a Toddlers wardrobe

We've been very fortunate and haven't had to buy much for the twins in the line of clothes/shoes.
We've received a lot of hand me downs, they have 3 sets of grandparents, and 2 summers ago I did a TON of garage saling.
Now we've reached the point where DD doesn't have much. Her dad literally dressed her in boys clothes yesterday because he said he coudlnt find anything for her and all her laundry was clean!!!!
I didn't go to any garage sales this summer and we didnt get any hand me downs. Theres a second hand store thats going to be opening soon, but its not open yet.
I bought DD about 250.00 worth of clothes for 87.00 (50% off then take an additional 25% wahoo!!) but when I think about what 87.00 in garage sale clothes could have bought me I feel like I didnt get much.
I think she got 4 sweatshrits, a few pairs of pants, a couple regular shirts, 2 pair pjs.

So my questions are:
How much NEW do you buy? I have a hard time buying new, when used is still in great condition (they wear it such a short time) and it costs a fraction less. I do buy them NEW coordinating outfits for special occasions and holidays.
What do you normally spend on a wardrobe?
Do you buy on ebay? garage sales? second hand stores?

 

I buy all my girls clothes new, but only because I dress them alike and its nearly impossible to find matching outfits in the same size at garage sales, consignment stores etc... I do however buy a lot of clothes and Kohls and Target, and shop the sale racks a lot.

My girls are also the only grandkids on both sides, so they are incredibly spoiled, and they have provided us with a lot of their clothes as well.

 

I think I have only bought a few used items (off of another forum) for my daughter. I had a few hand me downs... we usually buy new. We always hit the Old Navy sale in January (take an additional 50% off of clearance items) we got 3 bags of clothes for the rest of last winter, and a select few things for this winter for 100 dollars. Then we found out they had the same sale in August so we got their swimsuits ($3) and other summer clothes that we will wrap for b-day presents. We got about 2 bags of clothes for $90. This weekend was tax free weekend in TX so we stocked up on some fall/winter clothes... this is what my DD got: 3 pairs of pants, 2 skirts, 1 pj, 1 sweater, 6 shirts, and 4 dresses. DS got - 9 shirts and 1 pair of pants, and 1 pj. We also got a puzzle and a yogabba gabba dvd for christmas, our total was around 210. We shopped at Kohls, Marshalls ( I only like their girl selection that is why I think my daughter ended up w/ more ), Target, The Childrens Place, and BRU.

 

I get hand me downs from my neighbor for my daughter and from my SIL for my son. We hardly ever buy clothes. I do sometimes buy them second hand when I'm looking for toys and I can't resist some of the cute outfits that look brand new. If I had to buy it all ourselves I would probably stock up on the mix and match stuff they have at places like Target and Walmart - usually like $3-4 for a top or bottom.

 

I have always bought a season ahead since my girls were infants. My girls winter clothes have been hanging in the closet now since March just waiting to be worn. I can get a ton of clothes for really cheap. I spend more now then I did in the past because as they get older their clothes get more expensive, but I still save money buying a season ahead. Since I've never had girls and there are no other girls in our family, I usually have to buy new. I usually spend about $200 in all twice a year (at the end of summer and at the end of winter). That includes shoes, coats, clothes, etc. I always keep a look out for clearance shoes and clothes and buy for next year even now, and if for some reason they can't wear it (which hasn't happened yet), I just keep the tags on everything and I can sell it in a yard sale or on ebay.

 

I buy new as well. I LOVE shopping at The Children's Place. I wait for their sales-unless of a holiday/photos. Their sales are crazy-you get 50% off the SALE price, and then because I shop there a lot, I get another 10% off(with the credit card) AND, if there's a coupon-I can get 15% off as well. It's a steal I tell ya! With their birthday LAST year, I have drawers and closets FULL of clothes for this fall/winter. They need NOTHING. Just a jacket, some boots, and snow stuff-that's probably it. They have AT LEAST 6 pairs of jeans-EACH. For the summer-they had maybe 3-4 pairs of shorts, but I looked in the closet the other day and there are still some hanging brand new! We are good with clothes! I try to buy clothes at the end of the season if I am out and about.

