Buying school uniforms on a budget?

[rparmfamily]

No Burlington Coat Factory here.

I am heading to Old Navy today to see if they have the uniforms in the store. Maybe I'll call first, LOL.

 

[dementia412]

I hate the uniform policy here. some of my many complaints

1. They are hard to find for us budget shoppers. (they are almost impossible to find at Goodwill/Salvation Army)

2. They are NOT uniform.

3. They make some kids look terrible. One poor girl at my DD7's school looked like a friggin blueberry. I felt so bad for her. Any kids who are not the typical size or shape will have a problem with uniforms. With regular clothing, you can find colors, cuts and styles which make them look good, but with the uniform that task is far more difficult.

4. It doesn't help with bullies or mini fashionistas (sp?) because of #2... You can get Wal-mart jumpers for 12-15 bucks that LOOK like they come from Walmart (they had really ugly stuf when I looked) or you can buy $50 blouses at the high end children's stores that look nice. As much as some people try to pretend it isn't true, kids do know the difference between cheap and high end clothing even without a tag or logo!

5. It steals children's free will and ability to express themselves. I hate my DD7's clothing choices (she is so tacky), but I allow her some freedom in what to wear. As she gets older I'm letting her pick more, and I think it's very important for kids to be able to do that. I want all kids to be able to make decisions for themselves, and I feel uniform policies criple kids' in that regaurd.

Mind, I thought uniforms would be a good idea at one time, but after seeing it in effect for three years here I have done a 180 on this issue. Interesting that as public schools are adopting uniforms many private schools are getting rid of them.

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

When my girls wore uniforms I bought all of them at Burlington Coat Factory. The quality of their uniforms is outstanding (Lee Brand). They will have the khaki pants and the white polos. I love that they have numerous different shirt styles (all iron-free) so DDs did not feel like they were wearing the same thing all of the time. I believe I paid around $7 for a shirt and about $12 for pants. These clothes hold up well and lasted throug 2 DDs. I have been told that Frenchtoast.com is the company that makes these uniforms but I find that the ones ordered on their website to feel different (stiffer).

they have the Lee Brand uniform clothes at Kohls -- Kohl's is ALWAYS having a sale.

 

[powellrj]

well, my search isn't going well. I can't find any pants for DS. I can find lots of cargos and jeans, but no khakis. My problems is he is very tall and thin. He wears a 29 waist with a 36 inseam. I am glad I started early because this is going to be really hard to find. At this point there will be no budget shopping, its going to be whatever I can find that fits and pass the policy.

I'm still trying to wonder how the school board is going to be able to enforce the policy. We bought our home 22 years ago and have had a child in the school system for 20 years. The number of kids in the free/reduced program was in single digits when our oldest started there and now we are at 70%. We have never had a house in foreclosure and now we have 5 within 2 blocks. When you have 70% on free/reduced lunch and all these foreclosures how do they expect people to work school uniforms into their budgets. They did report a couple of weeks ago that said they were looking for a source to offer low cost loans to low income families. What kind of responsible move is that? You now want people to go into debt for school clothes?????

 

[Gillian]

5. It steals children's free will and ability to express themselves. I hate my DD7's clothing choices (she is so tacky), but I allow her some freedom in what to wear. As she gets older I'm letting her pick more, and I think it's very important for kids to be able to do that. I want all kids to be able to make decisions for themselves, and I feel uniform policies criple kids' in that regaurd.

This is why I can't see my son's private school having uniforms, they're all for expressing yourself.

My friend's private school has (ugly, IMO) plaid jumpers for the girls. Because it's a specific plaid, they pretty much have to order it from one place. At least they're all really the same though.

 

[crazymomof4]

Well, I am going down fighting in this uniform issue. In June I submitted a copy of my 3 page (single spaced) protest to the superintendent and the school board. Also submitted to them a petition to repeal the uniform code in the elementary school which was signed by 75 parents. I spoke before the PTA, even though they were a not too receptive.
I did all I could. I also heard that legal action is being pursued against the school board bc. state law requires that a public hearing precede any vote that will effect local taxes and they did not follow procedure. I heard the superintendent said at the time, "Lets just pass this. If we are not doing it right, we'll correct it later." It was all very covert how they sneaked this through! It was kept very "hush-hush" to avoid too much protest. It was like the school board members had their own agenda and wanted to see it through w/o a true voice from the public!

