buying expensive clothes for kids that ruin it....

amother

Khaki

Fri, Jun 05 2015, 2:19 pm

Not to oversimplify it but the reason why parents buy expensive clothing for their children even though it might get ruined is because they can afford it. We all agree it looks nicer, so why shouldn't someone who has extra $$$ buy it. Don't people drive around in a lexus, bmw, and other fancy expensive cars? Why can't they just get from point a. to point b. in a used honda? They answer is they can, but since they can afford it and a lexus gives a better ride, they will spend (waste) money on the lexus. Same thing with clothes.

Maya

Fri, Jun 05 2015, 2:22 pm

amother wrote:

Not the same thing at all.

33055

Fri, Jun 05 2015, 2:28 pm

saw50st8 wrote:

Bitachon, I like lands end. I wait for sales (30% off coupons) and the pants hold up pretty well. You can also return them if you think they didn't hold up like you would have expected.

Here's one type:

http://www.landsend.com/produc.....78396

I found Walmart and Sears pants hold up to rough boy play. You can buy things cheaper, but it seems only things that cost more are valued regardless of quality. Better to buy an $80 pants on sale for $40 then a $30 pants for $21 even if the less expensive one is better.

Many times in the frum stores the store can't take advantage by buying quantity and passing on the savings.

shooting star

Fri, Jun 05 2015, 2:33 pm

I like the look of some of the more expensive brands but can't justify the price. I can't even justify the price of some of the cheaper brands. I don't like paying over $10 for a regular t-shirt that my toddler will stain the first time he wears it.

So I do the following:

1) Shop online to find great deals and clearance items
2) When a brand I like goes on sale I buy sizes ahead to get the sale price
3) Go to a second-hand store and pick out the items that look new but are not

sky

Fri, Jun 05 2015, 2:43 pm

Someone once posted gorgeous boys shabbos pants on lands end for $8 (on sale). I didn't find them any better then the Jewish pants which are typically about $20. The knees started fraying pretty early. They didn't last forever but for that price I didn't care.

[I have more of an issue that the Jewish stores insist on only carrying Skinny shabbos pants. I want my boys to be able to run and jump and play and some of these pants are uncomfortable to do so and fit way too snug. One of my sons doesn't fit into husky but the skinny pants are too tight on him and barely close. The store told me that carrying regular fit pants is an insult to the store these days. Even the stores that do carry it have much more limited regular fit selection. Its also insane because in the rest of the world people are not dressing their kids in such tight pants, it seems to be a jewish store phenomenon].

shooting star

Fri, Jun 05 2015, 2:44 pm

amother wrote:

Except we tried a Honda Civic and it didn't handle well. We ended up in a winter car accident with the Honda totaled. We switched to a Subaru after that for safety and practicality reasons (more space). It costs more money but it's worth it.

For clothes there isn't really a safety issue. If I had lots of extra money I'd still rather save it than have it put into outfits that are destroyed quickly. Would probably still wait for sales on the expensive brands unless I really didn't have the time.

saw50st8

Fri, Jun 05 2015, 3:08 pm

Squishy wrote:

If the Lands End pants don't hold up, you can return them, no questions asked. I have found that they have lasted much better than the walmart pants and wrinkle a lot less. But then again, I've never paid more than $12 for lands end pants for kids. They've lasted very well for my two older sons and will pass down to my third.

ETA: I don't shop in Jewish stores so I can't really compare that quality.

mommy3b2c

Fri, Jun 05 2015, 3:35 pm

Bitachon101 wrote:

How does it affect me??
Because everyone willing to pay crazy prices so the stores sell at crazy prices!!
And mind you, my point is that the price isn't necessarily indicative of the quality. The store wants you to think it is but its often not.
I've bought a few more expensive stuff that got ruined so fast with threads coming out.
But even so a basics shabbos pants.... Costs in $20 range but literally first wear the knee got skinned. A $10 pair would have made me a lot less annoyed. Someone mentioned she gets cheaper boys pants somewhere.... Please tell me where... It seems basics in the Jewish stores start in the $20 range.

And to those who know its ridiculous but buy cuz they like to.... That's insanity at its best. Hope u don't remind me referring to u guys as the crazy moms that make us all stuck having to deal with ridiculous kids clothes prices.

To the mom who said she hopes I let my kids play in shabbos shoes.... I'm not insane (OK maybe I am but I'm practical for the most part) so yes of course I let them play but I don't let them go in the mud with them. I also don't buy them white shoes that would be killed in a second.

Though I was frustrates that the only shoes my 15 month old fit into were $90 (wide flat fat baby feet with instep) and of course his third wearing he made a hole in the toe while dragging his feet on a riding toy.... Go figure. So much for his expensive shoes. I let him wear them with the little toe hole cut he will just get a new one in five min if I buy another one!

You can call me insane if you want too, but why am I any more insane then anybody who spends money on any luxury? The way of the world is some people have more and some people have less. Obviously, it's not good to flaunt everything you have and be ostentatious, but if you can afford to, why can't you indulge yourself a bit without people telling you you're insane. I think it stems from jealousy. If people didn't really care, they would go ahead and buy the cheap clothes without complaining about what the others wear.

