I wasn't into brands but went with quantity when shopping with my Mom. I would shop everywhere including Target/Walmart/Marshalls/Charolette Russe/Forever 21 etc. Funny enough my closet was raided by all my friends whose parents made way more than mine. I do remember being in 8th grade and dying for a pair of Lucky jeans. We went to the Buckle and I just couldn't ask my Mom to spend that much on one pair of jeans, went across the street to Marshalls and found like 4 pairs for 25.00, my Mom bought every pair and still saved from what the one pair was. I still love to shop but I'm all about finding the bargains.
I wore uniforms from grades 1-12, but even then, it mattered a lot.
In grades 7-8, wearing Doc Maartens was the thing you HAD to do.
In high school, it was "cool" to get knee socks (we could wear whatever knee socks we wanted with our uniform) from a certain local boutique where they were really pricey. I always asked for knee socks for Christmas gifts.
My 6 year old is already starting to pick out his own stuff and it's not necessarily what I like. My mom always tried to buy me the cheaper stuff and tell me it was the same. I hated it. My dad would just take me to The Gap and I got less things for the same money but that was my choice and he let me make it. It's important. This is the stage where they are creating their own separate identity from their parents (usually the same as all the other kids! Ha!) but to stifle it or diminish it can be a bigger deal than parents realize. Another thing my dad did was if I wanted something expensive (Dr. Marten boots, anyone?) I had to pay for half with my own money. I think this eliminated me choosing expensive crap I didn't care much about and also taught me a good money lesson.
My mom started giving me a budget as of grade 5 or 6 and I was allowed to choose my school clothes. It wasn't a ton of money but I was always able to get one or two cool things along with some basics. I think I will do things similarly when my kids are old enough to care.
Totally important. I will definitely sacrifice stuff for myself for my kids to have (as my mom did for me). It is harder now tbough imo. Back in my day it was Guess and umbro, but I know in schools today (here in south Florida anyway) it is Tory burch and Louis Vuitton. Thankfully I have boys, but I even felt bad with the whole $300 baseball bat discussion. Not in our budget and the kids now don't know the difference but how long until they do.
Oh Maco bats or however you spell it. My 11 year old begged us for one. He says all the kids have them. we told him we will once season gets started. turns out 2 kids on the team have them and everyone uses them so he didn't need it. THank GOD because I am afraid I would have folded and got it
I learned what "name brand" was in 5th grade. I thought for sure this pair of shoes I convinced my grandma to buy me at Kmart were the cool Cortez that everyone was wearing at school. Hell no, those big bo bo white boats were NOT and the kids let me know. I was so ashamed and embarrassed, but up to that point I had no idea. It gave me a complex of not fitting in and it took me long into adult years to not be bothered by brand perception because my parents couldn't afford what everyone else had.
It's unfortunate, but it is a reality.
I remember Tretorn sneakers were big for a year or two. and my mom bought me a pair on clearance and I remember that they were different from the ones everyone else had. and just like your school they let me know
You know whats funny, you'd think the more affluent areas would be bigger on brand names, but my childhood clothing experience was the opposite.
The summer before 4th grade I moved from a super affluent school (I was poor, but had transferred in) to a lower middle class school. I walked in with my matchy seersucker shorts/tank top set and a big bow... got bullied terribly for the first few weeks until I could convince my mom to take me to Limited Too for some bellbottom jeans and tight t shirts with bratty sayings and clunky Doc Marten leather sandals.
I think the rich people were more controlling and kept their kids dressed like kids longer. I'm sure by middle school they would have been just as bad about teasing.
I needed guess jeans, and esprit clothes and bookbag, and benetton clothes. OMG and when my mother told me she wasn't paying for a little symbol on my clothes I was devastated.
Post by lovelyshoes on May 3, 2016 11:59:28 GMT -5
So important at that age. I didn't have them when I was in junior high and I was made fun of for some of the things I wore. I never told my parents because I didn't want to upset them. I remember getting clogs and a bomber jacket in high school and being So happy. We had kids with such nice wardrobes in junior high and high school. Even now as an adult I think that was nuts. I remember one girl talking about having $100 of petty cash for "necessities."
And kids care way earlier now. My son was teased for wearing new balance sneakers in first grade. The cool boys wore Nikes. He has asked for Lebrons and those are $95 hahahahahha Nope. We looked at air Jordan's and those are over 130. And some kids have several pairs, several? Who's buying these for their kids? It's blows my mind. I want him to be happy and feel good and all that, but not at those prices and how fast they get outgrown.
I will never forget begging - like, practically crying outside Contempo - when I was in 7th grade for a pair of Girbaud jeans. They were these dark green velvety atrocities that I just HAD to have and we did not have the money for them. My mom finally broke down and bought them for me. I wore them until the fabric started to disintegrate. When I got a pair of REAL Converse for Christmas one year, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. I rarely wore the "cool" stuff, and if I did, it was borrowed from someone else or a birthday/Christmas gift from grandparents. It's important, I think. I have no idea what's cool now these days, I buy whatever's on sale at ON or Sears, lol.
Post by thebreakfastclub on May 3, 2016 12:22:56 GMT -5
This thread reminded me of when Dirty Dancing came out and everyone had Keds. I wanted them so badly, but there was no way my mom was spending $30 or whatever they were for canvas shoes. You got one pair of shoes for school, and they had better last through the winter.
Then the most popular girl in my class (who was a pre-teen model, A+ student, and even really nice to everyone) had 2 pairs of Keds - one black and one white. I could not conceive of such a world where one received 2 pairs of Keds, lol.