Question du Jour...What do you think is a reasonable amount of money to spend on children's clothes?

[stella]

not necessarily what do you spend, but what do you think would be reasonable per child per month?

Just curious. I think $100 per child per month is pretty reasonable - what do you all think? Does that sound excessive? Or like not very much? Just curious...

Claire

[LucyG]

I think this is an interesting question, but I also think the answers are going to totally depend on one's financial situation. I expect that everyone will have a different opinion, based on personal feelings and financial figures. For instance, $100 a month is way more than I can or should spend on clothes (for DD, or for myself or DH), based on our family income and our decisions about where out money goes. Do I think someone is wrong or excessive for spending this amount or more? Not at all, if he or she is financially able to do so, and feels comfortable with it. Everyone is going to have different financial resources and levels of comfort with spending. Not to be a wet blanket or start a debate, but that's my take on the question!


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2 years and counting!

[vpalmer]

Personally I think $100 per month is reasonable, but just the other day I was looking over the breakdown for the "average" amount people spend on the children study that is released every year about this time. I found it interesting that for a household earning $70,000 and above the average was in the $500-$600 range for families with 2 or more kids and for only children the total was to be multiplied by 1.24. I can tell you right now I laughed at the thought of only spending $700 for an entire year. I personally try to keep my spending at about $100 per month on Eva's wardrobe. Sometimes more, sometimes less, but overall that is a good average.

Veronica
Mom to Eva
Born 6-03

[stella]

The truth is that I don't know what's reasonable and $100/month struck me as a good number. Sadly, I spend way more than this, but I don't keep careful track of it - probably because I don't really want to know...

I have certainly seen people post that they have $250 to spend for the season - and since that's their limit, that's also what's reasonable for them. By the same token, there are many out there who have much more disposable income that dh and I do, but who think that it's obscene to spend much on a wardrobe for growing children.

Certainly it all depends on the individual situation, but that's kind of why I asked - to get a sense of what other people think. Although those of us spending time on this board are hardly the norm!

I'm really just curious, so all responses are welcome and I hope we don't debate. We're not usually the "debate" type over here on RL anyway!! We're just a bunch of enablers!

thanks -

Claire

[LucyG]

I completely took the question in the spirit that you meant it! One thing I like about this forum is the lack of debate here. :-)

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2 years and counting!

[C99]

$100/month just on clothes? I don't know. In theory, I think it's reasonable, but I agree w/ a PP in that it really depends on your budget and family situation. For me and my family, it's not a reasonable number (too high). I average about $50/month on outfitting Nate, including outerwear and shoes.

[aliceinwonderland]

I don't know, I do not keep track. I will say I have sometimes spent $100 on DS clothes at a time(mainly when I was pregnant and we had dual income, no such days now), but I have gone MONTHS without buying anything at all recently...Erik has a grandma that shops for him and another one who just came from overseas with many many outfits for him too. So we are lucky, I guess...I do see a lot of things I love that I just can't afford.

[goodnightmoon]

I think the $100 per month is a reasonable amount, although I agree with the PP that there are some months when I'll buy nothing and some when I go a bit nuts. This is also my first child, so she had no hand-me-downs. I'm sure that with future children I'll still want to buy new things here and there, but the better the quality of items I buy now, the more clothes future children can wear also.

Laura
mommy to Eva Marie 2/16/05

[macassi]

I think it also depends on the age of the child. I definitely spend a lot less on my older kids than I do Abbie. Once they outgrow the cute outfit phase, spending slows regardless of gender. For boys, it shrinks even more. Both my boys just want to wear jeans and t-shirts, and they don't have a lot of seasonal wardrobes. Even when I factor in all the worn out clothes (holes in knees, heavy stains), they have a lot fewer clothes than they used to have. And they wear them for a lot longer. CJ has worn some t-shirts for 2 or 3 years!

[Marisa6826]

I'm kind of the reverse. I'm now willing to spend a little more on Sophie's stuff since I know that I will also get more wear out of it down the road with Mia. At least that's my rationalisation in buying better made, slightly more expensive stuff. I'd rather buy a pair of Hanna zippers that I KNOW will last through both kids than a pair of Circos that get so ratty after a season, you have to toss them (which is exactly what happened with about 6 of those microfleece sleepersuits last winter).

-m

[ginamlee]

We spend about $15K per year on clothing (accoring to our financial software) for a family of 6. Most of that money is spent on my oldest daughter and my youngest daughter.

My husband is happy in polos and khakis and dislikes shopping.

