Room in the budget for handmade/organic/sustainable school clothes?

[carfreemama]

I'm hoping this is okay posted here.

I've been thinking about whether my clearance-aisle shopping "expertise" is really reflecting my values and the things I want to teach dd. We go to great lengths to buy local/sustainably grown food. Clothes? I've been slipping A LOT. Once upon a time, I would never go inside a mall and shop at places like Gap. I stil buy lots of stuff second-hand, but not everything. I have already found, for example, 3 cordouroy/velour fall/winter skirts for dd and a hoodie; each for $5. Apparently it's because they are from an old "season." Honestly, dd is 6! She has fashion seasons? The clothes are beautiful.

I love to shop. And at these prices, dd has lots of clothes. But...I seem to have stopped caring about where and how the clothes were made. And I'm afraid I'm giving dd the impression that just because something is cheap, we can buy more than we need.

So I have 2 questions. One, how many clothes do you think your kid needs for fall? How many hoodies, sweaters, skirts, dresses, underwear, etc.?

Second, I have about a $300 budget for school clothes for dd. I know it sounds like a ton of money and that doesn't have to cover things like a snowsuit or footwear. It doesn't even have to last all year.

I've started pricing handmade clothes on Etsy. A hand-knit sweater costs $50 US. A wonderful up-cycled skirt costs $38. Then, since we're in Canada I pay extra for shipping and a small exchange-rate fee. For example, today I bought a fleecy with a screen print listed on Etsy for $18. By the time I paid shipping, etc. it came in at $31.

There are a few other avenues, like Mountain Equipment Coop; a good organic hoodie is on sale there for $16.

We are in good shape financially, but there isn't an infinite amount of cash. I would just like to switch my mindset back to local/sustainable clothing and less of it. I can get some of it at craft fairs here and still do the bulk of my shopping second-hand. But when I want special things, how do I do it? Does anyone else try to work this into their budget, for themselves and/or their children?

Oh, FWIW, the lady who listed the sweater has a program where, when your child outgrows it, you can send it back and she will rework it for $15-$20. She wants to encourage people to buy high-quality clothes and not just toss them or buy more (and obviously, it's good for her business)! I think that's pretty great!

[chely7425]

My kids are younger than yours but we don't have a lot of clothes. Right now they have 3 pairs of shorts, 3 pairs of pants, a couple hoodies and a corduroy jacket each. They have a lot of t shirts (both long and short sleeved) but that is because they wear mostly those and diapers around the house, and they often wear them as jammies. We do buy most of our clothes from places like Target simply because that is what fits in our budget. At the moment though DS2 rarely gets new clothes, he just gets hand me downs from DS1.

[carfreemama]

Thanks for the reply. I think dd has way too much. And on top of it, we are such a messy and disorganized family! It's time for a less-is-more approach. I have zero problem with people buying what fits into their budget, or even with the stores per se. I guess I'm just feeling that because we do have some extra money, I could and should be using it to support local and sustainable businesses where I can. I'm not sure anyone would be able to clothe their family strictly with handmade items, unless they made them themselves. But I am trying to figure out if I can spend the same money and just buy fewer things, maybe supporting a WAH business or two. It'll be interesting to try and wean dd off some of the excess. I've had several parents tell me how she's the "best dressed kid in her class." Though I really don't spend a ton of money. I'm just good at clearance/second-hand shopping. But I feel like I've lost sight of the impact all that shopping is having, like I've started shopping just for the sake of it and because I can.

But really, she already has 3 fall skirts, a few pairs of pants, lots of short and long-sleeve tops, 4 or 5 dresses, a couple of hoodies and several warm sweaters...and dh has told me I can go ahead and *start* back-to-school shopping. Yikes!

[sanguine_speed]

[justmama]

I buy used. Quite plain and simple. It fits in my budget as a single mom to 3 little girls and it appeases the part of me that wants to shun society for it's fossil-fuel-guzzling-mcmansion-buying-consumeristic-BS attitude towards life. I'm real sweet and lovable that way. Used at a consignment shop is cheap and it is reusing items that otherwise would hit our landfills. Yes it's not wahm or handmade goods most of the time but you'd be surprised how many times I find organic cotton clothing and wool sweaters and such for my daughters. It's great stuff for cheap just because it's used and donated. And I'm picky. I want them looking good too so I shop consignment and thrift stores. And last year my daughter's preschool teacher told me she was the best-dressed kid in the class, always so cute and well put together. A friend of mine told me she didn't know how I bought such beautiful clothing on my budget.

[Chamomile Girl]

I'm learning how to sew for just this reason. That way I can make the clothes he does have last longer by tweaking what he already has to make it longer...or shorter...to fit the seasons. I'm also hoping that by making his clothes I will get less frustrated not being able to find the kind of styles I like at regular stores. Boy clothes are usually super ugly.

