Back to school clothes shopping

[waverly]

When I was a kid, all the other kids (it seemed anyway) did a big back to school shopping trip in August for clothes.

We did ours in September, so no new clothes for the start of school which always bummed me out, and it was for my birthday and Christmas.  I got clothes as presents, which I still do give sometimes to my kids, but now I am looking back it's more like a wardrobe for your kid is more a need rather than a present.

So anyway, this is just explaining that I have no back to school clothes shopping experience, and since my kids were young and grew out of things at different rates, I was doing more of a fall/ spring shopping.  Seasonal shopping and going up a size.

I am just wondering what do other people do I guess maybe when the growth starts to even out.  Do you buy clothes for the whole year in August as back to school?  Different time of the year?  Several times a year?  And what does your shopping list look like?  I mean I know pants, shirts, etc.  But do are you looking for specific things, types of shoes, etc.?  Where do you like to shop? 

I was shopping at Kohls and Target on their cards, but then DH was not paying them off and incurring late fees, so I switched to Once Upon a Child, but I mean I can't buy used clothes forever for them.  They have less and less for DS, and I partly feel good for saving money but bad because DH is buying all this nice stuff, and I am buying used clothes for them - of course most of them look nice and new though.  And I get a ton for like $50.  

[erbear]

I buy clothes when they need them throughout the year. I don't "back to school" shop. When the seasons change, I go through their stuff, donate what doesn't fit, figure out if they need more of something, and buy it.

[mommyatty]

My kids wear uniforms, so there’s that. And I did too for jr high and high school.

I would maybe get a couple of new things for back to school and then buy throughout the year. And after Once Upon a Child comes Plato’s Closet! I get the cutest stuff for my kids at resale shops!

[justcheckingin73]

I typically buy them clothes as needed throughout the year. Last year I made the mistake of buying DS some jeans in August and by the time it was cold enough to wear them, he had outgrown them. I will probably buy them a few new summery outfits/pieces before school starts but nothing huge. DD is the one who really needs more school appropriate clothes. 

We have gone to the outlet mall for the last couple of years - although I don’t think outlet malls are what they used to be - still a lot of $$$ for these brand names. But they have an Aeropostale and Nike store which DD likes. For DS, I will shop at Target, Gap, Old Navy, sometimes Kohl’s.

[k3am]

mommyatty and anyone else with kids wearing uniforms..

Suggestions on where/how much to buy?

We only need to buy plaid jumpers/dresses/skirts at the uniform store, the rest can come from anywhere. DD is tall and thin and can't stand anything scratchy.

We are navy for skirts, slacks or shorts, white or burgundy with a collar for blouses. 100% of DD's wardrobe now is dresses, but I'm hesitant to buy the plaid dresses because they're $$$ and I'm pretty sure the reason she likes dresses now is because they're soft and twirly, and the ones on the site.. don't appear that way.

[waverly]

Hmm maybe it starts when the kids are older then. Or maybe things have changed where more people do the shop throughout the year rather than just once a year thing.

[waverly]

Jul 24, 2018 15:44:14 GMT -5 mommyatty said:

My kids wear uniforms, so there’s that. And I did too for jr high and high school.

I would maybe get a couple of new things for back to school and then buy throughout the year. And after Once Upon a Child comes Plato’s Closet! I get the cutest stuff for my kids at resale shops!

Yeah I feel cheap, but I do actually really like the selection at OUAC for DD.  They have tons of those cotton dresses that kids can play in as opposed to the frilly dresses.  I actually wouldn't mind some in my size. 

[k3am]

My mom did the once a year thing and I hated it. She set a budget, saved up, shopped sales, and literally bought EVERYTHING right before fall and right before spring semesters. If it got ruined or damaged in between? Too bad. Outgrew it? Too bad. Lost it? Too bad. The only things she made exceptions for were shoes and underwear. Most clothes were bought too big so I'd have "room to grow."

Adult me realizes... we were on a very limited budget and she did what she could with the time/money she had. Young/spoiled/selfish me really disliked it.

I buy my kids stuff sporadically when/if they need something and it works fine.

[waverly]

k3am, I get it. Young selfish me saw my friends parents spending $800-$1000 on them on clothing before the beginning of the school year, and me not having anything new to go to school in. And now I realize that the birthday and Christmas thing was to save money too, and so my Grandparents could help us out with essentials.


I think maybe 1 new outfit for summer season for school, and just buy through the year. mommyatty, great idea on Plato's closet. I've always been meaning to go. Sometimes it is nice to have an alternative when we aren't really jiving on the styles in the stores that year. Like some years in the stores are a good year, and some years I hate everything.

[sdlaura]

I have fond memories of back to school shopping with my mom and sister. But we don’t do it either. I’m in San Diego and Sept and Oct are our warmest months, so we keep wearing summer stuff. I never really take the kids clothes shopping - I just order online or pick up clothes when I’m at target or whatever.