My problem...I'm not sure what size to get them for next summer. They'll be 2.5 and won't be 3 until October. So the first time I hit up TCP, I bought size 3T. When I got home I was like, "What am I thinking? They are going to SWIM in these clothes!" So I don't know. It's like I am in clothing limbo!

 

At this age it is hard for me to buy ahead because I don't know what mine will be fitting into. I'd love to hit the summer clearance rack and buy some stuff ahead for DD but she literally has no butt, her 18 month shorts still fall off of her. DS I am not too worried about, his clothes are almost all hand me downs my one best friend has three sons (youngest 6 months younger then the twins) and my other best friend has a 4 year old boy and she sends hand me downs too. DD, however, I don't know anyone who has girl hand me down clothes so for her I go to consignment sales-there's one next weekend I want to hit and also will pick up items on sale at Baby Gap, Target, K-mart, etc.
I'm not sure how much I'll spend on a wardrobe for her for fall/winter. My two are the only grandchildren on DH's side of the family and are fairly spoiled by all their aunts and on my side of the family, they are the youngest grandchildren by a huge age gap, so my parents will hook them up with some pieces of clothes they will need.

 

Well, we're at the end of all the hand me downs and used clothes. We buy things occasionally new, but that's usually from Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Ross, Target, and only if it's really cool and something I'd never find anywhere else. As soon as they've grown out of the 2T's, which is happening now, we're going to have to buy clothes. I have literally 4 pieces of clothes that are 3T. But I don't know what we're going to need being in a new climate, so I'm waiting to see what we need.

(My newest new purchase for Alice was some "Dios de la Muertos" clothing. It's supposed to be a nightgown but I'm going to make her wear it as a dress. It's got sugar skulls all over it.

 

I like my girls to match or coordinate too. I go to two Mothers of Multiples sales each year: September and March. It's 3 hours away, but I usually get so much stuff that it's worth it to me. I try to buy clothes for the upcoming season there. Whatever I can't get, I buy new. I really can't judge what my girls will be wearing a year down the road, so it's hard for me to buy clearance items at the end of the season. My girls are 20 months old, but are still wearing 12 month onesies/shirts and some of their shorts and jeans are still 6-9 month. I try to have 3 pairs of pajamas for each girl. I also want about 5-7 outfits that each can wear.

 

I buy a lot for my twin grand daughters and their younger brother. The Childrens Place on line is great. They just had a huge sale and I dont think I spent more than $3.00 per item ( that is shirts, shorts skirts). Ebay is another place. You just have to be selective and know how much you are willing to spend. Watch the shipping costs. I do not bid on items that outrageous shipping and handling fees and I generally look for the items that dont have a lot of bids and have gotten some great bargains that way. If I buy new it is generally Walmart or Penneys. Penneys has great sales. You can get stuff for walmart/kmart prices a lot of times. You just need to wander in there often as I dont think a lot of the sales are advertised.

 

My sister has a boy and a girl so I've been lucky to inherit a lot of stuff...but I LOVE buying them things! I shop mainly at inexpensive places (Target, A Children's Place) and occasionally splurge on a pricier item. When that happens DH is the one who usually picks it out which I find very sweet :wub:

 

I shop mostly garage sales, Goodwill and another second hand store in town. I buy shoes and socks on clearance at Walmart. Grandma also likes to garage sale and lives in a resort area, so she finds great deals on really nice clothes. We tend to buy stuff way ahead as well. DS is getting into 2T, but I have boxes of clothes up to 6. I figure paying $1 now for a pair of almost new jeans will be better that $20 or whatever they will be when they fit him. I have purchased very few things new. I leave that to Grandma who is great at finding deals. I did have to purchase a pair of PJ's for DS when he wet through his clothes at Walmart and I didn't bring a change.

