If you are planning a family holiday and are worried about being able to afford the clothes everyone needs, you are in the right place. Below, are some simple tips that will help you to buy everything you need without breaking the bank.

Invest in good all purpose footwear

Perhaps the most expensive item on your list is footwear. It needs to be reasonably good quality, and it has to be comfortable if you want to get the most out of your holiday. A good approach is to kit everyone out with trainers and buy a pair of strappy sandals for yourself. For the kids and your partner, a more robust pair of sandals is a good idea.

The trainers will be ideal for the journey to the airport and days out when everyone is going to be on their feet a lot. They are also far safer to wear for activities like hiking and cycling. Perhaps the best thing about them is that everyone can get plenty of use out of them when they return home.

Don´t take too many tops and bottoms

If you are prepared to wash as you go, you can get away with buying just three new t-shirts, and a sweatshirt or jumper for each member of the family. It only takes a couple of minutes to rinse out a few t-shirts. Just be sure to take some pegs and something you can use as a temporary clothes line. You should also check that there will be an iron available in your room, or take a small one with you.

For the journey, get everyone to wear jeans or long trousers with a pair of shorts underneath. This keeps everyone warm on the trip to your destination and gives them the option to take their long pants off in the airport toilets if it is hot when they arrive. If you are going somewhere hot, you will only need to pack a couple of pairs of shorts or skirts for each individual.

Buy clothes that can be worn in different ways

If you have boys, buy swimming shorts instead of costumes. These can be worn for days out as well as for swimming. The more multi purpose items of clothing you buy, the fewer items you will need to buy.

Colour coordinate everything

Make sure that you buy items that can easily be mixed and matched. Sticking to a specific color palette for each member of the family will help you to do this. Taking this approach will enable you to create a surprising number of different outfits using just a few items of clothing.

Aim to take cabin luggage only

If at all possible, only travel with cabin luggage. Doing this will save you a lot of money and will also allow you to get through the airport quicker. You can find out exactly how to do it, by reading this article.

You will be surprised at how much you can fit into just one small case, especially if you use packing cubes. However, you do need to take the time to pack the day before and weigh each case. It is surprisingly easy to go over the weight limit, which is the last thing you need to happen. Excess baggage charges are extortionately high, so you want to avoid having to pay them.