Clothing and Families

1. Clothing and Families Chapter 3

2. Family Clothing Needs • How has your family clothing changed over the years??

3. Do you wear the same clothes as your grandparents??

4. Clothing needs differ among families • What do you think influences the clothing choices that families make???

5. Location & Activities • Warm weather clothes in the Sun belt • Jackets and sweater for more winter climates • Often families share activities that call for specific garments • Camping, tennis, fishing, etc

6. Multiple Roles • Each family member has a role • Person’s place in the family • Son, daughter, brother, sister, niece, nephew, grandchild • Roles include those outside the family

7. Roles outside the family • Team sports, work uniform, old clothes for painting or gardening • Clothing for work roles is often a high priority in the family • Work suits, uniforms, heavy work clothes

8. Stages of Life • Family life cycle • No children • Parenting stage • Launching stage • Retirement stage

9. No Children • Couple is first together • No children to attend to • Business and home attire • More ability to spend money on clothing • May be a high priority for these people

10. Parenting Stage • Couple has children • Raise children • Clothe, feed, and take care of them • Children clothes must be balanced with adult needs • Children grow fast and need replacements • Special clothing for sports, scouts, 4-H, etc • Teen clothing is expensive

11. Launching Stage • Children leave home • On their own • Apartment • College • Children are self supporting • Family has more money for other expenses

12. Retirement Stage • Couple by themselves again • Retire from work • Couple can focus on their own needs • More leisure time • Casual clothing replaces business clothes • Advanced age and lower income they buy fewer new garments • May have special needs for dressing and undressing

13. Family Values • What is important to the family • Influence the clothing decisions • Busy people with limited free time will buy easy care fabrics that are washable

14. One family buys on sale • Another chooses designer labels • Physically active family buys more sportswear • Some families hand down garments

15. Clothing Management • Large part of family budget • Buying clothes • Home laundering • Take items to be cleaned • Storing clothes • Ironing • Repairing clothes

16. Management process – how to use resources to achieve goals, family members

17. Setting Clothing Priorities • Rank the importance of items or options • If money isn’t available, you need to rank • Snowsuit for an infant has a higher priority than new running shoes • New suit for a new job may be priority

18. Identify Resources • Anything used to reach a goal or mange life • Talent • Time • money

19. Budgeting for Clothes • Most families have limited incomes • Need a spending plan (budget) • Budget for a week, month or year • Manage personal expenses

20. Clothing is only one item covered in budget • Food, housing, transportation, recreation, medical expenses, personal expenses • Costs include socks, accessories, underwear, shoes

21. If a teen gets an allowance • Expect to pay for some clothing items, grooming needs, accessories • Need communication for a good budget to work

22. Sharing Responsibilities • Caring for clothes takes time • Select, clean, store and repair • Each family member might shop for themselves or others • Responsibility for clothing care handled by one family member

23. Delegating and Scheduling • Delegate – assign responsibility to another • Rotate scheduling and duties • Keep track with scheduling • On calendar or chart

24. Roles change and schedules may change • Share responsibilities for work and clothing care • Family bond grow stronger when people are trusted to do their part

25. Settling Disagreements • Understand each other’s point of view • Decisions might not seem fair • Unfair is a part of life • Compromise – each person gives up something else in return

26. Compromise may not be obvious • Isn’t an option in some situations

27. Summary • A family’s clothing needs depend on where they live, what they do, and the roles of family members • Clothing needs change as a family moves through the family life cycle

28. Clothing decisions made within a family are based on each family’s set of values • Setting priorities and identifying resources are part of the management process

29. A budget is a valuable tool for seeing how clothing needs fit in with a family’s other expenses • Each family needs to agree o how clothing care tasks are assigned • Tasks are often shared in a family, based on each member’s roles and responsibilities