for a while, so buying jeans, fleece pants, khakis, etc wasn't on the top of my list (I'm waiting on those for a couple months, my oldest is going through a growth spurt right now).

Forgot to mention that amount doesn't include new shoes. We going shoe shopping next weekend. That will raise the price a bit per kid but not too bad overall.

steph

 

[crisi]

My kids - starting at about age 9 - get $100 budget and we take them shopping. That doesn't include shoes, socks or underwear.

I also buy a lot less for my kids. They wear their jeans more than once before I wash them. We wash all week long. My son, in particular, will let me buy a dozen shirts, but he'll only wear THREE of them (he is twelve) so I've learned to only let him buy a few shirts. And I never buy him anything but shorts/jeans - he won't wear anything remotely resembling dress pants.

My daughter is the hand me down princess. She is short for her age, so she tends to get a lot of stuff from friends as they outgrow it. She's also the one most likely to be in Target with me - and so I'll pick something up for her on the fly when she is with me.

 

[rszdtrvl]

My son is going into high school.

He has tons of jeans (hope they still fit - he is tall and thin) from last year he didn't wear much, and I already got him a couple of shirts. And he already has TONS of shirts in his closet (we need to go through it when he gets home from camp and figure out what we can give away/donate).

He will need shoes, maybe need socks, will need underwear.

He has a North Face jacket I got at a yard sale this summer for outerwear.

And will probably need a PE uniform.

I anticipate paying around $150 MAX for all he needs.

edited to add : I went through his closet yesterday and picked out all the clothes that I know are too small for him. Came up with 1 1/2 13-gallon garbage bags full of clothes. I filled the other half of the bag with clothes that DH and I don't/won't wear and took it all to the local clothing bank. My son's closet looks so wierd without a bazillion shirts in it. Some kid is gonna be happy when they get all of DS's too small Aeropostale, American Eagle, Hollister, etc. clothes for school!

 

[kinntj]

So far I've spent $155 on DD7 and I still need to buy her new gym shoes.
I went to Gap to buy 4 things and to Justice and got more stuff there, but stuck to the clearance racks. Stick to skirts and leggins for your girl for now. She can start by wearing just the skirt and when it cools down, you can transition to wearing leggings under them. That's what we're doing for now. The long pants will come in October after they wear capri's and crop pants.

DD9, I'm going to wait to take her out at the end of August when I'm recovered from surgery. I take her to Justice, Gap, JC Penney, Macy's and Target. She already has tshirts from Abercrombie kids (great sale) and Aero she can wear.

We spend approx $300 per kid give or take. Some years it's $200.

The next time they get clothes is Christmas, when they get the more expensive items like North Face, Uggs, etc.

 

[Jill in Chicago]

We live in the Chicago suburbs so there is no need for fall clothes at the beginning of the school year. If your children grow quickly you will also want to hold out until the last minute to buy pants. Same with jackets. Do they really need them right now or can that wait?

If your children are into fashion I would also buy the minimum of what they need right now. There is a good chance they will find things later in the season that they really want, so no need to spend all of your money right now.

I would go with just shoes for right now, and maybe a couple of new shirts. Then wait for more sales and do more shopping later. I have never been one to do a big all at once shopping trip for the boys. Instead we only buy as needed.

 

[tnd]

I think you should consider what you can afford to spend, not what others think you should spend. People's incomes and preferences vary widely on this. My rule is that I won't buy any clothes that are not at least 50% off of the original price (shoes and emergency needs excluded, though I always try to find those on sale too). I do tend toward more expensive brands, especially for pants, because I think they wear better over time.

My son is 6 and going into first grade. He has really grown in the last year, so he will likely need all new stuff for the fall and winter, though he has a few shirts that may work from last year. I just got him 4 pairs of pants and 2 shirts from Gymboree (50% off with Gymbucks). I will probably get another 4-5 pairs of pants and 10 more shirts. I work full time and hate doing laundry, so my kids have more clothes than others might be able to get away with. He will also likely need another pair of sneakers soon and new snowboots as we get to the winter. I bought a winter jacket at the end of last winter for $30 (marked down from $90), but he will need new gloves.

I think my budget will be:

Pants (4-5 pairs): $60
Shirts (10): $60-70
Shoes (1 pair): $30 (this is what I normally spend at Stride Rite, but it may go up as he gets out of the younger kid sizes)
Boots: $30-40
Gloves/Socks/Underwear: $50 (generous estimate)

So about $250, plus $100 already spent, about $350. This could end up cheaper if I find good sales, like Old Navy shirts for $4 apiece, like I found last year. My MIL also generously sent him some new PJS and a light fleece jacket from Costco. Don't forget Costco, they have great stuff when they have it (very hit or miss).

 

[NotUrsula]

I buy used kids' clothes; they have already shrunk or faded if they are going to. OUAC is my go-to store for everything but uniforms and undies for young ones. (Once they get to be nearly adult-sized it isn't so easy, but I balance that with all the years that I got by on $2-4 per piece.) DD4 just had a growth spurt and needed new clothes. I went to OUAC and spent $55 for 18 items, including 5 prs of jeans/corduroys.

