Clothes - Budget help please

Jon_J

We are a family of 3:- 2 adults in 30's and x1 9yr old child.
Have not got a clue what others spend on clothes so do not know how much to budget.

Need to have enough for school clothes, work clothes (smart and smart casaul) and weekend clothes.

All replies gratefully received

kdee_2

Hi, it's a very subjective question because one person's taste is not another's!

I personally kmow that for my three kids, twice a year I will have to "do a shop" owing to growth etc.
I always buy in the Next Sales for the next season if you like. So, I buy a size bigger at the end of Summer for the following year.
You can save a small fortune this way.

Clothes in summer tend to be cheaper cos tshirts and shortc etc can be picked up dirt cheap at places like Asda nowadays.

I always have a decent coat as does DH and the kids and then most of my casual stuff does the rounds year after year!
I do find it important to spend a little on a "going out" top (no-one ever remembers the bottom half so I can scrimp a bit here).

One good tip, if you are in to e-bay and set yourself a budget and stick to it you might get some bargains.

jjs_mum

I always clothes shop in places like primark, peacocks,- and tesco and asda do some good stuff too.

I also try to buy my sons clothes a year in advance. At the end of last summer, I got him 3 tea shirts and a pair of shorts for less than £2 for the lot.

My clothes just last years and years....

Savvy_Sue

It depends whether you want to buy lots of clothes or just a few. If you want lots of clothes, then you need to see if you can live with Primark etc. They are cheap and cheerful, you can't expect them to wear that well, but at those prices you don't begrudge replacing them every year. If you are fashion conscious, I'd say that was the way to go.

If, on the other hand, you want a few items of good quality, you need to spend a bit more. But there's no point doing that if you get bored of the same outfit after a few months and never wear it again. Or if you're highly fashion conscious!

If the different members of your family have different temperaments in this respect, don't try to impose the same regime on all of them. My older boys will happily live in Asda jog bottoms and plain t-shirts, but the youngest wouldn't be seen dead in such things. He pays for his own t-shirts, but I bought his last two pairs of jeans from Next (outlet shop) for £5 each. For the fashion conscious, you need to find shops like that to buy clothes on a budget.

Shoes are one big expense, I don't think you can skimp on those, and at 9 that's probably a pair every 6 months, whereas grownups don't usually need shoes until the old pairs wear out ...

Stevenj214

I'm 20 and pretty fashion conscious, but im in town regularly so look out for bargains. I got a couple of good quality hooded jumpers for £5 each and a pair of combats from topman for £8 recently.

I also keep my eye on ebay, recently got 2 pairs of designer jeans for £10 each including postage.

I also top up my wardrobe with trips to primark when needed too.

So eyes open for bargains/sale racks, ebay, plus primark equals a regularly changing, fashionable and cheap wardrobe.

patchwork_cat

I put away 110 pounds for us family of four with 12 year old boy and 7 year old girl. I must admit that my little girl gets the bulk of that. It used to be 150 pounds, but I had to cut it back.

black-saturn

I only buy what we need and don't buy things on impulse. Then when I have worked out what we need I shop around until I get a good deal and include places like charity shops and ebay.

starlite_2

we tend to spend a little more on decent quality coats and shoes, that will last for ages, then buy the rest in places like primark, or during the sales
retail outlets are really good..especially if they are doing a sale as you get extra discounts..i have a lovely aubergine wool coat from the next outlet that cost me £20 and has lasted three years so far...
It's best to work out what basics you will need and then shop around until you find them, then you can pick up other things when you come across bargains..
I am quite proud to say I don't remember the last time I paid rrp for clothes as there is always a sale going on somewhere...

bonnie_2

i allow £600 a year for me and my 2 daughters which works out at £200 a year each, but school uniform and bits is extra to this hubby buys his own with bday and xmas money.i tend to go to asda but i think i might start going to primark.

starlite_2

asda is great too.especially during the sales!
i keep hearing good things about tesco, but they seem a bit expensive whenever I look..maybe I'm too tight..hehhee

Alleycat

Yay, they've opened a HUGE Primark in Leeds!! We used to have to wait until we went to visit my family in London to go shopping. Not been yet, though I need some tops that fit (am slightly larger post baby and realised I am NOT going to lose it ) so may have to visit soon.

I buy kitten's clothes off Ebay. I tried getting myself a pair of trousers and they were an awful fit, so stick to the sales instead. Matalan can be okay, though it is a bit trial and error, also Tescos and Asda have some nice stuff, reasonably priced.

Alley