Help me with boys winter clothing (how much do we NEED?)

[starwarsmomma]

I have 3 boys, my 2 younger kids have so many hand-me-downs that Fall/winter clothing is NOT a problem.

 

But my oldest is! We're on month 7 of unemployment, and I don't want to over buy (we're watching EVERY penny!), but I don't want him self-conscious either! (i had very little and was self conscious as a kid. I dont want him to go through that!)

 

He's the kind of kid that is so worried about our situation, he would NEVER ask for anything, no matter how much he wanted or need it.

 

I went through his clothes ahd here's what he has for this Fall/winter

 

Good coat, jacket, gloves, and 1 pair of long underwear (goes camping for scouts)

2 pair of jeans

4 long sleeve t-shirts

1 sweatshirt

2 "church" shirts

 

(Plenty of socks and underwear, etc...)

Just bought him shoes, so he's ok on that too.

 

 

I've always had hand me downs, garage sales, and a few resale shops in the past for the kids' clothing. We are not a "fancy label" family at all, but do try to make sure they have good fitting clothes that look acceptable. This is the first year my son has had so little, and it's worrying me.

 

We do live in Texas, so it's kinda wierd weather. Some years, you could wear shorts through most of the winter, and some years you need the heavy warm stuff!

 

We are homeschooling, so that helps a little, but I think he will want to wear his jeans when it's cold outside, that's just how he is...

 

What do ya'll think is a good amount of clothing? What should I focus on?

 

Normally, this is a no-brainer, but right now, I'm so stressed, I can't THINK.

 

Thanks so much ya'll!

[EarleneW]

I would think if you had enough for a week, you could get by. Old Navy has their kids jeans right now for $10 a pair I believe. Those are all 3 of my older kids favorites. Do you have any consignment shops near by?

[starwarsmomma]

I have two consignment stores, but last time I checked the prices were worse than walmart! LOL

 

I feel like I have stress related brain-freeze. LOL

 

Thanks!

[Old Dominion Heather]

I would think about where he is most likely to be around his peers, whether church of co-op and get him something he likes to wear. If he will be the only boy in jeans at church, I'd get him some khakis. I'd maybe get him another pair of jeans and another shirt. Buy the jeans slightly too long, he'll grow fast! Shop the back to school sales and you might be able to get all this for less than $25. Less if you shop Good-will. If you have access to several, go to one nearest a part of town with lots of young families.

[Legomom]

A comment re: jeans -- My kids always get holes in their jeans really easily, so if they don't have holes in them, I ask them to keep them for going out in public rather than playing at home. I have been patching the jeans that still fit them (you can get iron on patches at Walmart) to wear around the house -- don't know if your son might have some of these. That definitely helps with the clothing budget and also makes me feel better about waste since it is amazing to me how quickly they get holes.

 

My kids wear Tshirts all year round even when it is cold. They seem to be running around all of the time. I can't get them to wear sweaters or sweatshirts. I actually took a photo of my son wearing a sweatshirt the other day since he never wears them!

 

I actually like not having too many clothes. One of my sons has lots of hand-me-downs because he is smaller than his brother and I feel that I am doing a ton more laundry because of it. Good luck -- I definitely understand about not wanting him to be self-conscious -- I feel that being homeschoolers makes me more conscious of that as well as the fact that I didn't have many clothes when I was growing up.

[fairfarmhand]

I'd get him a hoodie or lightweight zip up jacket...he can wear that over his t-shirts and still be warm. I'd make sure he had 2 pair of good jeans and 2 pair of junky ones, total. You may need to wash everyday depending on what is going on that week. I'd get him a pair of khakis if that is what everyone else wears to church and another church shirt. You may be able to find some of this stuff at the Salvation army or goodwill. I've also noticed that the thrift stores in the worst parts of town have the best prices.

 

Would he wear sweat pants while at home? They might be cheaper than jeans for running around in the yard and house.

[Dobela]

If you are part of Freecycle you can also make requests there. I know I have in a pinch and ended up with play clothes. Just having play clothes was a big help. Since I only keep 2 'good' outfits it worked well for me. One year I was able to find those flannel sleep pants cheaply and my ds wore them at home every day. They were comfortable so that helped.

 

You could also discreetly ask about clothing. When you see families you know with kids dsimilar or just larger sizes, you could ask where they find their clothes and ask them to let you know of any good deals since he has outgrown most of last years clothing. You won't be asking for hand me downs, but you may be the blessed recipient anyway.

