[mommytoEli]

how much $ do you think you spend on clothing each year, per child?

[Clare'sMom]

OMGosh.... You (and my DH) don't even want to know!!

I just finished shopping for our vacation.....

I am the first to admit that I have a HUGE Problem With this..... But my kids look soooo cute!!!

Now I have another teenager.... I am creating a shopping Monster......

Ann

[SKL]

Mine is just a guess. I try to be frugal but I could probably do a lot better in this category.

[melissa41]

Mine was a total guess but we have been tracking spending by catgeory since Jan. Clothing is one lump category for all 3 of us but I am curious to see how we spend money each month. I use bank statements and cc statement to do it all at the end of each month. And of course tracking our spending makes us much more aware and has caused us to change some of our spending patterns.

[bluebonnet_72]

I voted, but I didn't think about shoes. My pre-teen daughters shoes have to cost as much as everyone's clothing put together. I buy most things at consigment sales, and garage sales, but shoes in her size that look nice just aren't avaliable used. She has finally stopped growing but for a while there she was getting new shoes every three months. We went from a size 4 to a size 10 in less then 2 years. I think I could outfit my 4 year old for a year for the cost of a pair of tennis shoes for my 12 year old.

[dac_cincy]

I recently blogged about Bug having too many clothes- and then of course I went out and bought more. But I am watching exactly what he is wearing and how often in order to have a better handle on winter.

We used to get boat loads of clothes from friends whose son is a year older than Bug, but Bug has grown tremendously in the last 6 months and he is now the same size as his friend. So no nice winter clothes coming my way.

Love and hugs,
Deb

[adoptnky]

Mine is pretty low - but that's because I'm blessed with two best friends who have 3 boys between the two of them who give me hand-me-downs. It's wonderful!

Kim

[angieandstever]

I spend a lot. Way to much probably. If shoes count I am really in trouble. Gabbie wears mostly Stride Rite shoes and unfortunately there isn't an outlet near us. So at $45-50 a shot times 3 pairs of tennis shoes a year alone I am at nearly $150. Usually in the winter I buy her a black pair and brown pair too but I try to get those on ebay or online cheaper. Then in the summer she gets 2 pairs of sandals as well. So I am guessing I spend $300 on shoes alone. Wow typing that is painful.

Clothing is a whole other story. I buy a lot of her school clothes at Target. I try to buy most of the gap, gymbo, and ralph stuff on ebay. Usually 2 times a year though, at the beginning of fall and spring, I allow myself some money to splurge in stores when they are having good sales and I keep that stuff for nice wear only.

Good news is now that we have Gabbie I don't spend nearly anything on myself so what I would have spent on me I now spend on her! I figure it balances out

[JustBarbara]

Originally Posted by adoptnky

Mine is pretty low - but that's because I'm blessed with two best friends who have 3 boys between the two of them who give me hand-me-downs. It's wonderful!

Kim

Same here - my sister saved all her boy clothes (nephew is now almost 7) and a dear friend has four year old twin boys so I hit the jackpot also. Hand me downs - yeah! I also go to the local thrift shop and buy out of season - a Rugged Bear snowsuit with $49.99 tag attached for $3.99! I love to save money.

[kellum5]

This is an ugly poll.
The last thing I wanted to do was think about how much per kid with 6 kids. UGH.
It is better to not think about it.
Oh well, at least someone looks good.

[mommytoEli]

Originally Posted by kellum5

This is an ugly poll.
The last thing I wanted to do was think about how much per kid with 6 kids. UGH.
It is better to not think about it.
Oh well, at least someone looks good.

lol. i hear you....i have 5. so i understand. for me, i am really glad the last 3 are stairstepped and same gender. while the 2 littlest ones definiltey still get new clothes, it is nice when they can have some staple items like jeans and coats handed down to them from their big brother. there is nothing i like more than seeing an item i LOVED (which is why i bought it ) THREE times...instead of the traditional once. lol.

[DPline]

Originally Posted by kellum5

This is an ugly poll.
The last thing I wanted to do was think about how much per kid with 6 kids. UGH.
It is better to not think about it.
Oh well, at least someone looks good.

ROFL! I only have three and I still don't want to think about it!

Hi! I'm Debbie, and I'm a Gymboree addict! (I only buy things that are on clearance, so that makes it ok, right???)

[JGarrick]

I took a best guess on the poll. We're pretty frugal with shopping for school clothes. The kids mostly wear jeans and t-shirts, and they all wear all the hand-me-downs we can get our hands on. The stuff we buy new mostly comes from places like Target and Walmart.

But - by the time you throw in shoes, boots, winter coats, hats, gloves, etc., it's probably $200-$300 per child (and more as they get older). Then throw in another hundred or so for summer things - shorts, sandals, swim trunks, etc. - and other odds & ends.

Then there's vacation clothes - either stuff we buy before we leave, or stuff we buy as souvenirs or whatever. That's clothing, but I tend to count it against the vacation budget rather than the clothing budget.

There's also sports and other "specialty" clothing. Uniforms, cleats, costumes, etc. It's clothing, but I count it as a recreational expense.

[dspakowsky]

We spend ablout $100 per child each season. Right now we're so blessed because we were given about 2 years worth of nice hand-me-downs.

[gwenrenee007]

I voted over $1000!!!! I love Gymboree, Matilda Jane, and baby gap. I don't think twice about spending $60+ for a dress or outfit, but i would NEVER spend that on me! My reasoning is that we are going to have more kids (girls) and their clothes hold up better so it is an investment. At least that is how I rationalize it!!!