When do you start buying warm weather clothes for your kids?

[100AcreWood]

On the other hand, I was mind-boggled by the lady ahead of me at Justice yesterday who was checking out with an 8 or 9 year old girl. Their total was over $400 and it looked like it was all summer stuff. It all fit into one shopping bag! Do people really spend that much on a summer wardrobe for an elementary age kid in a state where it is only warm June through September? And who pays full price for summer stuff at Justice in February? The kid could grow two sizes before she'll ever wear it all! Anyway, it was highly intriguing for me. My kids are always dressed very nicely and I would never consider spending that much on one season's outfits, not even including shoes and stuff. I probably spend that much on each kid for the whole year and I am picky about what they wear!

I don't know either. I couldn't imagine spending that kind of money on one season's worth of clothes. I need to buy my 9 year old dd shorts and probably a few more shirts. We found swim suits at Costco this weekend for $11.99 a piece. We also found Disney Princess swimsuits for my middle dd and I bought a pair of swim trunks on ebay this morning. We're off to a good start.

 

[Tiger926]

I try to buy at the end of the season for the next year, although it is getting more difficult as my kids get older. Oldest dd is starting to get into juniors/women's sizes, middle dd is skinny and tall, and youngest dd is average weight but tall for her age. So I have no idea what size anyone wears anymore! If I have to buy during the season, I generally wait until early May. We really don't get much use out of fancy summer stuff here. They wear it to school for about a month, then we're on summer break when they pretty much just wear t-s or tanks and whatever shorts or capris they feel like. So I don't really overdo it on summer clothes, a few nice outfits each and then basics and hand me downs.

On the other hand, I was mind-boggled by the lady ahead of me at Justice yesterday who was checking out with an 8 or 9 year old girl. Their total was over $400 and it looked like it was all summer stuff. It all fit into one shopping bag! Do people really spend that much on a summer wardrobe for an elementary age kid in a state where it is only warm June through September? And who pays full price for summer stuff at Justice in February? The kid could grow two sizes before she'll ever wear it all! Anyway, it was highly intriguing for me. My kids are always dressed very nicely and I would never consider spending that much on one season's outfits, not even including shoes and stuff. I probably spend that much on each kid for the whole year and I am picky about what they wear!

I don't know either. I couldn't imagine spending that kind of money on one season's worth of clothes. I need to buy my 9 year old dd shorts and probably a few more shirts. We found swim suits at Costco this weekend for $11.99 a piece. We also found Disney Princess swimsuits for my middle dd and I bought a pair of swim trunks on ebay this morning. We're off to a good start.

We spend more than that as shoes and coats are expensive. Each pair of Keens is almost $60.00, plus they need other shoes for the summer. I've easily spent that amount on one kid for one season, especially during the winter where a North Face coat around here is $150-$200 each, and that is not counting snow pants.

I spend a lot on my kids' clothes and shoes, but I really don't buy anything at full price, unless absolutely necessary. Both kids are in between sizes, with very long torsoes, so it makes buying clothes a tricky activity. Plus, I am picky about where I purchase clothes.

I honestly can't imagine how you can get an entire year's worth of clothes for $400.00, if you are shopping new clothes at stores. If you are shopping Goodwill or yard sales, then I guess that's possible as I've never done either, but I have read threads on here where people get good deals. That boggles my mind!

Interesting thread, Tiger

 

[Gumbo4x4]

We spend more than that as shoes and coats are expensive. Each pair of Keens is almost $60.00, plus they need other shoes for the summer. I've easily spent that amount on one kid for one season, especially during the winter where a North Face coat around here is $150-$200 each, and that is not counting snow pants.

I spend a lot on my kids' clothes and shoes, but I really don't buy anything at full price, unless absolutely necessary. Both kids are in between sizes, with very long torsoes, so it makes buying clothes a tricky activity. Plus, I am picky about where I purchase clothes.