33055

Fri, Jun 05 2015, 3:59 pm

saw50st8 wrote:

I have no issue with Lands End versus Walmart versus Sears. I think we are on the same page here. If you can get less expensive pants for better quality then it is a good thing and I rather have value.

33055

Fri, Jun 05 2015, 4:10 pm

mommy2b2c wrote:

I am hardly jealous of anyone who dresses their kids in $80 pants. Thinking something is foolish doesn't stem from jealously. I rather see the $80 in the bank. Too many frum folks are not fiscally sound. Why not save the money? I don't understand $1500 baby buggies when there is not money in the bank. I don't understand that kind of pressure on DHs to support this lifestyle. It makes no sense to me.

Wouldn't you rather have security?

Actually, I think it is those that are insecure who need to measure themselves by how much they can flaunt. Why else all the questions last Shabbos how much my skirt costs? Do you even realize how abnormal that question is?

33055

Fri, Jun 05 2015, 4:24 pm

amother wrote:

If you could find a car that was a better value then a Beemer by being as pretty and as mechanically sound for less, then that would be the kind of better value I am discussing.

Also, if someone cannot afford to drive a luxury car, then they should not be buying one. I often find people who don't have the resources to spend the money on luxuries are often the ones that do. I had a friend who was an attorney who used to laugh at how well her bankruptcy clients were dressed. Their kids would be in the $160 hockey jerseys many years ago.

ra_mom

Fri, Jun 05 2015, 4:54 pm

I don't spend too much. I like pretty clothes and like to have a variety but I don't spend for the brand name. I find that kids clothes get ruined more easily when they are younger and it is easier to buy inexpensive clothing at that point anyway. Once you're spending higher prices for tznius options, things usually stabilize in the stain/rip/cut department anyway.
(And I still don't spend too much at the frum stores either. I mostly buy skirts at frum shops to match up with tops I've bought elsewhere and I don't go to shops where the prices are exorbitant either. I often buy Jewish made shabbos robes at well, but often do so at the end of the season, when they are on sale for half price, and put them away.)
As far as shoes go, I spend for good quality school shoes which get worn every day. But I won't buy the shoes selling for high prices due to brand name over fit.

mommy3b2c

Fri, Jun 05 2015, 5:00 pm

Squishy wrote:

First of all, you can think it's foolish just as long as long as you don't complain that others do it. I also think it's somewhat foolish. I admitted that from the start. I said that I do it because I enjoy it, and that it's just as foolish as any other luxury. Second if all, obviously if you have no money, then it's insane. But why is it insane if you can afford it?
And who says I don't have money in the bank and security?

imaima

Sat, Jun 06 2015, 5:10 pm

Bitachon101 wrote:

You make it sound like there is only one shop where you can buy something.

You are allowed to shop around!!!

Raisin

Sat, Jun 06 2015, 6:49 pm

Barbara wrote:

Interesting.

DS always did. Still does. He was much more comfortable in sweatpants and a tee shirt than in chinos and a polo shirt. Even on Shabbat, he changes into more park-appropriate clothes after lunch.

My kids dress for shabbos, not for shul. But my kids shabbos clothes are pretty hardy and comfortable - dark coloured trousers and a shirt for my sons, and I don't get terribly delicate clothing for my girls either.

If they get covered in mud it comes off in the wash. Boys shirts often get stained but this is more likely to happen at the kiddush or lunch then playing.

mommyla

Sun, Jun 07 2015, 12:10 am

Bitachon101 wrote:

To the mom who said she hopes I let my kids play in shabbos shoes.... I'm not insane (OK maybe I am but I'm practical for the most part) so yes of course I let them play but I don't let them go in the mud with them. I also don't buy them white shoes that would be killed in a second.

Though I was frustrates that the only shoes my 15 month old fit into were $90 (wide flat fat baby feet with instep) and of course his third wearing he made a hole in the toe while dragging his feet on a riding toy.... Go figure. So much for his expensive shoes. I let him wear them with the little toe hole cut he will just get a new one in five min if I buy another one!

Well, duh. My son tore right through the sturdiest sneakers with rubber-covered toes when he rode riding toys at that age. Any shoes are going to tear on kids that age (and older, too, btw). If you need to spend $90 on baby shoes, spend another $20 on Crocs and change your kid before he plays on a riding toy.

Amelia Bedelia

Sun, Jun 07 2015, 12:14 am

ra_mom wrote:

Couldn't have said this better myself!

amother

Beige

Sun, Jun 07 2015, 12:55 am

imaima wrote:

You make it sound like there is only one shop where you can buy something.

You are allowed to shop around!!!

I thought the same at first, but maybe OP doesn't have a car and there's only 1 store in her neighborhood...and she doesn't use credit cards so can't shop online. Then she is actually forced to pay the prices the mothers in her neighborhood set by demand