[chely7425]

Originally Posted by Chamomile Girl

I'm learning how to sew for just this reason. That way I can make the clothes he does have last longer by tweaking what he already has to make it longer...or shorter...to fit the seasons. I'm also hoping that by making his clothes I will get less frustrated not being able to find the kind of styles I like at regular stores. Boy clothes are usually super ugly.

This is why I want to learn to sew!

[Smithie]

I buy used when I can (two big consignment sales a year), but the biggest way that I feel I can live my values in kid-clothes buying is to not have too much and to be conscientious about getting the stuff we're done with that hasn't been wrecked back into the used-clothing food chain.

That said, Hanna leggings at Costco? MIL bought them in every color, and I'm thrilled! All I have to do is score some nice sweaters at the fall tag sale, and my 4 y.o. can mix and match herself into a frenzy all winter long.

[Callimom]

I'm paring back on my kids clothes because they really dont wear a lot of it.

We homeschool so the back to school thing isn't a big deal for us except for my boys (I buy the khaki pants that always go on sale this time of year for uniforms - they become their dress pants) I digress..lol For fall clothes I'm looking at something like this for my girls:

5 pair of pants - 2 jeans/khakis, 1 somewhat dressy pair, 2 pair of jersey/yoga type pants

3 skirts - 1 dressy, 2 nice but casual (all very plain so it is easy to mix and match)

2 or 3 dresses - one jumper style, one nicer one and maybe I'll make her a simple one cozy one like this

1 nice blouse (probably white)

4 or 5 sweaters/hoodies - 1 or 2 that are "nice" and the rest that are for every day wear. We keep the house cool so being able to layer is important.

5 or 6 tops - this may not be enough - my kids are messy eaters and I am always consigning another shirt to the "for play only" pile but it's not hard to pick up more at the thrift store if we need it.

2 light fleece jackets/hoodies - again for in house layering and outside use

1 heavier fleece or fleece lined jacket

1 outdoor weight vest

1 rain coat

couple each of t-shirts/undershirts, tights, long johns/leggings and pjs for layering and warmth

1 pair good shoes
1 pair nice casual shoes
1 pair running shoes
1 pair hiking boots
1 pair rain boots

plus all the snow garb.

I shop almost exclusively at thrift and consignment stores. I buy very classic simple lines and fabrics for the most part.
I also make clothes for the kids - mostly simple skirts, simple knit sweaters, pjs etc.

My goal is to have enough to make it through a week of no laundry if we hit a bad patch but little enough that they actually wear it all regularly before they outgrow it.

[lmonter]

I'm more of a consignment sale gal, honestly. Everybody has their own way of shopping. But. I have boys. Why on earth would I spend $40-$60 for a pair of jeans for my 6yo that he's going to blow the knees out of anyway? And I have three more kids to recycle those clothes through, patches and all. So I hit all the consignment sales I can (and even have friends on the lookout for me in different towns!) and get pants/jeans for $2-$10/pop, shirts for $.50-$4, that kind of thing. Nor do I refuse freebies - I can use or pass those things on.

As the kids are older and not getting food or mud on their clothes every time they breathe (ugh, my toddler's a disaster with wanting to feed herself yogurt lately), they're getting fewer clothes. My 6yo has something like... 4-6 pairs of jeans in each size (we're in size 8 now), 3-4 pairs of shorts, 8-12 short sleeved shirts, 8-12 long sleeved shirts, 3-4 sets of pajamas, underwear, socks, 2-4 sweatshirts, 1 good winter coat, snowpants, one pair of boots (good in snow, rain and mud), one pair of sneakers, one pair of sandals. Oh, and two swim trunks that I've paid $3 total for. Granted, we homeschool so I don't so much have to worry about a school wardrobe per se, but still. I like my kids to look somewhat nicely put together and not tattered. Each kiddo has one dresser for all their clothes, and that's it. I try not to go overboard because we have so many kids in a house that doesn't magically get bigger and I'm having issues getting organized as it is. Big poofy things like the recycled-through-each-kid Halloween costumes and snowpants and winter coats go in the closet. I have all the in-rotation stuff for 4 kids one bedroom (along with a twin/full bunk bed), and four 18-gal Rubbermaid totes with the next size up in a corner of the guest room closet - one for each kid.

I have found the occasional Blue Canoe and Hanna Andersson shirt for my girl at consignment sales, but the other brand name stuff is what will resell when we're done, honestly. Can't beat using something through 4 kids and then being able to sell it for half of what you paid.... Oh, and while I'm a fan of organic cotton whathaveyou, we just can't afford it. Personally, right now, I'm more concerned with what goes *into* these little bodies I'm in charge of because I figure that has a bigger effect on their health than a particular kind of clothing.

