Real life MMD: Should I buy my sons' clothes from Burberry?

pollypenny

Absolutely not!

Burberry trades on being a 'British' label, but the closed their Treorchy, South Wales, factory to move production to China and make more profit.

Ironically, the factory had originally been opened, as Polikoffs, in the last Depression with a grant from The Nuffield Foundation - a principled employer.

tallgirld

Just do what you can afford or send them to a school that wears uniform.

Funny that you mentioned Firetrap as I had on one of their t-shirts yesterday!!

I thought the kids had stopped wearing Burberry?

dave2

My parents put me on a clothing allowance in my teens, £x per month to cover the usual renewables. I'd only get a boost for the start of the new year for school uniform and for expensive items like trainers and coat once they'd clearly run their course.

If I wanted to buy expensive clobber then no problem, but I had to figure it in my budget. Learn very quickly what's most useful to have the labels on (use the boost + balance from monthly amount on trainers and coat), how to buy quality that's inexpensive and what you can cheap out on.

Upside is I budget well for everything: always a saver, always researching buys, always thinking ahead financially.

Downside is the lesson stuck a bit too well, I should really be buying new clothes more. I don't like to take risks when buying clothes, not because I'd rather put the money in a savings account (all my good buys I consider a good investment in myself) but because I'd hate to buy something and later decide I don't like it.

Also, I turned into an accountant...

Purplejenster2

I can't really see how this is a dilemma, surely it is common sense. However, I would have a question for you: how soon do you want to be a grandparent?

Maybe I am being completely stereotypical, but when I was in school the kids that went for the chavvy designer stuff usually ended up with a baby to dress in designer gear too.

I now work in a school and would say that unfortunately not much has changed....

The main thing is that the lessons they learn now are the ones they carry through life. It's up to you if you want to spoil them, they just have to understand that generally the rest of the world won't treat them that way.

Planetloon

From about the age of 13 my Mum gave me a monthly 'clothes allowance' on top of my pocket money. She would buy essential clothing such as school wear etc. and I had to buy anything else I wanted out of my allowance. I was also able to earn extra money by doing jobs around the house.

This served two purposes: my Mum wasn't wasting money on 'whim' items and I learnt the value of the clothes I was wearing. If I wanted an expensive item I had to save up for it. I soon learnt to be very selective in my purchases. It taught me great financial management that has stuck with me.

PatsyG_2

hi!

When my kids were younger and wanted various designer gear we alway said we would pay the cost of 'normal' T shirts, jeans etc and if they wanted 'named' stuff they could pay the extra! That way it made them aware of the difference!

They also had the option of 'special' clothes for birthdays & Christmas etc.

Now they appreciate the cost of stuff and shop at all sorts of places - designer clothes, car boots, charity shops, ebay and various cheaper outlets such as tesco, & Matalan - depending on what they want and where they want it for! - a bit like me really really!!!- I love charity shops and markets!!!! :-)

PatsyG - supersaver:)

z_edmonds

Hi,

When I was a teenager, my parents gave me a 'clothing allowance' quarterly (separate to pocket money).

This meant that I had to reconcile value against trend myself (and meant I couldn't blame parents!)

My parents still bought me some stuff (particularly basic essentials and occasionally treats) but it gave me a degree of independence and autonomy and added to my financial competence.

And it meant that I could buy what I wanted (within budget) which cut a lot of painful negotiations on shopping trips. (My mother: "I do not have to like what you buy, just approve")

This may not be suitable to your situation, but if not directly relevant hopefully it may stimulate further ideas

Good Luck!

Zoe

pennypinchUK

Buy them one or two branded items that you know they'll wear lots, and then buy the much cheaper non-branded alternatives for everything else. Works for my kids!

Julia4J

Sweetheart your children have got to learn to cope with being laughed at, if their peers are so petty minded they are not worth knowing. It is called part of growing up. If you did not experience this you were either very indulged or lived on another planet.
Kids are nasty to each other regardless of what the school might teach, for me it was the fact I did not have a dad, for my kids it was the fact that they still had the same parents they started with.
Teach your children to know exactly who they are and to have confidence in that knowledge. Then when the sniggers come, and come they will whether it is this issue or another, it will not affect them at all. However if they metaphorically have 'victim' written across their forehead, maybe they could do with a bit of counselling to enable them to grow in confidence and to be comfortable with who they are, not what they do or what they have.

sniff100

Well this might be a good time for them to learn about the real world
You cant always get what you want,.as oppose to having what you need.
Explain that you cant afford it. Maybe they could contribute towards it by sacrificing something else.