[mae0111]

Jul 24, 2018 15:55:06 GMT -5 k3am said:

mommyatty and anyone else with kids wearing uniforms..

Suggestions on where/how much to buy?

We only need to buy plaid jumpers/dresses/skirts at the uniform store, the rest can come from anywhere. DD is tall and thin and can't stand anything scratchy.

We are navy for skirts, slacks or shorts, white or burgundy with a collar for blouses. 100% of DD's wardrobe now is dresses, but I'm hesitant to buy the plaid dresses because they're $$$ and I'm pretty sure the reason she likes dresses now is because they're soft and twirly, and the ones on the site.. don't appear that way.

Not sure about how much as it’s our first year, but I bought logo’d polos, chino shorts, and gym uniforms at Lands End. I used a 40% off coupon and ebates. DD1 will start wearing the plaids in October (when we switch out the warm weather uniform for cold), and DD2 will wear the gym uniform every day for K this year (next year she will start wearing plaids).

I’m sure I bought too much. 4 jumpers and 3 short sleeve tops, one long sleeve. A gym uniform. 4 polos and shorts. So at least I’m ok if I don’t get to laundry.

[mommyatty]

I recommend 6 tops and 4 bottoms: 5/3 for rotation and 1 of each to keep in her bag in case of accidents/spills/kid behavior that leads to a clothes change.

And I wouldn’t splurge on the plaid until you see what everyone else is wearing. They get really funny about wearing the same uni as their friends. Like in pre-k, the jumper was all that and a bag of chips, but in K after Christmas it was babyish. Only skirts and shorts would do.

[erinshelley21]

I buy throughout the year right now and will probably keep doing it that way. We run errands with my mom a lot and she likes to buy them clothes so it works out.

Another cheaper option is buy/sell groups on FB for some of the nicer areas around you. There's a county south of us that is known for being the nicest in the state. I'm part of a couple there and have seen some great items for reasonable prices.

[rere]

Jul 24, 2018 15:55:06 GMT -5 k3am said:

mommyatty and anyone else with kids wearing uniforms..

Suggestions on where/how much to buy?

We only need to buy plaid jumpers/dresses/skirts at the uniform store, the rest can come from anywhere. DD is tall and thin and can't stand anything scratchy.

We are navy for skirts, slacks or shorts, white or burgundy with a collar for blouses. 100% of DD's wardrobe now is dresses, but I'm hesitant to buy the plaid dresses because they're $$$ and I'm pretty sure the reason she likes dresses now is because they're soft and twirly, and the ones on the site.. don't appear that way.

I buy enough uniform shirts for the week, since my kids usually come home with catchup of some sort on their front, ds one time on his back? We can get by with 3 pairs or pants shorts if need be, they can usually get 2 days out of those. Dd wore the dresses in Kindergarten and maybe 1st, but they were totally uncool after that.

She just tried on the shorts I bought last spring, and they are too small, along with the pants that were way too big last year. Sigh.

[divanerd]

My son wears a uniform...I buy clothes when needed.

[ilovelucyvv]

Typically I buy staples like pants and shorts twice a year, some shirts and dresses during that period too, plus more shirts and dresses within the next few months after that. I buy new but shop sales and I think that is fine because the clothes get worn a lot.

My DD is going to start wearing a uniform when she starts K next month. They have a used uniform closet at school so I bought a bunch of used plaid jumpers, white shirts, and gym uniforms on the cheap. Their dress code is really strict so anything else I have to buy will have to be from Flynn and Ohara, which is a uniform store.  I have 5 jumpers, 4 long sleeve shirts, 4 short sleeve shirts, 3 gym uniforms (they have gym twice a week), and one cardigan.  I probably wouldn't have bought that much if I had to pay full price and I will probably still have to buy some more white shirts at some point.  They are required to carry around a spare set of clothes in their backpack at all times so that was something else I considered.

Not sure how much clothes I will have to buy her in addition to that. She will definitely need stuff for soccer practice and for on the weekends.

[twinmomma]

My mom would buy me a new outfit or two for the first week of school. But she was adamant that we didn't do the big back to school shopping trip until a couple weeks in to school so I could see what people were wearing. She knew if we went shopping and then it wasn't "cool enough" she'd never hear the end of it so we waited a couple weeks. Granted, I never actually got to shop at the cool stores like Abercrombie anyway... But at least I could find similar styles at cheaper stores. lol

Right now my sister tends to stock us up for birthday and Christmas gifts. She shops end of season deals and gives us a huge bag of fall/winter stuff at their spring birthday. Then does the alternate for Christmas. I pack it away in tubs to prep us for the next season. It's pretty awesome. I actually rarely buy my kids clothes right now. She knows they're getting tons of toys and junk from everyone else, so she goes practical for the gifts. DH and I really appreciate it. And she's a master sale shopper. This year, she found shirt/pant combo sets at Walmart for $1 each!