[carfreemama]

Thanks for the input, everyone! I kind of feel bad and silly posting this, when I see so many other mamas wondering how they're going to get theik kiddos the things they need.

I guess I was just looking at our situation and wondering if I could use our money better; realizing how I've become really cavalier about buying things because I see how cheap they are. Now I'm wondering if I've taken a wrong turn. Ironically, I find it harder to get to thrift stores because we don't have a car. I'd love to find some on-line second-hand options. Anyone have any? We live in NS, so a wide range of clothes is necessary here, too.

MEC is in some ways one of our best options if we want to buy new, I think. I know there are a ton of limitations, but at least they screen for some of the worst excesses and do work towards providing organic clothes that aren't prohibitively expensive. Maybe I can try harder to find friends who sew and start bartering. It's mostly the chasm between our consciousness around food and my un-consciousness around clothes that I'm realizing. I would love for dd to have a few very special things. Honestly, I can spot the hand-made sweater or dress from across a playground and I feel, what a lucky kid!

Oh, and I LOVE that Land's End dress. I'm impressed you can make something like that, Karenwith4!

[mamadelbosque]

I buy all of the boys' clothes used. All of themm. Mostly from the goodwill - you just have to go a lot for good prices And be willing to leave stuff there thats too much till it gets knocked down to half off...

In general though, I try to have 2 outfits (shirt, pants/shorts) for every day of the week (10-14 in all), and maybe half as many hoodies/sweat shirts, as ds1 is just 3 and thus tends to use a lot of clothes playing outside/getting wet/etc.

[smokeylo]

Originally Posted by justmama

I buy used. Quite plain and simple.

[VisionaryMom]

I'm more into buying used as well. I think from a sustainability standpoint, used is better than buying new, even if it's local & organic. The used item already has been made. Plus I try to balance my purchase with my charitable contributions. I volunteer a lot at our local women's shelter, and they are frequently in need of toiletry & kitchen items. I pick up things a couple of times a month, but if I were paying $50 for one sweater for DD, then I couldn't provide very necessary supplies to women who are homeless. So that's the thinking that affects my buying patterns.

CFM, I also have a problem with buying tons when something is cheap. I've had to make a conscious decision not to visit stores (Target) with $1 bins and super-cheap clearance unless I absolutely need something from that store.

[confustication]

Originally Posted by justmama

I buy used. Quite plain and simple. It fits in my budget as a single mom to 3 little girls and it appeases the part of me that wants to shun society for it's fossil-fuel-guzzling-mcmansion-buying-consumeristic-BS attitude towards life. I'm real sweet and lovable that way. Used at a consignment shop is cheap and it is reusing items that otherwise would hit our landfills. Yes it's not wahm or handmade goods most of the time but you'd be surprised how many times I find organic cotton clothing and wool sweaters and such for my daughters. It's great stuff for cheap just because it's used and donated. And I'm picky. I want them looking good too so I shop consignment and thrift stores. And last year my daughter's preschool teacher told me she was the best-dressed kid in the class, always so cute and well put together. A friend of mine told me she didn't know how I bought such beautiful clothing on my budget.

This is pretty much my attitude- and experience.

I also live in a place where the ONLY options for kids clothes are a terribly overpriced kiddie boutique or WalMart. That's it. I can find much better quality stuff at the thrift shops, and it falls more in line with my resistance to a disposable society. My kids are always well dressed, and I feel better about my choices. I also don't mind donating those things back as they are outgrown as it wasn't a huge investment to begin with so I don't feel that I have to get what they are worth or something like that.

I also love that my eight year old has now reached a point where she really understands that it is silly when her peers talk about the fact that their parents won't buy them new jeans because they are $50. I overheard her having that conversation with another kid at the park- her comment was that $50 would buy enough clothes for a whole new wardrobe, and she'd still have money left to get a toy or some books. My daughter has been raised within this context though, so it is what makes sense to her, I imagine it would be a harder adjustment for other kids to make.

[Om Girl]

I think quality over quantity is better...even thrifting or buying at consignment stores I will look for labels that I feel are "better quality" and spend the little extra.

When I shop I think about a couple of things...how often will my child wear the item, what is it made out of, how will it wash/wear and is it beautiful?

I try really hard to pass up the $2.50 t-shirts just because they're cheap...because if I think about it I'll realize that my DD won't wear t-shirts at all and then its a waste of money.

I do spend extra money of good quality items like outdoor gear, shoes and materials for handmade clothes. (I sew and make a lot of warm weather dresses for my girls)
I would rather spend the money on a handmade item, but if it requires extra care or attention (rigorous ironing, for example) then I'll pass on it because I know that it will "cost" more in the maintenance of it. Just a personal aside

I think buying sustainable, locally sourced items, handmade if possible is awesome and such a gift for your children...also having fewer items means less dis-organized closet chaos!

