Buying school uniforms on a budget?

[PA Princess]

We are currently homeschooling, but for several years prior the kids were in a private school that had a uniform policy and required white shirts and navy bottoms.

I liked the uniform...yes, I did grow tired of the navy and occasionally miss being able to dress up my daughter, but for the most part the uniform policy worked well for us.

I shop exactly the way you do...clearance from the year before and as inexpensive as I can find. I did not find that the uniforms cost more...plenty of clearance available (sometimes from surprising places...often late spring after Easter I found items for pennies at Gap, The Children's Place, and even Gymboree).

Another way the uniforms save is that I buy less. Now with the kids home we can buy what we want and I have bought far more. I never had that issue with uniforms...no one knows if a kid is wearing the exact same outfit this Monday that they wore last Monday, but with regular clothes I want more variety than that.

A note for the future, while your dd is agreeable now to the darling outfits you have selected, I imagine that will not always be the case (at 6 my dd is already VERY opinionated about what she wants to wear) and the uniform may very well be your friend some day when or if your tastes and hers diverge drastically.

 

[crazymomof4]

A note for the future, while your dd is agreeable now to the darling outfits you have selected, I imagine that will not always be the case (at 6 my dd is already VERY opinionated about what she wants to wear) and the uniform may very well be your friend some day when or if your tastes and hers diverge drastically.

I know. I have friends with older daughters who tell me, "Enjoy it while it lasts!" I am fully expecting her to want to dress like a Bratz doll in a few short years--- all the more reason to want to savor the time I have left with her in pastels and gingham!

 

[crazymomof4]

I know an option is red, but consider white. No matter what they get on them, you can soak them overnight in bleach or OxyClean, and they come out clean.

We've never had khaki pants as an option. Consider how much more forgiving navy is than khaki for playground stains

Good points! I love OxyClean. I boil water in a large stock pot and soak over night. Since logos are not allowed, I don't have to worry about fading them.

 

[virgojmk]

My DD(then 10) had to opt out of uniforms for 5 months, she had surgery and both legs had a cast from the knee down. It was like pulling teeth to get the waiver. And she didn't like it, wanted to look like her friends, so we did the regular uniform polo shirt and sweatpant in navy. She already stood out from being in a wheelchair, not to mention she picked pink for the casts.
The high school doesn't require uniforms. Personally, I think that is the best time for them to be wearing them (based on what I see the kids wearing and the cost!)

 

[jennifermae]

2 out of 3 of my girls are in uniforms and I absolutely love it. My elementary and high schooler are in them. The middle child who is in middle school hasnt had to wear them since she is in a special gifted and talented school.

All 3 will be in uniforms next year!!!!!!!!!!! WooHoo!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[LSUmom4kids]

Periodically, I check our local "second hand" stores and find some uniforms in great shape for my kids. I'm lucky to have neighbors and relatives to hand clothes down to my kids too.

Last year when Mervyn's pulled out of our area, I bought some larger shirts for the 4th grade (burgundy) that my DD was going to need. She was in 2nd grade at that time, and will be going to 4th grade this fall. They are in her closet with the price tags still on them. $2 - not too bad for brand new!

Always keep your eyes open when you walk through the children's section of Sears, Walmart, JC Penney's - you never know when you'll get a deal. And if you can buy cheap for the future, go for it!

 

[2manypets]

We had a two week notice when our little part of county was bought out by city and the school systems were changing to city and uniforms. This was after just about everyone I know already bought the super cute school clothes.

Target had a great bargain for the basic polo shirt for 4.99 each. My DD is hard to buy for pants though because she's thin but very long legged. We ended up finding pants at Kohls that cost 20.00 a pair, bought her 3 pairs to start her out. (I was broke anyway from buying her the first batch of clothing, ripping off the tags and washing them already) My neighbor let me know that the local Goodwill had new khaki pants in and that's where a lot of my friends bought there childrens clothing, me included.

DD's school allows Khaki pants and a white shirt 4 days a week, then black pants and either hunter or maroon shirts on Friday. Its easy to shop now a days. Just grab a hand full of the boring colors.

 

[powellrj]

I posted a vent on the community board a couple of weeks ago because our public schools just voted to have uniforms next year.

I am still trying to figure out how a school system that has over 50% of its kids on free or reduced lunch is now expecting those parents that can't afford to buy lunch for their kids are suppose to go out and buy uniforms for the next school year.

To add insult to it, we live in Indiana where you pay book fees of several hundred dollars per child to enroll them in the fall. Elementary is around $100 plus supplies, but high school will usually run around $300 per child plus the cost of supplies and fees.

Our school board had 2 wonderful suggestions. Buy them at goodwill or have someone that can afford it "adopt" your child and buy their uniforms for them.
Lets see, our town has 1 Goodwill, so I really don't see how several thousand kids (each of our high schools have over 1500 kids each so thats 3,000 high school students alone) will be able to shop there and I really can't see that many people stepping up to the plate to buy uniforms for all the kids that can't afford them.

