Clothing a big family well can be an expensive prospect. Cheap clothes throw up serious ethical and sustainability questions and better quality clothing quickly adds up, especially when you take into consideration how quickly children grow.
Babies are easy to dress for very little cost. Op-shops usually have stacks of beautiful clothing for 50c-$4, much of it brand new in perfect condition. Some op-shops will have a better range than others and it helps to ask around to find out which op-shops are best in your area or have a good poke around yourself. It helps to have some bags or tubs ready for each size and regularly check what you have vs what you still need. I usually shop a couple of sizes ahead so by the time Elsie grows she already has most of what she requires.
Elsie in her vintage duds, 50c op-shopped onsie and homemade bib from fabric offcuts.
But it is possible to meet everyone's clothing needs on a limited budget, it just takes a little more effort, time and foresight.
For the boys, I look in op-shops too and always buy for the size ahead. It's a bit trickier to buy for them second hand now they are bigger, but certainly not impossible. Boys are not known for being gentle on their clothing, particularly on the knees of pants! I also browse Facebook market place which is full of people selling nice items at reasonable prices. Much of it has never had a chance to be worn before the child outgrew it.
As children get older, however, buying clothes needs to be done in conjunction with them. Will is in high school now and has become more fashion conscious. Like many teens, he is exploring dressing as a part of working out who he is. It's a natural stage and it's important that we support him throughout this transition, whilst still living to our own values. We have some friends with young adult children and they often pass down clothing to him which is very generous and very helpful. As well as op-shopping I also rely heavily on Facebook market place but I widen my search to include Sydney. I pop in the brands he likes to the search bar and then I rummage through picking out the best things. I then show him the items which are usually brand new so he can have the final say. Most people are happy to post and the postage usually adds about $10 to the price. Even with postage, I can often get a brand new item, for example, a $70 hoodie for $25-35 which is a significant saving. Will is welcome to buy brand new clothing with his own money of it's that important to him.
We regularly involve the kids in discussions about why we choose to shop second hand, the ethical and environmental reasons as well as teaching them the financial benefits. I have found that explaining the cost of things by comparing it against an hourly wage is a helpful strategy for older kids. Alongside those discussions, I talk about how to maximize key pieces which are worth spending money on. For example, a nice pair of jeans/cap/hoodie/shoes can be a key piece of clothing for a teen boy, mixed in with plainer off-brand items. Will has come to understand and value having a couple of his favourite things which are only for 'good' which prolongs their life and then his knockabout clothes. He tells me the brands he likes and I respect his desire to dress a certain way. For us, a bit of give and take works well.
Embracing the second-hand economy is not something we do occasionally as a family. It is the way in which we live out our values. Op-shops are often linked to churches and NFP organisations. These organisations are the ones who run soup kitchens and other important local social enterprises. They are the ones who reach out to those society has forgotten about. When we shop from an op-shop or donate good quality items I know our money goes to help those in our community that need it most as well as saving our family money. The average person in Australia has more clothes in their wardrobe then they will ever wear. This sur-plus is where we shop, prolonging the life of items, spending our dollars with important local organisations rather than huge cooperations that feed into the heavily advertised buy more/consume more mentality.
A bunch of op-shopped items.
Of course, we can't get everything second hand. Leggings/plain cotton tops/tights/socks and undies are usually purchased new but when you think of how many clothes it takes to clothe a big family year-round, these items tend to be the minority rather than the majority. When I buy items new I choose natural fibres where possible to minimise the impact of microplastics shredding.
Embracing the second-hand economy requires a shift of habits, but I encourage you to try it if you don't already. I have come to enjoy the challenge and it gives us the opportunity as a family to have some really important discussions around the economy, budgeting, marketing, the environment, privilege and the different ways that we can care for those around us.
Much love,
Emma
xx
Emma
xx