 

[punkin]

Ugg. It's that time of year again. DD cannot keep a white shirt for more than one wearing. All her white shirts have irremovable stains on them. I have to buy new ones. Her red and blue shirts still fit OK since I bought them big, but her skirts are all either too short (they have to be below the knees) or too tight.

I just want everyone to know that store DO NOT sell long skirts for 8 yr old girls.

 

[djmeredith]

I LOVE to bargain shop!! Since I don't have my own children, I decided to start selling on ebay. I've already listed a few uniform pieces (mostly Ralph Lauren), but today I found a bunch of uniform pieces super cheap...so I will be passing on my bargains through ebay. My seller id is SISSYSELLSSTUFF. The new uniform pieces probably will not be posted until tomorrow or Thursday. Happy Shopping!!

 

[pigletof4]

Well, I am going down fighting in this uniform issue. In June I submitted a copy of my 3 page (single spaced) protest to the superintendent and the school board. Also submitted to them a petition to repeal the uniform code in the elementary school which was signed by 75 parents. I spoke before the PTA, even though they were a not too receptive.
I did all I could. I also heard that legal action is being pursued against the school board bc. state law requires that a public hearing precede any vote that will effect local taxes and they did not follow procedure. I heard the superintendent said at the time, "Lets just pass this. If we are not doing it right, we'll correct it later." It was all very covert how they sneaked this through! It was kept very "hush-hush" to avoid too much protest. It was like the school board members had their own agenda and wanted to see it through w/o a true voice from the public!

This is exactly what happened in a local school district two years ago. Last year, they changed a little, because the first year was so strict and parents said they would protest and boycott until they were heard. School came and the kids didn't follow school dress code rules. They still do have the uniforms, but it has relaxed a bit.

 

[crazymomof4]

parents said they would protest and boycott until they were heard. School came and the kids didn't follow school dress code rules.

Oh boy, don't give me any ideas!!!!!!!!

 

[rparmfamily]

Oldnavy.com has some good prices. I looked at the shorts today and the polos for boys and they were nice.

 

[mjantz]

....1. They are hard to find for us budget shoppers. (they are almost impossible to find at Goodwill/Salvation Army)

....5. It steals children's free will and ability to express themselves. I hate my DD7's clothing choices (she is so tacky), but I allow her some freedom in what to wear. As she gets older I'm letting her pick more, and I think it's very important for kids to be able to do that. I want all kids to be able to make decisions for themselves, and I feel uniform policies criple kids' in that regaurd.

First, in regards to #1, I've found lots of uniforms (including the $60 jumpers) at Goodwill & ThriftTown as well as some smaller local thrift stores. In regards to #2, DD is my little fashionista & I was concerned when we transferred to a uniform school but she's embraced it. We do her hair in cute ways & she goes all out on Free Dress Days. I will tell you that she hits the door stripping off her uniform & changing into 'regular' clothes but she seems to have no problem at all with the uniform policy. Plus, since everyone else at school wears them as well & they're all the same they don't seem to mind wearing them. And, there are other ways to express yourself than through your clothes. My DSs friends find his lunches (which I pack in somewhat creative ways) to be very cool & those have probably earned him more 'cool points' than a Tommy or Abercrombie shirt.

Also, not to do a one-up thing but my kids can only wear uniforms from 1 specific store (Parker). Most people think thats terrible but we've actually found it to be fine. Here are my tips:

-Buy some tank undershirts (what some people refer to as 'wife beaters' *shudders*). You can wear them on days that its a little chilly but not cold enough for a l/s shirt.
-If there's a school sweatshirt, buy it. Your kids can wear it with a s/s polo & you don't need as many l/s shirts.
-Buying tips= My kids get a new set of uniforms for the 1st day of school every year. I try & guide them to items that will fulfill a need (DS needed new navy shorts so I steered him towards those) but any purchase is another top & bottoms in their 'collection'. There's a PTA sponsored uniform resale twice a year that I both sell & buy at. I check out Goodwill & a few resale shops/locally run thrift stores that I've had luck with in the past. I also buy off of eBay & have had great success with that.
-In general, we tend to need to do a big buy every other year. Last year I needed almost nothing for DD & just a few pairs of pants & a shirt for DS. This year, with both we need more. DS needs a new l/s shirt, sweater vest & a new white polo while DD needs some new khaki pants & could use another l/s polo as well. Since DD can wear DSs outgrown polo shirts, that does save some money.