I hate to try and buy anything now because my kids are really growning and anything I buy now may not fit in the fall. DS has grown 5 inches since christmas which means not only are all of his pants too short, they are also too big around the waist. He went from a 32 inch waist to a 28 since christmas. Who know how tall and thin he will be in the fall. Right now he is 16 and at 5ft 9, but his DF is 6ft 4 so he maybe that tall by fall. When I can just buy him anything to wear, I can buy him clothes on sale, but with uniforms, I can't do that and I will be at the mercy of whatever I can find at the time.

The suggestions given are great for younger kids, but this really won't work for high school kids. I have never seen grown up school uniforms at any stores, but I assume they sell them someplace. The problem is, I can't see them being on sale since they really aren't that common so we will be paying top dollar.

OK, vent over!!!

 

[2manypets]

Kohl's is about the only place I can find adult size khaki's that are on sale a lot of the time. They are aslo the only ones that last for more than a few months.

 

[badblackpug]

I posted a vent on the community board a couple of weeks ago because our public schools just voted to have uniforms next year.

I am still trying to figure out how a school system that has over 50% of its kids on free or reduced lunch is now expecting those parents that can't afford to buy lunch for their kids are suppose to go out and buy uniforms for the next school year.

To add insult to it, we live in Indiana where you pay book fees of several hundred dollars per child to enroll them in the fall. Elementary is around $100 plus supplies, but high school will usually run around $300 per child plus the cost of supplies and fees.

Our school board had 2 wonderful suggestions. Buy them at goodwill or have someone that can afford it "adopt" your child and buy their uniforms for them.
Lets see, our town has 1 Goodwill, so I really don't see how several thousand kids (each of our high schools have over 1500 kids each so thats 3,000 high school students alone) will be able to shop there and I really can't see that many people stepping up to the plate to buy uniforms for all the kids that can't afford them.

I hate to try and buy anything now because my kids are really growning and anything I buy now may not fit in the fall. DS has grown 5 inches since christmas which means not only are all of his pants too short, they are also too big around the waist. He went from a 32 inch waist to a 28 since christmas. Who know how tall and thin he will be in the fall. Right now he is 16 and at 5ft 9, but his DF is 6ft 4 so he maybe that tall by fall. When I can just buy him anything to wear, I can buy him clothes on sale, but with uniforms, I can't do that and I will be at the mercy of whatever I can find at the time.

The suggestions given are great for younger kids, but this really won't work for high school kids. I have never seen grown up school uniforms at any stores, but I assume they sell them someplace. The problem is, I can't see them being on sale since they really aren't that common so we will be paying top dollar.

OK, vent over!!!

Are your uniforms a specific uniform or are they like ours just dark blue bottoms with light blue tops. (bottoms include pants, shorts, skorts, jumpers, or skirts. Tops are polos, button downs, cardigan or pullover sweaters) and all black shoes.
If they are not specific uniforms K-mart, WalMart, Burlington Coat, TJ Maxx, Ross, Marshalls, Sears, and JC Penney all have these things at really decent prices. I found, overall, the cost of uniforms much less then buying all the "stylish" and "trendy" closthes.

 

[lastminutemom]

Great suggestions so far -- our public schools have uniforms and the PTAs operate used uniform closets-- we also have a used uniform sale right before school starts and one mid-year. The closet is open all the time -- simply come in shop and drop the money off.

Additionally, the counselors know that they can take clothes from the closet to outfit the kids whose parents can't afford it.

One other piece of advice, have your kids change into play clothes when they get home - - prolongs the life of the uniforms....

 

[pigletof4]

I haven't read the whole thread yet, but I know lands end has some clerance uniform pieces right now.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

DS has been in a uniform since 1st grade, and he is finishing 5th grade next week. He had to wear ONLY navy bottoms and ONLY white polos, so it has been tricky! Just this year they added black and Khaki bottoms.

Gap polos will go on clearance for $1.99 each after the school year gets underway. Gap chinos will also go on clearance for about $15 each. Watch for them and stock up. For tiny, skinny kids you can find great shorts at Hanna Andersson and J Crew Kids on clearance.

Polos are at Target, Nordstrom, J Crew and Lands End. Other than Target these places carry long sleeve polos which are very hard to find in my experience, and the ones from Lands End and Nordstrom don't have any kind of logo on them. Dillard's also carries their own brand of uniforms.

Some of the very best pants we found were Polo And Tommy Hilfiger on sale at Dillard's. Again, my DS is TINY and pants are hard to find. The pants from Kohl's looked horrible after a couple of washes, which made the more expensive pants a better deal in the long run.

 

[spima3]

Haven't read all the posts, but I LOVE the school uniforms! Our public school has done this for years and it has eliminated so much hassle.

