Clothing Your Kids Without Losing Your Shirt
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One of my back to school highlights as a child was going “back to school” shopping. Granted this was in the 80’s before the internet allowed all sorts of information and online shopping. And I was not frugal unless I wanted to me.
In fact, having grown up in a suburb of Los Angeles, just a stone’s throw from Hollywood, I drooled over the Guess jeans and the Swatch watches that I never owned. And, I’ve lived to tell about.
Thankfully, my boys aren’t into too many “status” items, except maybe video game stuff and those they pay for themselves. But, what if I have a daughter like I was?
Heaven help me!
But, seriously, what’s a mom to do when a kid wants expensive clothing that simply isn’t in the budget?
Here are some ideas I’ve thought of, and I hope you’ll add some in the comments.
1. Shop clearance.
I do this all the time, brand name or not. My personal favorite is Target, but I know that even more upscale stores offer clearance sections. Recently, I found next year’s swim trunks for the boys as low as $2.48. I bought four suits for the price of one at full price.
Make it a regular habit to browse the stores your child likes and find classic pieces (read: those that will last the year, fashion-wise) at low prices.
2. Browse thrift stores and garage sales.
My friend Jen has unbelievable skills when it comes to finding treasures second hand. She is, indeed, a frugal fashionista. I know from her experience that there is a wealth of gently-used clothes waiting just for the taking.
3. Keep up with online deals.
There is no shortage of deals to be had if you follow what’s cheap online.
- Sign up for Swagbucks and buy clothes for free on Amazon.
- Make online purchases via Ebates or ShopatHome and get cash back on internet orders.
4. Make your kids buy their own.
Seriously, people, just because our kids want something, doesn’t mean they have a God-given right to have it given to them. As parents, we have a responsibility to clothe our children with clean, decent clothing. But, nowhere in the parenting contract does it say that you have to buy them the latest and greatest, especially if you don’t have the funds.
Kids who are old enough to have specific clothing desires are old enough to earn money to make those purchases themselves. And if they have to hand over their own hard earned cash, they may be more likely to see the wisdom of frugality.
What do YOU do to save money?
Share your favorite money-saving ideas today. Leave a link to a post that shares some frugal wisdom. (Please no giveaways or deals posts. Teach us how to fish!)
I just discovered thredUP.com and have ordered my first box — if the clothes in it are truly as described, I’ll be a big fan. In a nutshell, it’s a kids’ clothing swap. List boxes of clothes your kids have outgrown; get boxes of clothes from other families.
Also, Carol, as a girl who wore a backbrace for scoliosis, you are doing the BEST possible thing for your daughter. Also — FYI, my dad’s an orthopaedic surgeon, and recently told me about a study that showed wearing the brace for 12 hours/day is JUST AS EFFECTIVE as wearing it for 23+ hours/day. So if your daughter is interested, she could sleep in it/wear it in the evening, and NOT wear it to school. Please feel free to email me for more info.
Thanks so much for hosting every week!
Haha!! Preach it sister. I too agree that our kids don’t need everything they want. Can you say “entitlement issues”?
We just so happened to print off 2 of the Target coupons for $3 off jeans and last week the jeans my daughter wanted went from $20 to $15, then we used our coupon. Brand new jeans for $12. She was happy and so was my check book.
She does have a pretty tight budget. She is finally to the point where she really wants to spend more on clothes, so yesterday she spent the afternoon applying for jobs.
This weekend she is organizing a clothing swap with all her friends.
I love garage sales! Last weekend I found Gymboree, Janie and Jack, Neiman Marcus, etc. infant girl clothes for 50 cents each that were in excellent condition. I would also recommend trying kid resale stores like KidtoKid and Once Upon a Child. You can find name brand items very inexpensive.
We do a lot of hand-me-downs! I haven’t done it personally (mostly because our clothes go through so many kids before we’re done with them that they are toast), but I have a lot of friends who have had great success with Thread Up… there is an article about it here: http://www.thredup.com/press/news/cbs-money-saver-report.
I also scour sale racks through Ebates, just to make a little bit more money back!
Great tips! I also love consignment sales–I love the fact that you can sell some clothes there too, so it’s really no money out of pocket!
we always buy back to school as well but we do like you and try to save all we can by creating a budget giving each thier share of the money (equal amount) letting them do their shopping with thier list if they get it all and have more money thats great run out of money thats on them as well.
Thanks for the mention, Jessica! Great post, too! 😀
Amy & Alyssa
Oops…so sorry. I did have a giveaway in with my frugal family fun today – please feel free to remove me from the linky list. Apologies!
I use several strategies to shop frugally for kids’ clothes. I always check out the clearance sections at Kohl’s for clothes, underwear, and shoes. I only buy if clearance is at 80 to 90%. For the shoes, my target price is $5 to $7. I also keep a running list in my purse of shoe sizes that I need. I generally buy new shoes, but I will buy used cleats, snow boots and puddle jumpers. I use the same price strategy for clearance sales at other stores.
I also shop at thrift stores and Goodwill, keeping in mind prices. Our Goodwill has a half price clothing sale several times a year, plus other seasonal sales.
For my daughter, I made friends with a neighbor whose daughter is a little older. She always bought her daughter clothes at Gymboree. When she has her August garage sale, I go and buy lots of stuff for pennies on the dollar.
Since I have four boys and one girl, we do a lot of hand me downs. I also use some of the boys’ clothes that are gender-neutral for my daughter, combining them with thrifted clothes just for her.
And finally, my kids wear a uniform to school. Instead of paying $35 for a pair of pants, I lucked out and found a local thrift shop that sells the same uniform pants for only $1. I have an inventory of sizes which I consult every time I go to the shop. I’ve saved hundreds on the majority of our uniform needs!