Honestly, its not as bad as you think, I promise. The school we're at only goes up to 6th grade & I'm already trying to find another uniform school because I dread having to do regular dress again.

 

[IDoDis]

I am on the uniform hunt for DD, too. She wore a uniform for kindergarten when she went to a private school. The jumpers and skirts were cute on ther then, but she'd go nowhere near those now.

The policy states that the polo shirts can only have a minimum of 2 buttons and a maximum of 4 buttons in any solid color. However, every cute polo shirt for a middle school girl has 5 or 6 buttons. DD does not like th boxy "boy" shirts that are at stores like JC Penneys. Oh no. She wants the $24.50 shirts at Hollister! Those are the only form-fitted cute ones I could find that don't have more than 4 buttons. I think Land's End might work, too. If anyone knows of other form-fitted girls polos (not unisex) with two to four bottons, please PM me.

 

[rparmfamily]

http://www.oldnavy.com/browse/product.do?pid=5036440020001&cid=36682

These cute fitted polos for girls only have 4 buttons. And they are on sale for
$7.50 if you buy 2!

 

[mommylicious]

I've only read about half the thread but wanted to say those of you with very generic uniform codes, be thankful! My kids attend a local charter school. We have to have specific brands and styles of clothes and everything, including pants, must be logoed (shirts have a crest sort of thing, pants get the school initials on the back hip just below the waist band). We must bring everything to be logoed to this one specific store that is about a 30 minute drive from the school in another county. The school has a contract with this place that they are the exclusive provider of things like cargo pants for boys, capris and certain styles of tops and jumpers for girls...basically the more fashionable stuff. We can get only specific styles of Lee or French Toast brand stuff. If you buy French Toast or Lee you have to bring everything to this uniform store to be logoed and they will reject anything not the appropriate style. For pants it's specific style numbers and they must have a tag attatched or receipt showing the style # or they won't logo it. We can only get white shirts from French Toast or Lee. If you want red or navy, you must purchase from the uniform store. I have 2 boys...white is not the best choice. My rising kindergartner needs a husky size and the approved French Toast styles don't come in husky so I'm out of luck on that. Top it off that our local public schools don't have a uniform policy so our Target, Burlington, Old Navy etc. stores don't carry uniform stuff so we must either drive about 2 hours across town to one that does or order it online. We are pretty much limited to ordering from frenchtoast.com or the Burlington site because places like Old Navy online, Children's Place online etc. either don't give the style number on pants or the tags in the clothes have the store name on them as well as the brand so then the uniform place won't logo them and you have to send them back. By the time you pay shipping and drive over to have them logoed you may as well just shop at the uniform store (logos for stuff bought in the store are $1 each but for stuff bought elsewhere it's $3 each so pants bought online + shipping + $3 to logo I may as well shop there where my kids can at least try stuff on first and there is no having to ship back stuff that doesn't fit). We have to go to the uniform store anyway for DS 5's shorts and pants and to get red and blue shirts so DS 7 get his stuff there too.

I am the school consignment sale chairperson and to be honest I signed up to do that because if I coordinate it all, I see everything that comes in and I get first crack at buying for my kids. At our summer sale I was able to get pretty most of the shirts and a handful of shorts or pants that the boys would need for this year but we had to get the rest of our stuff new They uniform place has 20% off through the end of this week so we went to do our uniform shopping yesterday...$458 later both kids should be set for the school year. My $458 bought me 6 pants, 7 shorts, 5 shirts, 4 sweatshirts and 3 belts plus prepaying the logo fee for everything. I made $12 after deducting what I bought at the consignment sale so my total cost was $446 for 2 kids for the school year. I'm hoping that next year we get more big sizes at the consignment sale and I can get more stuff there. I don't know what happened this year but my sons stuff I was selling was among the largest boys stuff there!