Most of my wardrobe is bought by my MIL (seasonal MIL/DIL shopping sprees) and is pretty timeless and non-trendy. I do shop for myself occasionally.

My second daughter gets a few new things here and there, but mostly lives in hand-me-downs from her older ssiter. She actually prefers it that way because she is very, very hard on clothes and she feels more comfortable wearing something that she doesn't have to "be careful" with.

My son wears a dress code at a private school and thus doesn't have a large need for a variety of clothing. And, as a boy, he really just prefers a lot of basics anyway.


My oldest is simply going through her growing time right now. She hit puberty a bit late and I seem to be buying her clothes constantly. She also attends a private school and is in dress code, but I still seem to spend a fortune on her wardrobe due to this big growth spurt.

Of course, like the rest of you, the other bulk of the money is spent on my little one. I enjoy dressing her, and I know she's the last one (tubes tied).

[bluej]

We have budgeted $150 per month per child. It doesn't usually get spent evenly like that though. Some months Caden dips into Ry's 'amount' and sometimes it's Alex...just depends on which child grew the most. This spring we definitely spent more than that on the older two b/c Alex and Caden have gone through huge growth spurts so we've needed to buy new uniforms and new everyday clothes. And shoes. Caden goes through a ridiculous amount of shoes. Surprisingly enough I was able to control myself somewhat on Ryden's clothes and he has a realistic amount for spring and summer and I stayed under budget. We were just going over the budget the other day to see what changes needed to be made and without a doubt the older kids clothing budget needs to be bumped up. Anyway, our amount is what we consider to be reasonable, as well as realistic (for our lives).

[amp]

I would love it if I thought I could spend that much! But alas, DH would absolutely *freak* out! I think we spent maybe $150-$200 on DS's clothes in the spring (March), and I think I just spent $100 more. He might be set for most of the summer. I mean, I may buy a few things here and there, but we definitly don't spend money on clothes each month.

[jk3]

I think $100 a month is reasonable if you can afford it. I think that's probably what I spend, give or take although I definitely did not spend too much during my DS's first year since most of his clothing was gifts. The way I rationalize the situation is that it's also a hobby for me to shop for my DS. Additionally, I resell some of his clothing on Swap or Ebay. I have a feeling when I return to work in the fall I'll spend slightly more because I won't have to wait for a sale and I think I'll shop primarily at J + J + Hanna.

Jenn
DS 6/3/03 ... Almost 2!

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[tadylkat]

I have 2 children. My eldest is a 4 year old boy who is all about sweats, jeans, wind pants, shorts, and t-shirts. I buy a lot of his clothing ahead of time on clearance racks because neither he nor I care if he wears last year's sweats or t-shirts. It seems to me that boys' clothing doesn't change much over the years, KWIM? If I see a pair of RL cords on the clearance rack at Bloomies for half nothing in 2 sizes larger than he is in at the moment, I scoop it up and store it away. If I see wind pants on clearance at Old Navy for $3.97 in next year's size, I buy them in 3 colors. He is my only boy and his clothing doesn't need to be passed on to anyone. I probably spend $750 - $850 a year on him including a winter coat (bought end of season previous year) and shoes.. the only item I don't shop sales for.

My youngest, and last, is a 17 month old dd. I spend a lot more on her clothing although I still shop sales. I can probably count on one hand the items I have bought for her that weren't on sale. When I see a big sale, e.g. recent ATL sale, the big 80% off Sears end of season sale, Bloomingdale's end of season clearance, Gymbucks, etc., I stock up for the following year. Since she is my last, I only need one season out of her clothing too, but I tend to buy more expensive stuff for her. Girl clothes are too much fun! I'm thinking I probably spend about $2,500 a year on her, maybe a little more the past two years since she was growing so fast.

I know I could get by spending less on dd, but what would be the fun in that? LOL I love dressing her so much. :) I stay within my means. I figure while I am the one picking out the clothing, I can have some fun. Maybe in a couple of year she will decide she wants to be.. gulp.. a tomboy. So why not have fun now? :)

[AvasMama]

If I could get it down to $100/month, I would be thrilled! I am fortunate in that I can afford to spend what I do, but as much as I enjoy shopping for Ava, I don't necessarily think what I spend is reasonable.

However, I used to spend a couple hundred a month on clothes for me easily and that is now down to maybe $500 twice a year. I hate shopping for myself now, so I just do it in spurts when a new season hits and I realize I have nothing to wear. And DH works from home and almost never buys anything new except for shoes, so our overall household clothing expenses are probably pretty reasonable.