I inventoried everything we had ahead for the kids, so I know what to look for. (and so DD doesn't end up with 15 sundresses for summer again. But they're so cute! This does not include her shorts and t-shirts, either. Hopefully some will still fit next summer.)

I try to have enough clothes in each size to make it a week without having to do laundry. So, at least 7 pairs of everyday jeans/shorts and shirts and pj's, 1 church outfit, and a sweatshirt or two for summer. (DD tends to have way more than this at the moment. I could go a month without washing anything but pj's.)

 

I like to go to the Outlet mall when they have their huge sales. I can get tons of name brand stuff really cheap. I also buy stuff off of Craigslist and E-bay. I only have a few hand me downs. The grandparents buy a few things when they find good deals as well. My dh will be picking up some clothes for Kyle tomorrow. We will see. I usually don't buy anything unless it looks good and is a great deal. They don't wear them long enough or go anywhere where they need super nice clothes. I do get lucky though and find super nice used stuff. I have bought a few sweat suits also so they can be warm and comfy and a few cute outfits for going visiting. Other than that we have a mish mash of Craigslist and sale clothes. I think it is fun to get a big bag of clothes to go through.

Jen

 

we're member of the multiples club, so lots of handing down to each other, I get from mom's with older twins, and I hand down to moms with younger twins.
other than that, we only shop gentle used, mostly children's orchard, they also do "fill-a-bag" events, you can stuff as much as you can in a shopping bag and only pay $5 for the whole bag, that's only twice a year.
but that store has shoes (strite ride and others) for 4-5$ a pair, great deals! I don't do garage sales but will maybe try goodwill and so in the future.

as of now, we have tons of clothes, about 4-5 pair of jeans and other pants, 10 shorts each, boy has about 20 t-shirts, 5 muscle shirts, 10 pj's, girl has about 20 dresses, 5 skirts, 10 tanks, etc., we are saying good-bye to onesies soon......

 

i've never bought anything used for my boys to wear. my mil and sil buy so much clothes for them that i basically buy only pj's--if even that.... they buy everything at old navy on sale or target. i buy their shoes online. i figure i can donate, give away or sell the clothes when we are done w/them (and they do seem to last a while, at least now that the growing's slowed down a bit), so i don't stress out about buying used ones.

that said, they don't have a huge wardrobe. they probably each have about ten pairs of shorts and a dozen or so decent tops (they sometimes share, but they are built differently). maybe five pairs of pants, but i'm sure they won't fit once summer's over cuz we haven't warn them since spring. and, they each have only one pair of shoes right now--robeez sandals.

btw, buying ahead never works for us. they got TONS of outfits in jan for their bdays, but people bought ahead. by the time we coudl wear all that winter stuff it was summer.

gl!

 

I always buy new because I dress them the same even though they are not identical. I almost always buy everything on clearance for the next season. It always worked well with my oldest DD (who I have TONS of hand-me-downs from that never get used). So far it has worked well with the twins. The only thing I don't do this for is shoes.

To look in my kids' closets is insane. Everything has tags on it. I'm almost embarrasssed at home many things they have. We could go a solid month and a half without wearing the same outfit right now.

And like others said, my kids are all incredibly spoiled by my parents. It's not often that I even buy clothes because I normally shop with my mom and she always picks up the tab. On Saturday we went through $1K in a span of 4 hours. Not all of it was for my kids but a good chunk was. My DH says that I'm rotten and it's true.

 

I'm not fond of second hand stores to be honest ; most clothes are quality brands so they are still too expensive, plus unfortunately there isn't one around here now anyway.. I haven't got that much luck on ebay (shipping usually kills the deal plus in every lot there is always stuff I don't like) but last I checked was last Fall, so I'll probably check again this year. I don't do garage sales anymore after I ended up going there to see nothing interesting, although I got a full box of clothes for DD last year for $10...

Usually I get most of their clothes in mothers of multiples clubs sales, but I just moved and the club here only has one sale a year so I'll have to go to another sale in 3 weeks and hope there is still enough left after all the members have gone through it...

