One of my favorite things to do is shop for kid’s clothes and I love finding great deals on things that make them look even cuter than they already are. Clothes purchases can be a large portion of your budget if you let them so I wanted to share ten of my favorite ways to save money on your kid’s wardrobe.
1) Shop garage sales during the warmer months (and use my tips below to get the best bargain)
I’ve been amazed at some of the deals I’ve scored at garage sales because people just want to get rid of their stuff. The best deal I found was outfits for a quarter! If you find a great sale with nice clothes but they are a little too pricey you can do one of two things. You can ask the person what day/time their sale ends and go back right before they are closing to get a better deal or you can give them your phone number and ask them to call you if they still have clothes leftover at the end of their sale. People are more likely to give you a bargain if the alternative is giving them away or putting them back in their basement for another year. Another way to save money is to ask for a discount on their prices if you are buying a number of items.
2) Shop the end of season clearance racks
The end of season clearance is the best way to score some great deals on brand new clothes. You will take a chance guessing on what size your child will be the following season so I’d buy one extra size up. Your child will either have clothes that fit or clothes that are a bit big and can be worn two seasons. I’d also suggest purchasing things that aren’t super trendy if your kids are older since trends change. Stick with basics for them like tshirts, athletic wear and pajamas.
3) Find clothes for free
If you are really in a bind trying to get clothes for your children, Freecycle is a great place to look. When I first had the boys we were struggling financially and I got the majority of their clothes from people giving them away for free. The majority of the clothes were wearable and some were even name brand (which didn’t matter that much at that point- I was just happy to have clothes for them).
4) Check local thrift stores
Thrift stores can be hit or miss. My favorite is Savers because I’ve found quality clothes at good prices there and they give back to charity. Goodwill is another well-known thrift store that I like to shop at and some even have clothes with tags on them. Our local Goodwill gets items donated from Target that they resell at a steep discount.
5) Get hand-me-downs from familyÂ
If you have family with children of the same gender you can always ask for hand-me-downs. We were lucky enough to get some hand-me-downs of my nephews who was about a year older than Jacob. Make sure to check if they will want them back and if so, mark the tags of the items so you know which ones are theirs.
6) Use an online consignment site
There is nothing better than being able to shop from the comfort of your couch. I love selling on Swap and also just recently learned about Vinted Kids. Both sites I’ve worked with in the past and you can see my reviews here- Swap and Vinted Kids.
7) Swap with friends
If you are in a local parenting group you can always see if anyone is up for participating in a clothing swap. Everyone can donate clothes to the swap that their children have grown out of and then you can get the items you need. To make it fair for everyone, one item has to be donated to the group for every item taken. My local moms group has bins for younger children that they pass around.
8) Check the outlet malls
I was surprised to find that outlet stores have the same on trend items and seasonal offerings that their main stores do, just at a fraction of the price. Before shopping at a store in your local mall check out their outlet location to see if you can find what you are looking for there.
9) Buy basics for cheap at the big box stores
The best places to shop for basics are Walmart and Target. I love buying plain sweatpants and sweatshirts for the boys at Walmart because they are usually less than $5 each. I make sure to keep a set for each of them in the car in case of cold evenings or when they need a change of clothes due to spills.
10) Shop at discount stores
Discount stores like TJ Maxx, Ross Dress for Less and Marshalls often sell name brand items at amazing prices. They usually have a great selection as well which makes shopping easy.
What are your tips for saving on your children’s clothes?
Hi Alicia, seems you have done quite a good research in this field. It sounds good. Thanks for sharing.!