[covergirl82]

I like to snag some deals now and in August. Old Navy usually has some good deals - many items $10 or less. We're going to be by an outlet mall on Labor Day weekend and they should have good sales, so we'll do some shopping then and let the kids pick some things out. If we shop too early, they don't have enough long sleeve shirts, sweatshirts, and pants, which is what we need in MI. I do shop throughout the year, but usually wait for sales around Black Friday, after Christmas, and before Spring Break.

For DS, we generally shop at Old Navy and Under Armor, but get some basics (mostly bottoms, but some tops) at TCP and OshKosh. DS likes athletic clothes.
For DD, we generally shop at Old Navy, Justice, OshKosh, and Kohls. I don't really know how to classify DD's style, lol.

[phdmomma]

We don't, we went school supply shopping, but that's about it. I typically buy things throughout the year on sale in the current or next size up depending on seasonality. And then rotate out clothing when it gets too small. I actually need to do that for DD right now, a bunch of her PJs are looking small.

[2chatter]

We do a “back to school outfit” for each kid and close wardrobe gaps. Generally one other “cute outfit”.

Yesterday I bought DS two performance material shirts, 14yoDD five pairs of black leggings in various lengths, two bralettes and middle DD two pairs of shorts and two sleeveless shirts. Last week I bought their desired brand sports socks in bulk (they have to have different brands to keep me sane as mid calf socks all look too similar - so DS is Nike, DD is Adidas and oldest is UA) and new tennis shoes (DS’ feet are now bigger than DD’s - she got boys Adidas Sambas, so I could compare apples and apples).

Hoping to knock out outfits on vaca or the week after because school starts then!

[mellym]

I've never taken DD1 shopping to pick out her own clothes. She might be getting to the age where that starts but she typically doesn't care what she wears. She still lets me pick out her outfit every morning. I mostly shop online or Target throughout the year when they need the next size and there are good deals. I'll probably buy her a new outfit for her first day of school.

[helenahhandbasket]

I buy throughout the year. The last 2 years that she has been in elementary school we have gotten her a special outfit for the first day. I did the same this year-- I ordered her a really cute dress from Zulily.

It stays pretty warm here until beginning of October (and sometimes until end of October!) so I think we can get away with leggings, a few pairs of jeans and layering a sweatshirt over a tee. Her spring/ fall coat from last school year still fits too, so that will help.

The only thing I am still looking at getting before school starts in September is a good pair of sneakers. She has a cheap pair that she's been wearing all summer that I don't mind tossing after camp is over, but I wanted to buy at least one "nicer"pair that will hold up better for school.

I have a lot of stuff I need to go through / give away because she's gotten really tall. I cut most of her jeans into shorts (waist is still a good fit). We don't really have anyone to give away to- what are you all doing about hand me downs?

[186momx]

I buy off and on when I can find deals. We tend to wear summer clothes for the first 6 weeks of school anyways so no need for any cute fall clothes in August when it is 80+ degrees out and the schools don't have AC.
DD loves jeans and I found some last spring on clearance in 7Slim for $2 each so she has a couple to wear if the weather turns cold. We also wear t-shirts year round so her wardrobe is really versatile. DD also gets lots of clothes as gifts.

waverly, I would check out the clearance racks now for next summer. I'm guessing you could kind of figure out what size for shorts and t-shirts. I'm going to be looking for shorts for DD since her 4-5 she has worn for 3 years will be way too short by next summer.

[covergirl82]

helenahhandbasket, because I can't do sibling hand-me-downs and no local friends or family have kids a little younger than ours, I take gently used/sellable clothes to 2 consignment stores (plus OUAC if I get desperate - they've been super picky lately) or sell on my local FB yard sale group. For any stained/ripped clothes, I take those to a local community service center that takes clothes in any condition.

[phdmomma]

helenahhandbasket, they go to family members with younger kids. Before that,, I sold stuff on thredup and the rest went to the goodwill.

[keh2oblue]

I take my kids shopping for a “first day” outfit, but that’s it. Everything else is purchased on sale and when they need it.

[sandandsea]

I still buy a size up when things are on clearance and mix them into the rotation as he grows into them or needs new stuff. It feels like clothes for fine one month and then suddenly they’re both in the next size in a matter of weeks Ds1 is 6.5 and would likely die if I made him go clothes shopping as I’ve bought everything online his entire life (tcp, old navy, crazy 8, etc). Ds2 is 2 and mostly wears ds1’s hand me downs with a few new additions mixed in (bought online). I think it’s mostly because they are young and boys that it doesn’t matter. I remember really caring about it around 2nd grade and dh remembers knowing the exact shoes he wanted every year in high school. Apparently that’s what matters to boys of a certain age.

[abs]

DD does not love school and always dreads going back. She loves shopping and clothes though so I always let her choose a first day of school outfit. She also gets new tennis shoes, a new water bottle, and a few fun school supplies. Otherwise I just shop as needed. I do try to stock up on leggings and a light weight jacket by September. Otherwise it’s hard to find actual fall clothes by the time we need them. (Generally it’s only cool here from November-February).