Otherwise when I buy new it's from cheap places like Target, Babies'r Us, Old Navy and Children's Place(when there is a sale), and I usually won't spend more than $5 for a shirt or pants and $10 for an outfit/PJ. I just don't see the point of spending $20 for a shirt they will wear a few months...

For buying ahead, I don't have any clue what size they will wear next year usually so I don't, unless it's really dirt cheap.

 

How much NEW do you buy? I buy probably between 1/4 and 1/2 of their wardrobe new. I shop a lot of sales and use coupons. I try to double up as much as I can...for example this weekend at Kohls I bought clothes for next summer off of the 60, 70 and 80 percent off racks and then because I used my Kohl's charge I had a coupon for 30% off my total purchase. I also shop a lot at Target. Their prices are always pretty good and I can almost always find something I like. I also go twice a year to the outlets that are about an hour away from us when they have their end of season and after Christmas sales to buy for the next year. I also had 20% off coupons this time so I spent $90 at Osk Kosh and my receipt said I saved $398. I got about 20 t-shirts, 6 pairs of shorts, 2 swim trunks and 2 pairs of shoes. I shopped at Carter's that day with another 20% off coupon and got about 10 pairs of shorts, 4 footie pajams and 2 packs of socks for $100. I also shop the Children's Place end of season sale online since I have a better selection of sizes online than I do in our local store, or even at the outlet. So they get quite a few new things, but I feel like if I plan ahead and shop smart I can get a lot new.


What do you normally spend on a wardrobe? I guess I don't have a firm figure. For next summer I would say I am done buying clothes and I have probably spent a total of 300-400 dollars for both of them. This has gotten us about 30 shirts (play and nicer for church), 20 pairs of shorts, 2 pair of lightweight dress pants, 4 sets of pj's, 6 swim trunks, some sunglasses, 4 hats and 2 lightweight jackets. I'll end up buying them shoes next year once I know what size their feet are.


Do you buy on ebay? garage sales? second hand stores? I don't do a lot of ebay, just because I prefer to actually see it in person before buying. I do garage sales if I can and if I find someone who has a lot or who also has twins, I try to watch to see if they have a sale again. I also go to a lot of mom to mom sales and 2 nearby moms of multiples sales and I get a lot of clothes that way too. I also have a friend who's son is a year older than the boys and I often get stuff from her as well. There are a bunch of second hand shops in the town I work in, but one in particular I really like. Their stuff is clean and in good condition and part of their proceeds go to a local autism group. I try to stop in there every few weeks to see whats new. I also get their emails so I know they just put all their winter coats and boots out this week so I'll be going by there sometime this week to look for heavier coats.

 

I don't know how much I spend on their clothes. ardon: I buy their clothes new, but they get ALOT of clothing from their grandparents. ALOT. But I usually buy throughout the year so I don't know what the value is.

 

I have been blessed by hand-me-downs too... though some of them are 6-8 yrs old, and styles do change!! the dresses and other things from back then are very wide! so I like getting newer things too. I find it a lot easier since we have b/g twins, and though I still like to coordinate them they don't tend to match a lot.

Even with all the gifts etc, I usually like the items I've purchased myself... go figure.

I look at the Target clearance whenever I go and don't get anything unless its at lesat 75% off. I need to get by Kohl's again, and probably do the credit card by the sounds of it. I also like Macy's sales too.

The best sales I've gotten are from "sales" that are set up by multiple families or through churches for a few days and the consignors get to keep about 50% of the profits... I finally figured out that most of these have a 50% feature on the last day of the sale... I purposefully waited to go to one the other week until the last day so that I wouldn't be tempted to spend too much money... I still spent $100, but got about 50 items. Some were fancy $8 velvet outfits for holidays for my son, and others were 50cent and $1 PJs for winter. I find you can't really get the awesome deals like that from the 2nd hand stores... b/c they try to get top dollar. I also try to buy ahead... though its fun to get something new for now too...

you also might try searching the internet for any other local options for you. We have several in our area that are hosted by either the multiples club, or churches.