 

As far as consignment stores, they each have their own personality. One here sells worn WalMart clothes more expensively than WalMart did originally. She absolutely doesn't have a clue on prices and depends on her customers to not have a clue either. Another one that I do frequent always does comaprision shopping so most of her clothing is a good deal.

 

Oh, another idea for you - see if any of the consignment shops that have a good selection of boys clothing will give you store credit instead of a percentage of the sales. There is one store here that will do it if I ask. I get 100% of the price as a credit instead of 30-40%. I can only use that credit in that store but it was a better deal for me at the time because it had the styles and sizes I was needing for my dd. Maybe you could part with some of the better smaller sizes to get a store credit.

[CathyT]

If he can wear jeans to church, I think he has enough clothes. My sons have about the same amount of clothing that you wrote - I used to buy more but then realized that they wore their favorites over and over and just started to buy a lot lot less. And we survived and they are happy. And maybe it hels because they are not clothes horses at all and are so into comfort.

[amydavis]

I would want to have another pair of jeans, and maybe a pair of khakis for church or something that required a slightly dressier outfit. Personally, I would want a pair or two of sweat pants, for hanging out at home comfortably and preserving the jeans, since they mess them up so quickly. I would try to find one or two more sweatshirts, neat enough to be worn with jeans. I just would want to avoid the chance of repeating shirts too soon at the places we frequent, so as to avoid my child feeling uncomfortable. Also, for me, I would want a nice pull-over sweater, that could go with jeans or the khakis, depending on the situation.

[JoyfulMama]

I aim to make sure each of my kids have 2 church outfits, 2 "going out" outfits (co-op, errand day, etc) and then 3bottoms/6tops for staying home. I usually try to make bottoms pretty neutral, and when in doubt buy more shirts than bottoms. For winter, I like them to have 3 sweatshirts, but we live in a colder area.

Edited August 13, 2010 by JoyfulMama

[justamouse]

Go to the salvation army-I believe on Wednesdays they are 1/2 off all prices.

 

For all those people that are too good for the salvation army-I know one mom that supports her whole family on buying name brands from the salvation army on Wed. and reselling them on e-bay. I kid you not. SHe brings in over 1800 a month doing just that. Others I know pluck the antiques and resell them to stores.

 

If it bothers you, think of it as the ultimate Green thing to do. You're not supporting child labor in third world countries AND you're recycling. :D On sale days I get jeans for 1.50. Once I bought a Ralph Lauren hand knit sweater -WITH the $300 tag on-for, wait for it... 3.99.

Edited August 13, 2010 by justamouse

[2squared]

My boys get 5 pair of pants (combo of 1 khaki, 3 sweats, & 1 jean), five long sleeved tops, and two sweatshirts for winter. They receive one pair of winter pajamas for Christmas. So, your list would be almost complete for us!

 

I find that Walmart and Target clothes on sale are nearly the same price as Goodwill or thrift stores. If I buy at those stores, I don't waste gas and time running around to the various thrift stores which is a big bonus for me.

[Sherry in OH]

He needs enough clothing to last from laundry day to laundry day.

 

For my boys that means a minimum of

1 pair of khaki or dress pants for church

1 pair of pants for second best (khakis or jeans in good condition)

2-3 pair jeans or sweatpants for daily wear

 

6 long sleeved shirts (at least two of which are suitable for church)

1 hooded sweatshirt

 

3 sets of pajamas or additional sweatpants and t-shirts.

[Pretty in Pink]

I'd get more jeans/pants, whatever style he prefers. I've started the season with just 4 pairs before and built up to 7 as I am able, when money was tight.

 

You're in Texas, so provided his short sleeved shirts are still in good shape he could round out his wardrobe with some of those this winter with a warm hoodie or fleece to go over (and a hat/gloves/scarf for those few very chilly days). I see hoodies and fleece pullovers at Goodwill all the time, as well as sweats for pajamas.

[indigomama]

Yard sales! I get nearly all my kids' clothes at yard sales in the summer.

[texasmama]

What size is he? I am in Texas, too and will be going through my boys' clothing soon for fall/winter. We always have so much due to hand me downs (nice ones from rich cousins lol). Perhaps I have some things your son could use that are still very nice. My boys are younger but they are both very tall/big for their ages so I would imagine I have things in your son's size if he is an average sized child.

 

Also, if you want to get new clothes at good prices, watch the fliers and sales for back to school sales.

 

PM me if you'd like.:001_smile: