| Author | |
mavmama
Forum All-Star
Joined: Nov 01 2006
Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 618
|
| Posted: Aug 17 2007 at 11:57pm | IP Logged
|
 |
|
Some time ago we discussed grocery budgets and that helped me tremendously. Now, with fall coming and the attendant need for new shoes, coats, etc. I am wondering how you budget for clothing. Do you allow so much per month/year? How do you detirmine how much to budget? How much is within reason (not for "fashion shopping" just neccesity)?
I am SO not a clothes horse. I wear one or two pair of shoes all season, and have one coat for fall and winter. Almost all of the rest of my clothes I sew myself, and have for years.
We are trying to make a real budget, and I am finding this area difficult. Oh, and we do not have had-me-down sources anymore--that has hit us hard this year.
Any insight from you moms to many?
__________________
Liz
Blessed by 4 wonders
dd11, dd911, ds9, ds8
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
cvbmom
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 15 2005
Location: Ohio
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 930
|
| Posted: Aug 18 2007 at 7:50am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Personally, we shop the thrift stores or garage sales when we have a need. Our budget in this area is fairly low, maybe we spend an average of $75 a month on clothes (including shoes, coats, underwear, socks, etc.) for a family of 8. Our grocery bill or books bill, though, can be out of control 
God bless,
Christine
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
8kids4me
Forum Pro
Joined: May 03 2006
Location: New York
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 328
|
| Posted: Aug 18 2007 at 8:14am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Our solution is to find the Salvation Army or Goodwill in one of the nicer neighborhoods, and shop there first. I just got 4 pairs of jeans, and about 20 shirts, plus a sweater and leggings for an older dd, for $80! The jeans were $5 each!! My dh says we have a clothing budget, but really, unless I mention we need something, it just sits there. I believe it is about $100 every two weeks for 4 people. I try not to buy new except for socks, undies, shoes etc.
__________________
Cindy B, mama to 8 great kids, and 5 grandbabies!
http://www.magnolialane.wordpress.com
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
CAgirl4God
Forum Pro
Joined: May 04 2007
Location: Puerto Rico
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 419
|
| Posted: Aug 18 2007 at 8:16am | IP Logged
|
|
|
well we don't budget per say within our monthly budget.
tha said I really don't buy clothes that often. only when there is a need. and then I hit the big sales.
like Old Navy end of season sales, when I can pick up T's for $1.50. I stock up for the next season.
because of hsing, most of the kids clothes are everyday play clothes. they have nicer t's for running errands, and nice clothes (skirts, button down shirts etc..) for going out. school t's for field trips.
I too wear the same clothing items until they need to be replaced.
since dh took over the $$ two yrs ago. I haven't had to worry about having the $. he does LOL. But I will ask him if he puts some aside regularly or if he is better about stocking it up in savings for us. lol
__________________
Home is where the Coast Guard sends us
Jamie, married to John
JC, Nugget, Christina & Judy
Chowder
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Rachel May
Forum All-Star
Joined: June 24 2005
Location: Kansas
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2057
|
| Posted: Aug 18 2007 at 10:14am | IP Logged
|
|
|
We'e similar to Jamie. We don't have a separate clothing budget outside of the monthly budget. If it helps, our household budget is about $800/ month for anything that isn't gas or food. Bill and I also take a small weekly allowance for personal needs, and we try to buy our own clothes from that money instead of the household money.
When we see a need we try to work it in, but there are definitely times when that doesn't work well (think moving to Virginia from Hawaii and not owning closed toe shoes, socks, long anything, or coats). We were shopping at outlets, but I think they are still too pricey so now we are starting to look at stores like Marshalls or TJ Maxx. I'm not a great thrift shopper. There is a skill there that I haven't acquired yet. When stores offer layaway, I love that!
In the end I'm finding that just having fewer clothes overall helps a lot. We have only 4 outfits, 1 church outfit, sandals, sneakers, church shoes, per child. Their play clothes are bought to be appropriate for daily Mass, and often other tops--like soccer jerseys--work their way in and do well for when the kids play hard.
Right now, I'm trying to put $20 aside when we have it to help with buying coats this year. Hope there is something there that's helpful!
__________________
Rachel
Thomas and Anthony (10), Maria (8), Charles (6), Cecilia (5), James (3), and Joseph (1)
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
mavmama
Forum All-Star
Joined: Nov 01 2006
Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 618
|
| Posted: Aug 18 2007 at 9:16pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Those thoughts help. Thank you Christine, Cindy, Jamie, and Rachel! Oh, and Rachel, I feel for you in the moving to a new climate thing! We felt it in reverse last Dec. when we did NOT have to buy 4 new coats, snow pants and pairs of boots--aaaahhhh--what a relief!
__________________
Liz
Blessed by 4 wonders
dd11, dd911, ds9, ds8
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
JennyMaine
Forum Pro
Joined: July 26 2005
Location: Maine
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 209
|
| Posted: Aug 21 2007 at 4:36am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Well, money is so tight in my single-parent home that I don't technically budget for clothing purchases. It would never work on paper!  But God provides nevertheless, and we've never been without the essentials.