Robyn & Ava

[ett]

Honestly, I'm not sure how much I spend on clothes for DS every month, but $100 seems about right. It does vary month by month since I buy ahead most of his stuff. I've spent less than $50/month these last several months since DS has most of his summer clothes already. My mother also buys a lot of DS's clothes.

I think it is pretty difficult to generalize how much money per month is reasonable to spend on your children's clothing since it depends on your financial situation.

[tarahsolazy]

I think whatever you feel comfortable with and can easily afford is the right amount to spend. I would never fault anyone for spending as much money on kids' clothes, a car, whatever, as long as that's what their budget allows. Although I try to be non-judgemental as much as I can, I do shake my head when people on a cloth diaper board I'm on say thay have to sell really expensive diapers (like $50 for a cover, $100 for wool pants) to pay the electric bill. If you can't afford it to begin with, I think its wrong to spend money on luxury items like that. If you've got it and enjoy it, spend away!

My son has a small wardrobe, since DH dresses him (SAHD). He thinks 4 pair of shorts, 2 pair of clamdiggers, 8 tees, and 4 rompers is enough for the whole summer. That's what we have now, and I know if I buy more, he'll still use the same 6 outfits or so, he always does! I think I spend about $200 a season, or so. It will probably be more for fall, since he'll need a coat, and shoes, which are spendy now that he can't just wear white sweat socks or Hanna mocs, like he did last winter.

[stella]

I think my question comes from lurking on gymborebel. People have mentioned having bags from Gymbo with tags that add up to $500 plus. Let me be more specific - bags in the closet of clothes that have not been worn and must now be returned.

In fairness, I know many of those ladies are buying, selling, trading, re-selling, etc., and I don't mean to judge them. It's just that at some point, I would be so sick of the game. And it seems such an enormous investment of time and energy. Two things that I am chronically low on!

No one loves Janie and Jack or a new Hanna catalog more than I do, it's just that witnessing such spending and churning of garments has really made me re-assess my own habits. Well, that and the fact that my children don't have enough occasions to wear all their precious clothes and I have NOTHING to wear ever.

So in line with what you're saying, I cringe a little when I see people refer to not being able to afford other things spending like mad on a gymbo line. It's not that I think they shouldn't do it - it just really causes me to examine my own habits.

So I've just been wondering about it all...

Claire

[stillplayswithbarbies]

In order to play the gymbo game, you have to keep rebuying the same outfit every time it goes on sale cheaper, and then taking it back with the old receipt.

I once had a $400 return and most of it was stuff that I had bought three or four times because it kept getting reduced or there would be a better sale. You buy at the higher price to be sure and get your size, and then if it is still there at the markdowns, you buy again and return it. And then Gymbucks comes around and you rebuy it yet again to get the gymbucks, and then redemption comes around and you buy it yet again because it is now even cheaper with the gymbuck.

It got totally insane and I got off that merry-go-round last summer after I found myself doing a $400 return. I hardly bought any gymbo for winter, in fact I can't remember any. And I have three or four outfits for summer, but I'm not sure I will keep them.

...Karen
DS Jake Feb 91, DD Logan Mar 03
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[ast96]

Well, my DH has asked me to get it down to $100/month for both boys. I have been trying. DH NEVER buys clothes (maybe once a year) and I haven't been until recently (finally getting the baby weight off), so I justify it that way. I also know that if I buy for my older boy, the younger will be able to wear it (we don't have seasons here) and that once they are school-age, they will most likely be in uniforms.

I used to try the return/rebuy thing, but it became more trouble than it was worth. I buy very little full-price now and try to repeat to myself that something cuter is always around the bend!

[Little Ladybug]

Hmmm, I'm not sure how much I spend per month, because some months I buy a lot of things, and other months I buy virtually nothing. I'm in a "lull" right now, because DS is definitely set for this summer. (I cringe a little bit when I look in his closet and see how many clothes he has). However, I would say that my spending on his clothes probably averages out to about $100 per month. I am so fortunate because I have some disposable income to "play" with when it comes to clothes, and DH doesn't mind as long as I keep it within reason. Hanna's summer line didn't wow me this year, so I have been able to avoid dropping a lot of $$$ there, which has been very helpful! Buying only what I LOVE has also saved me from getting into big trouble at J&J and Gymbo the past few months, because a number of the lines haven't really done much for me. I like smocked and appliqued jon-jons, which is bad because they can be pricey, but good because they don't come out with new "lines" every 4 weeks! :)