Budgeting- how much to allow for clothes?

BatGirlPants

I am trying to sort my head (and bank account) out. I am writing up a strict proper budget but I am unsure what I should allow for clothing for:
4 children (7, 5.5, 2 and 6 months)
2 adults

Would need to include school uniform, shoes for the year and clothing as needed. I am a sale shopper, buy bigger sizes so they don't grow out of them, hand them down (all girls) and have bought at boot sales when cheap enough. But what sort of amount do you think is reasonable? I really have no idea?

Thanks

HappyMJ

Neither do I....where do you shop for clothes. If you shop in charity shops and buy 1 item per week then you could get away with £50 a month. If you shop in budget chains then maybe £100 a month. If however you prefer a few premium items from boutique stores then maybe £500 a month and if you exclusively shop in the smaller stores £1,000 won't be enough.

It's totally up to you and what you think you can afford.

For example I earn £9 per hour and put down £40 a month for a couple which I think is a good estimate of what we spend.

Children do tend to go through a lot more clothes and especially shoes which don't tend to be cheap.

MrsSave

I put away £20-£25 per month for my ds who is almost 2. Dh and I have our own personal money and we buy clothes from there. For ds a lot of his clothes come from asda/Tesco or the Next sale. He gets given quite a lot as well. Most of the money goes on his shoes! Some months are a lot more expensive, but there are some months where he doesn't need anything. We don't have to factor in school uniform, though (yet!).

Tixy

The stepchange debt remedy (for people living on a budget) suggest £112 a month for 2 adults and 4 children. Which obviously would be £1344 a year.

As a starting point I'd try to work out what school uniforms, gym kits, school shoes would cost you over a year to start.
The consider what else the children are likely to need.
Then baby and yourselves.

fermi

https://nedcab.cabmoney.org.uk/quickfs.asp

Loosely based on trigger figure that suggests £40 per person per month.

Figures that the Official Receiver uses when considering reasonable domestic needs of families are £136 per month for 2 adults and 3 or more children.

BatGirlPants

Thanks for the replies. I really appreciate them.
I've settled for £20 per person per month for now and will see how I go. The kids have all got enough clothes and shoes for now. It is just new school shoes and a new uniform for my eldest who is moving up a school but that won't be much as she just needs a couple of jumpers. Am hoping that this budget will be plenty and I can use any excess elsewhere!

ShirePiskie

Hi - You could try and make the clothing budget at least partially 'self-funding'. I do this for myself. Have a wardrobe clear out and car boot/ ebay clothes and use the takings to buy new stuff. If your kids are anything like my husband's daughter (8), they will grow out of clothes (although not shoes which she goes through like mad) before they have a chance to wear them out.

You can get bags of clothes by age at car boots/ ebay... and, of course, you can sell the same.

Just a suggestion of a different way of looking at it. Good luck with your budgeting.

greensalad

I usually put down about £100 a season, and as above I sell items on eBay if I want to buy something extra special. I also sew my own clothes, which means I get clothing out of my hobby budget.

Different with kids though, as their growing doesn't work with the seasons. I'd suggest buying purely charity shop and bootfair clothes for them for day to day (I mean, what do they care? And these clothes are easy to pick up) and then perhaps choose some nicer items (dresses, suits etc) for smart occasions that can be passed down if you have same-gender children. There are even items that can be found online that 'extend'. I once found a cardigan pattern which works up one way and then when the child grows can be switched upside down and worn for a few more years.

Or try and get in with a family to do hand-me-downs. For example, as a kid I was lucky to be at the top of the chain as the oldest girl. All my clothes went firstly to my Auntie's best friend who had girls 1 and 2 years younger than me. Those clothes then went to my cousin who is 6 years younger than me (so the poor girl never had anything for herself!) but we were repaid a little with the odd toy or day out where my Mum didn't have to pay on account of all the clothes she had given away.

So, if you have friends with older children perhaps you can ask for handmedowns and promise to return them to their younger children or pass them on to help someone else.

enthusiasticsaver

When my children were small I worked out the average cost of 2-3 pairs of shoes and trainers per year depending on ages and the same with school uniform and play clothes and best (winter and summer). If you can hand down stuff then that should help. I usually saved the child benefit for that and it usually covered most of it. Can you not do that? If you are on a tight budget there is no need for adult clothes to be bought except for shoes and underwear IMO unless one of you is losing weight for health reasons.

Purplesky_2

Yes, definitely worth asking about hand-me-downs from elsewhere. I used to get mine from one of my mums friends, who in turn would get some from their siblings' child. Her eldest daughter would then clear out her clothes, her youngest got first refusal and I got whatever was left - I had a great time 'shopping' in my own bedroom. Often bags and bags of the stuff. Ditto for uniforms. Boys tend to wear through stuff, but girls tend not to, so you may not need to buy them new?