Back to school shopping....

Question

My kids are 6 and 10. They need just about everything this year, nothing from last year fits anymore. How do you figure out what to start out with, do you buy for the whole year before school starts or just summer clothes to start? How many pair of shoes and what types? What do you start with? About how much do you end up spending? Do you go to different stores or just one for everything? Please help, my husband is trying to be cheap, I just want to have an idea of what most people do.

Answer 1

buy about a weeks worth of clothes. like 7 shrts, and 7 bottoms.  that way, they can  have 5 days of clothes without repeating and 2 outfits to mix in.

only buy for the fall because they will likely get too small before next spring. get mostly pants, and maybe 1 skirt/shorts, because before too long, the weather will be to cold for those items.

buy mostly short sleaves because they can layer their items with a jacket when the weather cools down. Buy several items that can be mixed and matched to make it look like they have more outfits.

Wait till the end of fall to buy them a heavy coat, maybe on black friday. when sales are good.

your kids are young so going to one store is probably ok if you can find everyting there. its when they get older that they want more of a variety. now is a good time to buy because of all the sales. look in your sunday paper for coupons and discounts.

I usually spend around $200 on each child.

Answer 2

well okay....just buy clothes for the summer because at that age by the time winter comes around they will allready be bigger....for the shoes get a pair of sneakers and then a pair of flip flops and something comphy to wear. go get some say 7 pants for each kid then go to the shirts find three shirts that match with each jeans that way you can make more than one outfit...it might reach 200$ per child but it will be worth it...dont go to any where to fancy because they will go though them fast.

Answer 3

Well, are they boys or girls? I usually end up buying about 3 pairs of jeans, 2 sweatpants for gym days, 8 tees, a couple sweatshirts, a jean skirt and a few fashion tops for each of my girls. Shoes.. 1 pair of sneakers, 1 or 2 dress casual.  I wait till Oct to do the winter coat and sweaters. I also get a white long sleeve tee to go under their short sleeve tees as the weather changes.

I buy jeans soley from Old Navy. They are about $13. each on sale. I shop at Limited too for my youngest for everything else (on the sale rack) and use Too Bucks (when they kick in) for the coats (which is usually early Oct). My oldest likes abercrombie kids and you can get knits and tees there in the sale section for under $15 a piece. You can also get sweatshirts for your oldest there for $20 a piece. I know it's a trendy shop but those sweatshirts are the thickest and best quality I have come across. I can't say the same for their tee shirts.

Good Luck!

Edit: If you have girls- here are some tips: limited too has tees on sale 2 for $15.00 each. justice4girls.com has tees on sale 2 for 12.50 each.

Old navy, like i said.. on sale $13.00 each. Jeans skirts or skorts - get them at target - they all look the same (get some different knee high socks *currently in style* to match their different tees). For the oldest, hollister and abercrombie both have sweatpants and sweatshirts for under $22. You can find a long sleeve white tee almost anywhere.

Answer 4

My kids wear uniforms which makes it easier, I buy shorts, skirts and capris at first, then a few pair of long pants. I get the girls 1 pair of sneakers and 1 pair of dressy shoes - my son gets 1 pair of sneakers.  

Answer 5

I am the ultimate penny pincher! Since we move around so often we are forever having to update school uniforms.

I always check out the local second hand store before school starts, I have been amazed over the years by the great quality, if of course I was lucky to find the sizes I needed. My next port of call is the school uniform shop (if the school has one). They usually sell second hand uniforms too in differing qualities. So I buy my kids one "new" uniform each and a couple of second hand sets...I worked out this year I saved over $120 in uniforms alone.

Shoes, well I only buy them as I need them as kids feet grow so quick. I do however take advantage of stores like Rivers Seconds stores and Kmart who have the "if they wear out before the kids grow out of them" policy. Always keep the receipts! lol. We have not been to a school yet that doesn't require uniforms, but I guess if we were to, then I would just buy as the seasons changed, I'm not a big fan of stockpiling clothes.

We DID do the whole shop around thing last year when it came to filling out the class book lists. We found that certain newsagents and supply stores were cheaper on certain items. Again we saved nearly $50 just by shopping around for pencils, books, and stuff. This year we just went to the one book store that our school recommended and paid them to put together the book pack...really lazy, and seriously it wasnt worth the money!

I think each family needs to do what works for them. Time and budget constraints decide ultimately how you provide your kids schooling needs throughout the year.

You do what is least stressful, and more sensible to you matey.

Answer 6

Do what works for you. make a list for each kid. Get some clothes to get them started. Kids will go to school and see someone wearing something and either have it or want it so let them go to school and then go back shopping. As far as school supplies go, just get what they need and maybe a couple of special things. kids love to have special things that others dont have. For clothes i would make sure they have everyday shoes, sandles, and dress shoes. make sure they have enough clothes so they dont wear the same outfit too close together, kids can be so mean in school even at young ages.