I honestly can't imagine how you can get an entire year's worth of clothes for $400.00, if you are shopping new clothes at stores. If you are shopping Goodwill or yard sales, then I guess that's possible as I've never done either, but I have read threads on here where people get good deals. That boggles my mind!

Interesting thread, Tiger

Brand names - there's your answer. Closeouts & no-name items are WAY cheaper. Granted, there ARE times you need to go for quality stuff. I don't mind dropping $$ on a pair of hunting boots for me, but I'm still wearing the same size I wore in 1984 My 11-year-old daughter went from a size 5.5 to a 7.5 shoe in 1 year. She gets nothing but knockoffs

 

[schawnmarie]

Sadly, I never stop buying warm weather clothes. We really don't get winter down here at the bottom tip of Texas so we tend to wear shorts and tshirts year round. It really makes it hard when our department and retail stores are stocking sweaters and parkas and we're looking for flip flops and shorts in December!

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Sadly, I never stop buying warm weather clothes. We really don't get winter down here at the bottom tip of Texas so we tend to wear shorts and tshirts year round. It really makes it hard when our department and retail stores are stocking sweaters and parkas and we're looking for flip flops and shorts in December!

I got a kick out of finding out many of the schools down your way don't even have heat AT ALL

 

[Tiger926]

Brand names - there's your answer. Closeouts & no-name items are WAY cheaper. Granted, there ARE times you need to go for quality stuff. I don't mind dropping $$ on a pair of hunting boots for me, but I'm still wearing the same size I wore in 1984 My 11-year-old daughter went from a size 5.5 to a 7.5 shoe in 1 year. She gets nothing but knockoffs

Not really sure what you mean by closeouts? We don't have much of those here in my city. Not sure what you mean by knockoffs either? My kids get regular clothes, nothing very fancy at all, but they are very good quality as that is a priority to us. Coats and shoes are our most expensive purchases, but the quality is fab! I got Asics running shoes for my DD8 that are normally $70.00 here, for $26.00 at JC Penney the other day!

It's cold and wet here in Canada, and so we find that The North Face coats work best. Plus, with a lifetime warranty you can't go wrong. We also spend several weeks per year at Disney, plus I live in the most humid part of Canada, so Keens are essential. Kids wear them to school and on vacation!

I get some amazing prices on clothes - most of our clothes come from sales at Gymboree, Old Navy, Gap and Osh Kosh. Have tried The Children's Place, Crazy 8 and Kohl's for example, and the quality at all of them are not good at all. I'm not buying a $4.00 shirt at Walmart that will shrink or stain, when I can get a $6.00 shirt at Osh Kosh that stays in top condition.

We give all of our clothes away, and this is important to us, so good quality items are important for many reasons around here.

This thread is very interesting, Tiger

 

[HelenePA]

Name brand is MUCH cheaper at the end of the year, outlets with a coupon. The only thing I buy at walmart is sock and undies... everything else comes from a brand name store. I spend about 400$ a year per kid on clothes. that doesn't include shoes or school uniforms.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Not really sure what you mean by closeouts?

By closeouts, I mean end of season stuff. My wife has a coat she saw at Penny's for over $100. At the end of the year, it was marked down to $14 and with a $10 coupon, it became a $4 coat. But, it was 70 degrees by the time she bought it, so it had to go in the closet for a few months.

Well, it's cold and wet here in Canada, and so we find that The North Face coats work best. Plus, with a lifetime warranty you can't go wrong.

Lifetime warranty wouldn't concern me in the least for a kid who'll be in a new size by next year. BUT, it is cold & wet up there, so I'm sure the $9 coat I just got my daughter on clearance wouldn't cut it. Extreme weather such as you have up there could definitely put a bite on the budget when it comes to Winter clothing.

We also spend several weeks per year at Disney, plus I live in the most humid part of Canada, so Keens are essential.

I'm not really sure what Keens are (just that I kinda freaked over $60 shoes for kids LOL), but I almost had a heart attack when I found out my wife had spent $25 on a pair of shoes for my daughter last Summer. $1 flip flops are the kids "normal" Summer wear around here Lots of humidity here too

 

[Tiger926]

By closeouts, I mean end of season stuff. My wife has a coat she saw at Penny's for over $100. At the end of the year, it was marked down to $14 and with a $10 coupon, it became a $4 coat. But, it was 70 degrees by the time she bought it, so it had to go in the closet for a few months.

Got it! I don't do end of season, as kids grow at different stages. If your kids outgrow it, then you have wasted money. So, I have purchased those same items that didn't sell last season, on clearance at the beginning of the new season though.

Lifetime warranty wouldn't concern me in the least for a kid who'll be in a new size by next year. BUT, it is cold & wet up there, so I'm sure the $9 coat I just got my daughter on clearance wouldn't cut it. Extreme weather such as you have up there could definitely put a bite on the budget when it comes to Winter clothing.

Lifetime warranty is important. My friends buy cheaper coats at other places, and they break, so they then have to shell out more money for new zippers, which are expensive. Or, they have to buy a new coat entirely. Warmth is essential with below zero windchills. Like I said, we give almost all of our clothes away to relatives/friends or charity, so quality is important. We do keep gender neutral items, to pass down from my DD to my DS, especially with items like Keens, as they always look as good as the day you get them!

I'm not really sure what Keens are (just that I kinda freaked over $60 shoes for kids LOL), but I almost had a heart attack when I found out my wife had spent $25 on a pair of shoes for my daughter last Summer. $1 flip flops are the kids "normal" Summer wear around here Lots of humidity here too

Keens are running shoe/sandals. They have amazing traction and are waterproof/sweatproof. Essential for extreme humidity like in my city and WDW! We don't do flip flops except at the pool, as no support at all, plus we all roll toes. Like I said, the biggest part of our budget is coats and shoes.

Tiger

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Keens are running shoe/sandals. They have amazing traction and are waterproof/sweatproof. Essential for extreme humidity like in my city and WDW! We don't do flip flops except at the pool, as no support at all, plus we all roll toes. Like I said, the biggest part of our budget is coats and shoes.

Tiger

Coats are probably #3 for us after shoes & jeans. Jeans are the one thing we can never seem to get on closeout now that its "fashionable" to wear them year-round. If it's hot though, my kids won't wear long pants, but the oldest is 11, so she has just begun to worry about "fashion" I can't stand flip flops or sandals of any kind. I just wear tennis shoes, but the Mrs. and the girls love their flip flops. I do need some kind of "water shoe" for the water parks & float trips though. I always go barefoot in the water parks & sometimes it's like trying to walk on the sun

 

[goofyredraider]

ugh...typed a whole things and it then somehow it disappeared!

I shop for warm-weather clothes pretty much year round...it is warm here 9-10 months of the year.

I bought a lot on deep clearance last year (tanks, shorts), so I have that as a base.
I took my daughter shopping yesterday because she's had a little bit of a growth spurt. We went to Justice and she was completely overwhelmed there, so we left and went to Target. I got her 8 complete super cute outfits for $250- she will wear them until the end of school and start school with them as well.

My boys' clothes from the beginning of school still fits okay - so they'll finish the school year with that. Also, their tanks (what they mainly wear in the summer) and basketball type shorts still fit as well....and I bought some on deep clearance ($2 each) at ON in August that they have as well. They will need clothes for back to school in August, and I will start shopping clearance racks for that in June.

 

[Cin]

Hit the consignment and resale shops for great deals on the kids spring/summer wear. I've found many items with the original tags still attached and still brand new at bargain prices. Ross Dress For Less and Marshall's have great finds as well.

 

[moonpie85]

Sadly, I never stop buying warm weather clothes. We really don't get winter down here at the bottom tip of Texas so we tend to wear shorts and tshirts year round. It really makes it hard when our department and retail stores are stocking sweaters and parkas and we're looking for flip flops and shorts in December!

I know what you mean. It's very frustrating!

 

[100AcreWood]

ugh...typed a whole things and it then somehow it disappeared!

I shop for warm-weather clothes pretty much year round...it is warm here 9-10 months of the year.

I bought a lot on deep clearance last year (tanks, shorts), so I have that as a base.
I took my daughter shopping yesterday because she's had a little bit of a growth spurt. We went to Justice and she was completely overwhelmed there, so we left and went to Target. I got her 8 complete super cute outfits for $250- she will wear them until the end of school and start school with them as well.

My boys' clothes from the beginning of school still fits okay - so they'll finish the school year with that. Also, their tanks (what they mainly wear in the summer) and basketball type shorts still fit as well....and I bought some on deep clearance ($2 each) at ON in August that they have as well. They will need clothes for back to school in August, and I will start shopping clearance racks for that in June.

My dd is also overwhelmed at Justice. She likes their trinkets but not their clothes.

 

[goofyredraider]

My dd is also overwhelmed at Justice. She likes their trinkets but not their clothes.

LOL. That's funny you said that! I told her yesterday, "We aren't here for the do-dads so stop looking at those...what clothes do you like?" She was so overwhelmed by everything clothing related in there. Finally she went to the graphic tees and basic knits...and well, I can get those at Old Navy or Target...so we left. Once we went to Target, she perked up and found a lot of things she liked.

 

[HelenePA]

crazy 8 is having major sales on winter clothes right now... and if you ebay buy a 20% coupon off there and they are about 2.50$ a piece... lots to choose from still. Sale just started today.. .for those who dont know crazy8 is a sister company to gymboree...

 

[Tiger926]

crazy 8 is having major sales on winter clothes right now... and if you ebay buy a 20% coupon off there and they are about 2.50$ a piece... lots to choose from still. Sale just started today.. .for those who dont know crazy8 is a sister company to gymboree...

I've never understood paying for coupons? Interesting concept.

I am a very loyal Gymboree shopper - been shopping there pretty much exclusively for 10 years. Not as much anymore though, as the quality has gone way down, and my very long torsoed 8 year old has mostly outgrown the sizes.

Fast forward to a few months ago, we tried out a Crazy 8 store, being that it is a sister store to Gymboree. Well, I thought the prices were not that great, and the sizes were off (size 14 is pretty much size 12 Gymboree?), but we picked up some jeans, underpants and shirts. Wanted to buy leggings as daughter has lived in Gymboree leggings since birth, but they were a weird and hard scratchy fabric - nothing like Gymboree's leggings at all. Found the prices to be high too - even with the sale and an extra coupon, I do way better at Gymboree. And I am comparing to Canadian prices!

Underpants are ok, but shirts not that great (they shrunk too). But the jeans, OMG! The jeans are absolutely horrid! They shrunk and kids wore them for 1 month. Waste of money! Before anyone says it's my laudering skills, no way! I have a front loader, wash on delicate and cold. Nothing shrinks at my hands. Went on a few message boards, and discovered the same thing, that Crazy 8 quality is not that great. Now for $2.50 a shirt maybe that won't be an issue, but I am a very busy working mom who doesn't have time to be replacing shrunk clothes. I won't be buying anything else at Crazy 8 again.

Has anyone else had these issues?

Tiger

 

[Happy Mom2]

When they start going on clearance in the fall. I always the next years clothes at the end of the season.. The few things I wasn't able to get on clearance last year, I got at President's Day sales. Except for shoes, I'm done for the summer!

 

[dismom9761]

Unfortunately my kids growth is not Predictable enough to buy a season
Ahead. I have to buy at beginning of season but never full price.
My boys are growing so fast I end up buying all season. My
14yr old has grown 6 inches since September!

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Unfortunately my kids growth is not Predictable enough to buy a season
Ahead.

We do fine with tops & coats. This will be year #3 for my oldest in her hunting coat, and it should actually fit right this year Pants & shoes are too unpredictable to purchase ahead though. Luckily, the pants can be handed down to her little sister, but the shoes are usually (not always) shot by the time she's done with 'em.