For back to school shopping our needs look like this:

2 sweater hoodies: 1 store bought Hanna & 1 handmade (super durable and take the place of sweatshirt hoodies with less laundry time!)
1 pair of jeans
4 pairs of leggings
2 pair of handmade pants
5 dresses
2-3 tunic length tops
2-3 t-shirts
2 "special" fancy outfits
1 pair of sneakers
1 pair of rain boots
1 pair of snowboots
1 fleece jacket
1 rain coat
1 winter jacket
1 pair of snowpants

The less that's in their closets the better! Yes, it means more frequent laundry but it also means less laundry sitting around

[carfreemama]

This is exactly the type of thing I'm getting at. The conversation is really useful for me. Dd does come second-hand and yard-sale shopping with me. I've done the exercise of giving her $5 for the thrift store/yard sale and $5 for a local toy store and let her see for herself how far the money goes either way. It also helps that some of her favourite clothes come from thrift stores. Mostly, though, she's not much of a shopper and really prefers if I bring clothes home for her. So far, she's loved everything I buy and I love seeing the combinations she comes up with! So I can see her having the kind of conversation that confustican's daughter had. Unfortunately, she also sees me bringing home way too much stuff and bragging about how cheap it was. I just need to curb my impulses.

And I also hear what VisionaryMom is saying about charity and how we allocate resources. However, I also really believe that supporting a WAH mom who is making beautiful, sustainable clothing while supporting her kids is a really great way to spend money, if you can. I think I probably will splurge and buy dd a couple of very special things like that. I hope I can explain to her WHY they're special without lecturing. And then just stick to second-hand for most of the rest. It helps to see what amounts of clothing other parents keep for their kids. It doesn't sound like we're THAT out of line so far, but just need to make more careful/conscious choices.

[confustication]

We have too many clothes in this house- probably not many more than most people have, but more than I want to have, and more than are easy to manage (we have three kids- the two youngest will be in the same size by this fall/winter.)

My goal is to get to 5 pair of pants, 5 short sleeved shirts, 5 long sleeved shirts, a few pairs of shorts, 2 sweatshirts, 2 sweaters, and a good set of dress clothes for everyone- all neatly stored. Socks here all land in a laundry basket together, you match them yourself. I haven't decided how to handle this with the youngest boys who are 6 months apart in size now, and already have clothes that are shared back and forth a lot.

According to the National Retail Federation

Families will spend an average of $204.67 on clothing and accessories, $93.59 on shoes, and $82.62 on school supplies.

That is a lot of money- especially when you have more than one child.

[honeybunmom]

I used to be really diligent about buying end of season sales for next year.

Now, I go to the thrift store or, when lucky, get hand me downs from neighbors and friends for dd and my SIL for ds.

I knit sweaters, hats, scarfs and mittens for the kids.

I've cut back to 1 pair of jeans for each day of the school week. I know I can go with fewer now because dd actually prefers dresses/skirts. I love HC, specifically Batik Bum, for recycled wooly wear for both kids. My mom buys them clothes for birthday, christmas and Easter, so, I've cut back my own shopping in preparation for these items that'll help fill the closet.

I think the biggest thing is to not purchase what you don't need. And if you dd is really becoming a clothes horse, keep in mind that, one day, when she's off on her own, she may not be able to dress herself in the style to which she's become accustomed, right off the bat. Or, she may make unwise financial choices by choosing to clothe herself excessively instead using her money differently.

Have you searched etsy and Hyena Cart for Canadian based WAHMs? That is where I would start if I were you.

[PenelopeJune]

We buy mostly used, too. I garage sale at the citywide sales in the spring and fall, and fill in the gaps with clothes from Target or Walmart. (We don't have good thrift/consignment shops around here.)

My daughter only ever wants to wear dresses (she's three) so that was her big birthday present for her birthday on Sunday, new dresses. This will bring her up to about 14 dresses, and she will wear them all winter with leggings/tights and cardigans. I'll need to find her at least a pair or two of jeans for the winter, and then she'll be set.

My son would happily wear the same shirt for a month, so he has fewer clothing items. He has two pair of denim shorts, and a pair of swim trunks. He probably has about 10 shirts, and maybe half of them were purchased used. He'll need new jeans this fall because he's outgrown last years jeans. I have a horrible time finding jeans for his size, so they'll probably have to be purchased new.

I would love to be able to buy all handmade clothes for my kids. I got lucky at a yard sale this spring and found two handmade dresses for my DD for $1 each, and a handmade shirt for DS for $1. Talk about killing two birds with one stone: handmade AND used. I'm hoping to find DD a cardigan or two on Etsy that doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

Since the entire family has to share a closet, we don't have many clothes.