I am big on shopping at Goodwill for the more expensive brands I could otherwise never afford. I never, ever buy boots or shoes used, though. I also shop sales - for instance, I got a few nice outfits at the JCPenney 4th of July sale. Some items were 90% off!
I also recommend keeping clothing to the minimum needed for your family. A limited amount of really nice pieces can make your kids look great all the time. It reduces clutter and laundry.
I see that you have a similar situation to mine. . .you have two dd the same age and then two little boys. I have one daughter and one son. It's not like they can share clothing! I have, however, passed down generic things like black snow pants, gray sweatshirts, etc.
I think lately our largest expense is shoes! Their feet are growing so fast. . .my daughter just outgrew a pair of sneakers she'd only had for about 5 weeks. There was wiggle room when we bought them! I try to buy mocks for my son, because he can also wear these to church.
If you are trying to make a budget, you might do a flat percentage of your income, like 2%. Or actually sit down and make a list of how many items each person really needs to have and what current prices are. Be sure to include the price of enough socks and underwear for each person. You could take the total and divide it by 12 for a monthly guideline.
__________________
--JennyMaine, Mom to Catherine (17) and Sam (15) "The countenance is a reflection of the soul. You should always have a calm and serene countenance." -- Therese of Lisieux
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Becky Parker
Forum All-Star
Joined: May 23 2005
Location: Michigan
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2582
|
| Posted: Aug 21 2007 at 6:02am | IP Logged
|
|
|
I just wanted to add that for us it helped cut down on cost by shopping only twice a year for clothes. I buy clothes in the fall and in the spring. Before buying and carefully decide what my kids REALLY need. (I like Rachel's guidelines above of 4 outfits and a church outfit! It seems that no matter how many outfits my kids have, they grab one of 3 or 4 favorites anyway!) Unless there is some sort of big event or something drastic happens, I don't even look at or think about buying new clothes at other times of the year. I know some people can buy ahead when items are cheaper, like summer clothes for next year at the end of the season when they are on sale. I have tried this, but I never know what sizes my kids will actually need.
I also try to buy good quality clothing for my older boys that can be passed down to the youngers. This doesn't necessarily mean more expensive though. My only dd can get away with clothing that is more cheaply made since she has no younger sisters.
__________________
Becky
Wife to Wes, Mom to 6 wonderful kids on Earth and 4 in Heaven!
Academy Of The Good Shepherd
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Bookswithtea
Forum All-Star
Joined: July 07 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2621
|
| Posted: Aug 21 2007 at 7:14am | IP Logged
|
|
|
I'm with Becky. We go through all the handmedowns and boxes twice a year, spring and fall, and I take detailed lists of what we have so that I can see what we really *need*. Then I start with used clothing stores first. I'm very picky about modesty though, so we usually end up having to buy some things new or by catalogue. I pay more for something that will be handed down a lot (3 girls in a row) than I do for my oldest who wears out clothes quickly.
We set aside a chunk of money from our tax return, 1/2 for Spring and 1/2 for fall clothing, and it has to cover everyone (in reality, it *never* covers completely). We have $100 a month in our budget that is meant to cover needs at Target type stores, hardware stores or auto parts stores. Sometimes it covers a pair of shoes or clothing I did not foresee or ran out of money for before the need was met.
__________________
Blessings,
~Books
mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and  due 9/10
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
TracyFD
Forum Pro
Joined: July 22 2006
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 313
|
| Posted: Aug 27 2007 at 10:28pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
My hand-me-down source dried up this year! Here's what we are trying - shoes from the Stride Rite Outlet and Land's End/L.L. Bean dresses from EBay. Not sure what to do about winter outerwear!
__________________
Tracy
Mom to 3 girly girls,
1 absent-minded professor, and one adorable toddling terrorist.
Pinewood Castle
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
KackyK
Forum All-Star
Joined: May 22 2007
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1811
|
| Posted: Aug 28 2007 at 8:37am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Yes...ebay can be a great source. My 2yold dd has bad eczema and needs 100% cotton clothing, but she can't be able to get at her legs during the night...or she ends up bloody in the morning  I have been able to find pjs with feeties, and 100% cotton only at Gap and Children's Place and Gymboree. I can find them on ebay for about $6 a piece, rather than $24!
Land's Ends overstocks is great! We have gotten a lot that way. I also think Target, when there is a sale, is great too. Sometimes their jeans brand (Gold something or another) can be like $7 for boys. Also, I don't know if you have ever done any JCPenney catalog shopping, but I get coupons from them about every three months or so for 40% (sometimes just 30%) off my entire order. This includes shoes!!! [and off topic...that includes curtains too...it's the only way we decorate here...with that coupon!]
__________________
KackyK
Mom to 8 - 3 dd, 5ds & 4 babes in heaven
Beginning With the Assumption
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
|
|
4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: clothing budgets
