Do you have children and looking for ways to save money on children's clothing? Everybody wants the most for the least amount of money. This article covers techniques for saving money on children's clothing even if you are into name brand clothing.
Through the years, it has been a challenge to see how I can spend money wisely and still get the best of what I need (or want) for my children. Although most families don't have eight children, it is still a goal of most mothers and fathers to see how far we can make the dollar stretch and still purchase nice children's clothing.
Here are some of the tactics that have proven very successful over the years with our big family. When the children are young, it is usually the mom or dad's choice whether they want to buy name brand clothing, but once the children get into their late tweens, they start becoming interested in fashion trends and what their friends are wearing.
If you are on a budget and don't have endless money to spend on children's clothing, you can still have your child dress in fashion and spend a reasonable amount of money. Think about these points when you're shopping for your children:
1) Before you go shopping, take some time with your tweens and older children to set reasonable expectations of what they want and what you can afford. Come to an agreement on what limits they will have, so there is not a scene in the store and they are disappointed and you are embarrassed. If you do this, you can end up having a fun day instead of a stressful day. Not everyone's budget can afford name brand clothing, but there are a lot of fashions that replicate the big dollar items.
2) On your shopping day, start with the "least desirable" stores FIRST. This term will mean different things to different people. Believe it or not, some thrift stores, especially in bigger cities, in nice parts of town, can offer great deals on name brand clothes. Especially in college towns, you will find great buys on designer jeans and lots of other designer items.
3) Garage sales are a place you can find surprisingly good buys. If you're looking for designer jeans or clothes, choose to visit the garage sales in the nicer parts of town. You will be surprised what you may find. To save time, check out the garage sale ads that mention children's clothing for sale.
This is also a great source for baby and toddler clothes. When people are ready to let their children's clothes go, they are in the mood to bargain.
4) Check at real outlet stores, such as J.C. Penney. This works very well for younger children who are not into the designer clothes yet and mom and dad are looking for durable, functional, comfortable clothes for the little ones.
5) Consignment shops are another excellent source. Big cities, such as Orlando, Florida have many consignment shops that offer designer clothing at reasonable prices. Make it a habit to check out these stores, even if you're not in the market that particular day, you may find something too good to pass up.
6) If you have "set an image" you want to meet for yourself and your family, you can still utilize part of these methods and make the impression you desire. Especially for your sons, but daughters too, you can buy more name brand tops / shirts, and just a few pair of jeans.
If you can get away with buying just the name brand shirts, you can explain to your younger son or daughter that very few people can tell the difference between name brand jeans and regular, reasonably - priced jeans, because the shirts and tops are usually worn outside and you can't see the logo on the jeans anyway.
7) I have found with our children, quality athletic shoes and casual shoes are worth the money. It has been our experience that quality shoes are good for their feet, wear longer, and look nice too.
8) I wish as a young mother, MORE THAN ANYTHING, someone would have pointed the following out to me. You don't need as many items of clothing as you think you do! We are lucky enough to have a washer and dryer and we can buy fewer items and keep them in the cycle.
If your son / daughter have more than two weeks of shirts / tops, nobody is going to remember what they wore before. As for shoes, they outgrow them so quickly; it is not wise to buy many pair of shoes. Usually one pair of athletic shoes, *one pair of casual shoes (Sperry)(*optional), and a pair of dress shoes are more than enough. They will be in the next size before you know it!
9) If your children are closer in age, do not buy the same pattern of shirt / top for each age child. This will facilitate your being able to re-use for the younger child, the older ones' clothing when he/she outgrows them. Along this same line, buy as many traditional items as you can and still meet your goals. For example, Ralph Lauren polo shirts have stayed a classic.
10) You don't have to buy everything you need in one shopping trip. Keep in mind the 80 - 20 Rule, when you think about the amount of money you are spending. Most people wear 20% of the clothing in their closet, 80% of the time! If you don't buy a lot of clothes at the same time, your children will have time to think about "the look" they want, and they will be a lot more likely to wear everything in their closet. It also seems to the children like they are getting more when there are several different shopping trips.
11) You may allow yourself to spend more on your oldest child's clothing if you are planning on laundering, packing, and storing the clothes for the next child to wear. If so, pick out the clothing items that are in good shape and store and label the category and size of clothing. This works very nicely, especially if there is an age gap of two years or more between the children.
12) If you are absolutely into name brand clothing and nothing else will do, shop online and usually you can find good deals. Depending on the state, you may not have to pay sales tax. You can save a lot. Make sure what size you need, order, and you will have them in a few days.
Be sure to check out the retailers now that sell name brand clothing at discounted prices. You can find fantastic buys on designer clothes in this type store, so why pay more?
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