Get Kid’s Clothes for {Almost} FREE
For fun I waltzed into a big-name kids clothing store, prepared for a rare splurge on an outfit for my daughter, Joy. Quickly my jaw hit the ground as I glanced at the price tag, thinking, “I don’t even pay this much for my clothes!”
I headed for the door, more than a little discouraged by my shopping adventure, wondering why and how parents shell out this kind of money for children’s clothes.
For us, frugality is a necessary way of life. As a family we’ve cut our budget, we shop at Aldi, take drastic measures to save on meat, and overall scrimp and save money wherever we can.
But there’s more to our financial story and why we choose, that’s right, choose to be frugal.
We recognize that the money is not our own. Everything we’ve been blessed with is a gift from the Lord and we long to please him with our finances.
With these financial blessings, we’ve been challenged to use this money wisely and not squander it away. We are to invest wisely into God’s Kingdom and be wise stewards with what whatever he’s allowed to come our way.
That challenge does not lay dormant in our hearts, and we try to be as faithfully frugal as we can be, especially with kid’s clothes.
But that charge and passion for the Lord aside, why do parents spend a small fortune to clothe children when these items will become stained, soiled and within a short time, be outgrown?
This frugal mama will never understand and will use our method for clothing kids as long as we can.
Our secrets….
1. Shop and sell at consignment stores and sales
The majority of our kid’s clothes come from consignment stores or sales. I sell the outgrown clothes, toys, books and shoes that are in excellent condition and use that money to buy clothes for my kids.
Don’t miss this: I can usually clothe our children for FREE or very cheap this way!
At the end of each season, I inspect each item of clothing carefully for stains, tears and worn out areas. I start collecting baskets of my best items and wash or at least fluff the clothes to make them presentable. {Note: Presenting all items in the best condition possible makes the buyer want to pay top dollar for my goods! Yay!}
My rule of thumb: Only sell your best and what the pickiest mom would want to buy for her child.
In turn, with the credit/money I earned from the sale, I buy as much as I can from the consignment sale/store and build a strong base for my children’s wardrobe.
I look for brand new items, items that have minimal wear and can be matched in an outfit with at least two other items.
These sales and stores are fabulous ways to get holiday outfits at a steal without breaking the bank, as well!
Not to mention, if one of my oh-so-sloppy eaters stains a “new shirt”, it won’t be as heartbreaking.
2. Clothing swaps
I am blessed that my sister and I swap clothes for our kids. She passes down clothes from her son to Bubs, while I share Joy’s clothes with her for her daughter. This is a huge savings!
Most seasons, I have to buy very little clothes for Bubs and can spend more money on Joy’s clothes, which I will in turn pass down to my adorable niece. I love our cycle of swapping!
But what if you don’t have anyone to swap with but really want to start saving this way?
Organizing a clothing swap with other moms is a great way to socialize and save money at the same time!
Delia over at Semi Domesticated Mama has writeen a fabulous series, How to Create and Manage a Children’s Clothing Swap. Use her wisdom to start a swap of your own!
3. Shop the end of season clearance to stock up for the next season.
There are just some items you need to buy new, so I stock up at the end of the previous season.
Target has fabulous clearance racks and I stocked up at the end of the summer season for next summer. These adorable shorts, shirts and skirts were $2-$4 and were new! Sometimes new clothes can be cheaper by shopping clearance!
Do you have a Kohl’s card? When I get a 30% coupon, I always hit the clearance racks there. I have gotten clothes for mere pennies and it makes it so much easier on the pocketbook to clothe my children. My latest haul {see the picture earlier in the post}, I bought shorts for $1.60 PLUS used a coupon on top of that! I only spent $18 on 8 articles of clothing and saved over $114!!! Cha-ching!
Rule of thumb: When stocking up this way, you have to check back often at the end of a season. Sometimes discounts are taken weekly, and you may have to stop by for a few weeks to add to your growing collection of deals. While I’ve already built a large summer/spring wardrobe for next summer, there are still great deals on spring and summer items to be had, so hit the stores!
When you want to clothe your children, but can’t or won’t pay a lot, take my suggestions and embrace my frugal tips to become a bargain hunter! It’s not only addicting, but you will never want to pay full price again!
How do you save on money for kid’s clothes? What are your favorite bargain hunting stores?
This post was shared with Mom’s Morning Coffee, What You Wish Wednesday, SITS Sharefest, Mommy Moments, Motivation Monday, Mommy Monday, Cornerstone Confession