So not cheap...but I rationalize it that my kids are getting a MUCH better education than they would at our home public school. Our charter school has competitive test scores with the private schools in the area but it is tuition free so I may have spent almost $450 on uniforms but I don't have to pay tuition and we are getting more of a "private school type" education so it's still a good deal.

I will say that I wasn't sure what to think about having uniforms at first but I have to say I love it now! The only "rules" (Mom's rules, not the school's rules) are don't wear a navy shirt with the navy pants/shorts and don't wear the khaki belt with the navy pants so it makes getting dressed in the morning much easier. No delima over do I wear the Cars shirt or the Spiderman shirt? Who wore the Darth Vader shirt last time? or why does his shirt have stripes and mine doesn't? stuff. The kids get to pick character underwear now rahter than me buying a whole bunch of solid colors...they express themselves through thier underpants. I guess the trade off is that I don't spend much at all on clothes outside of uniforms. The kids have jeans that they wear on spirit days, a couple of non-uniform polos (for when they need to look nice but not dressed up) and one dressy outfit but other than that it's all play clothes...shorts, tees or sweats and all of the non uniform stuff is "bargain shopping" stuff.

 

[littleshamrock]

I didn't read through all of the messages, so I am not sure if this is mentioned...

The Children's PLace now has uniforms, and while they are a little pricey now, keep your eyes open for sales. You KNOW that they will be a good deal, especially when they get marked down to 4.99 and the such (a good time for stocking up)....

 

[powellrj]

OT, our school board met last night and the meeting got so ugly in the uniform discussion, the police were called. I still don't see why they can't understand that its a poor school district, when people can't afford their house payment and are in foreclosure and we have large numbers of kids now on free/reduced lunch, people can't afford uniforms.

Maybe I won't have to buy DS khaki pants after all and he can still wear the jeans and cargos I can find at a budget price!

 

[Adi12982]

OT, our school board met last night and the meeting got so ugly in the uniform discussion, the police were called. I still don't see why they can't understand that its a poor school district, when people can't afford their house payment and are in foreclosure and we have large numbers of kids now on free/reduced lunch, people can't afford uniforms.

Maybe I won't have to buy DS khaki pants after all and he can still wear the jeans and cargos I can find at a budget price!

The other side to this is that if everyone is wearing uniforms the poor children do not stand out - everyone is wearing the same stuff. THis way they don't have to be self-conscious about not having the "in" or "hip" name brand stuff. Mom can get khaki's and polo's for a few bucks at walmart or goodwill and they will not have to feel bad. We grew up very poor . . . I would have LOVED uniforms and not had to get made fun of because of my clothes.

 

[LuckyMamaInDE]

For the pp looking for girls fitted polos, the new LandsEnd polos are really really nice. High at $14.50 compared to the Childrens Place but the quality is so much better--stronger buttonholes, high quality fabric etc. And you would have the LandsEnd guarantee as well.

Just looked at the LE kids catalog that came yesterday and the girls polos are 2/$25. They're in the "school" section, not the unisex "all kids" section.

 

[powellrj]

The other side to this is that if everyone is wearing uniforms the poor children do not stand out - everyone is wearing the same stuff. THis way they don't have to be self-conscious about not having the "in" or "hip" name brand stuff. Mom can get khaki's and polo's for a few bucks at walmart or goodwill and they will not have to feel bad. We grew up very poor . . . I would have LOVED uniforms and not had to get made fun of because of my clothes.

Thats just not true. You will always have kids that still wear nicer coats, nicer shoes and the kids know who bought the uniforms at wal-mart and who bought the nicer brands. I can't find cheaper khakis at wal-mart. I am being forced to buy more expensive clothes because my kids don't fit into what wal-mart sells in the way of uniforms. I am going to have to buy my DS mens pants that cost more for one pair than I paid for entire outfits before when I was able to shop the sales. You just don't find 29x36 pants everyday let alone pants that size that pass the dress code. If he could wear them larger with a belt it would be easier, but even a 29 is going to be large around the waist so anything bigger than that would be baggie and not be allowed.