For undies and for my older child who wears men's sizes, I'm a big fan of Penney's coupons. Just the other day I got him a big pkg of socks for free because they sent me a $10 off a $10 purchase coupon. He has his style likes and dislikes, but he doesn't care about name brands, which is good, because he isn't getting them unless he contributes to the purchase out of his own money.

My kids wear uniforms to school, so I don't have to buy as much in terms of casual winter clothing. My uniform budget is normally $150/yr for my boy (including the required logo sweatshirt); but I know that I'll have to adjust that upward for DD, because she'll have to have plaids, and those are more pricey. (Thank goodness for used uniform sales.) I did save DS' unform polos for DD; she'll be able to wear them just fine.

I Scotchgard everything, too, which helps with durability.

 

[DawnM]

I buy most clothing used as well.....

OP: I wouldn't stock up before school.....just buy some basics that they need and then buy around Oct when all the school clothing goes on huge clearances.

Dawn

I buy used kids' clothes; they have already shrunk or faded if they are going to. OUAC is my go-to store for everything but uniforms and undies for young ones. (Once they get to be nearly adult-sized it isn't so easy, but I balance that with all the years that I got by on $2-4 per piece.) DD4 just had a growth spurt and needed new clothes. I went to OUAC and spent $55 for 18 items, including 5 prs of jeans/corduroys.

For undies and for my older child who wears men's sizes, I'm a big fan of Penney's coupons. Just the other day I got him a big pkg of socks for free because they sent me a $10 off a $10 purchase coupon. He has his style likes and dislikes, but he doesn't care about name brands, which is good, because he isn't getting them unless he contributes to the purchase out of his own money.

My kids wear uniforms to school, so I don't have to buy as much in terms of casual winter clothing. My uniform budget is normally $150/yr for my boy (including the required logo sweatshirt); but I know that I'll have to adjust that upward for DD, because she'll have to have plaids, and those are more pricey. (Thank goodness for used uniform sales.) I did save DS' unform polos for DD; she'll be able to wear them just fine.

I Scotchgard everything, too, which helps with durability.

 

[Hellothemouse]

I buy most clothing used as well.....

OP: I wouldn't stock up before school.....just buy some basics that they need and then buy around Oct when all the school clothing goes on huge clearances.

Dawn

yup, this is what we do to! Our kids have enough to get them through till Xmas and at that time I am sure they will get some clothes from grandparents (which helps too)!

 

[Bunnyfeather]

I say your first step is to look at what they have that will service for Fall, and what the weather will likely be. Then determine your laundry threshhold (do you want a 1 week supply, a 2 week, just in case?). Then you can make a list. Like 4 pairs of jeans, 2 hoodies, 8 pairs of socks, etc.

I got 4 pairs of jeans for my son at a local consignment shop for $5 each, tags still on them! I found several items at Children's Place on sale. I like zulily, they have cute clothes sometimes. And Gymboree, if you shop now, you can buy stuff on sale and still get Gymbucks (1/2 off coupons) to spend in a few weeks!

Now, my challenge is that when I save money I feel compelled to go spend it. So my kids always have way too much clothing. But an alternative would be to just stop shopping once you have enough and be done, I suppose.

 

[monorailsilver]

I try to spend as little as possible.

Last year I spent $150 ish on sneakers for all 3 but they lasted them the entire year (Merrils) so I plan on going that route again but hopefully I can find them cheaper.

I also don't buy much until the end of Sept/October because it is still fairly warm here & they wear shorts to school so why pay full price on pants/long sleeves when they won't wear them for a month or so. I wait until they go on sale & then get them.

Plus my kids still have stuff from last year that fits them thankfully!

I buy a little here & a little there so it's not all in one huge chunk.

 

[punkin]

I also try not to buy anything until the clearance sales in October. Honestly, they still wear their summer things until then anyway (the weather is usually pretty good).

Also, they like to see what the other kids are wearing before committing any horrible middle school fashion faux pas.

 

[SaratogaShan]

I am not buying anything except shoes until at least October.

I always scratch my head when I walk into stores in July, and the racks are full of jeans and sweaters for "back to school". REALLY?!? I live in Atlanta! The kids can't wear that stuff until November or they will die of heatstroke!

 

[mom2val]

.

 

[angierae]

I agree with the posters above who said that they don't usually back to school shop until October. First off, even up here in Michigan, my daughter is going to be wearing shorts to school for the first month. I might get her an outfit or two so she has a "first day of school" outfit but I generally wait.

This is also important for a couple other reasons - the sales usually start in late September, and as the parent of an older child (16) she wants to see what other kids are wearing before she starts buying stuff.

If she is low on jeans I'll pick her up a few pair before school starts, but that's about it (she tends to be hard on jeans and over the summer most of them end up as cut-offs, anyway.)