Have you noticed that kids clothing costs as much if not more than adult clothing? I still don’t fully understand, being that a lot less fabric is used for children. I look for so many different ways to save money on clothing, besides the normal hand-me-downs from siblings and cousins.
Mommy Swap
If you know other parents that have children around the same age, try to do a get together and swap. Meet at a park and every bring some stuff to swap, if there are things that no one can use, try donating them. I have a group of moms that have girls younger and older than mine. We will go through clothing and pass along what we can’t use any longer. This is a fun way to revamp your kids wardrobe without spending any money.
Clearance Racks
Keep an eye out on the clearance racks at different stores. You can find some great deals on clothing as it is going out of season, which normally still gives you at a least a month worth of wear. Walking through Wal-Mart I have found shirts for my son for $1.00 or sweatshirts for $3.00. If you can, buy them big so they can fit them when the weather changes. You would be amazed at the deals you can find.
Thrift Stores and Consignment Stores
You’d be amazed at the deals you can find at thrift stores. I have found shirts for my son for $0.60, dresses for my daughter for $1.50. There are sometimes consignment stores or thrift stores that will allow you to trade in clothing and get in-store credit. I went through my oldest son’s closet and got rid of his school clothes he had outgrown, taking a huge trash bag for nice clothing to a small store in my area, I was able to get a $60 in-store credit. I got a lot of “new” items with that credit and didn’t have to come out of pocket.
Craigslist.org
Keep a close eye out on Craigslist.org, people will sell a large lot of kids clothing for a really good deal. I know when my youngest was a baby, I sold full boxes of his nice clothing for about $10, just to make a quick buck and get it out of the way.
Yard Sales
I used to spend a lot of time going to yard sales and picking up clothing and items for my kids, until my husband banned me. He said we had enough stuff and I wasn’t able to go, regardless of how good the deals were. I had found many, many yard sales where people would charge $5 for a huge pile of clothes or $0.25 a piece, things like that.
Those are a few ideas off the top of my head that I use to save money on my kids clothing. I’m sure there are more ideas, just keep your eyes open.