The kids are limited to what they can wear, so there is little selection and we have uniform stores to go to. With most of it being non gender specific, I can pass them down to the younger kids.

No fighting in the mornings about what to wear, they put their own clothes out, it's heaven. I have never understood why any parent is upset over it.

Last year I spent $100 for 3 kids for the entire school year. Can't beat that with a stick.

lori

 

[NotUrsula]

"Grown-up" uniforms are quite easy to find, but they are work uniforms, not school uniforms. Instead of French Toast, you should look for Dickies.
Plain polo shirts are findable in any men's clothing dept, as are white or light blue dress shirts. The only tricky thing is finding skirts for girls already in misses sizes, but girls uniforms at uniform shops do come in adult sizes.

 

[MKCP5]

the toughest part of our schooluniforms is that they have to have shirts with our school's logo. No bargain racks for me The pants and skirts can be just navy blue chino though so that has a little more flexibility.

Although I soend some $$ for it, it sure does make things simple. Do you want to wear the navy blue or the navy blue?

 

[MrsPete]

I am still trying to figure out how a school system that has over 50% of its kids on free or reduced lunch is now expecting those parents that can't afford to buy lunch for their kids are suppose to go out and buy uniforms for the next school year.

Those same families would've had to figure out how to buy school clothes of some type next year -- and uniforms aren't any more expensive than regular clothes, but the kids'll need fewer items.

 

[MrsPete]

Any suggestions as to where to find clothing such as this for cheap?

My kids wore uniforms for years -- now we're in non-uniform schools, and I'm spending considerably more on their clothing. My suggestions:

Avoid white shirts; the colored shirts will look good longer. Lean towards the khaki pants; the navy blue or black pants will look worn sooner. You can probably get by with two days of wear before the khakis are washed too.

Never buy cheap uniform items. Target items may be cheap up-front, but uniform clothing gets worn more frequently than other clothing, and cheap things will look worn fast. When I bought Lands End things (usually from ebay for very good prices), my second daughter often wore them too -- quite a savings.

The best value for a girl is a jumper. Both of my girls had THE plaid jumper from the uniform store, and it cost about $60 upfront . . . but we bought them big, so the girls wore them for two years each, then the younger girl inherited the older girl's outgrown jumper. They wore them in the fall with white blouses and sandals, then they wore them in the winter with turtlenecks and tights. They probably wore that jumper twice a week, so they really were a bargain in the long run. Then I sold them for a decent price. They were polyester, and they wore like iron.

We live in the South, so cold weather's a short-lived thing for us. I think my kids had only ONE long-sleeved polo shirt each. During the winter they'd wear their short-sleeved polos with a school sweatshirt -- it looked smart, and worked well to extend the use of the short sleeved shirts.

I was able to find uniform items all over the place for good prices. Once I found a whole rack of clearance priced khaki school shorts at Kohl's (I'm thinking they were either just over or just under a dollar each). I think they were French Toast, which is a long-wearing brand. I bought several pair in every size, and I saved them for the upcoming years -- I'm pretty sure those were the last school shorts I ever bought. Likewise, I found LOADS of uniform items at Goodwill and on ebay. Early summer's a good time to shop; people who aren't going to use uniforms next year are trying to ditch them. In the future, your school'll probably host a used uniform sale; if you volunteer to run it, you'll have "firsties" on all the best sizes.

 

[powellrj]

Those same families would've had to figure out how to buy school clothes of some type next year -- and uniforms aren't any more expensive than regular clothes, but the kids'll need fewer items.

No, they would be using hand-me downs and shopping at yard sales all summer. Both options are now gone. Most families in our area don't buy back to school clothes. They start the year with what they ended with because school fees are so expensive. Its still hot when school starts, so there is no need to buy new clothes until the weather turns colder which is usually around October.

I'm still not sure how its going to be cheaper. They will still need regular clothes when they get home from school, so we will be buying 2 outfits a day instead of one. They can't wear their uniforms to after school activities and jobs. As it is now they don't change when they get home, they just wear what they wore to school.

 

[crazymomof4]

I'm still not sure how its going to be cheaper. They will still need regular clothes when they get home from school, so we will be buying 2 outfits a day instead of one. They can't wear their uniforms to after school activities and jobs. As it is now they don't change when they get home, they just wear what they wore to school.

Yes!
This is something that I have a hard time convincing people! They say, "Oh it will be great bc. I won't have to buy those expensive jeans (or whatever) for my kid!" Ummm..... those kids who now insist on wearing name-brand, expensive clothing to school, will STILL want these items to change into when they get home from school. They are not going to want to wear “cheap” clothing in their leisure time just because of a school uniform code! The same peer pressure will still be there. No, not during school hours, but after school and on weekends: hanging out with friends, going to the mall, going to parties, etc.