This is a fabulous guest post from Erin at It All Matters Mom. I love her family tip! Great Advice. 🙂
When my husband and I went to the doctor to find out if our second child would be a boy or girl, I could hardly take the anticipation. I thought for sure it was going to be a boy.
With one little girl already, I was anxious to see what a boy would look like.
As the technician showed us our beautiful baby wiggling around, she gave us the news: “Looks like it’s a girl!”
To be honest, here were my first thoughts:
- “Not a boy? But I thought it was going to be a boy … but good, our daughter will have a sister. She’s perfect.”
And second …
- “We’ll save a lot of money since we won’t have to buy more clothes.”
I am serious.
That was actually my second thought on finding out the gender of our precious child — that I would save money on clothes!
Who thinks like that? Crazy penny pinchers like me, that’s who.
I love saving money and let me tell you, I have become a professional at dressing my two sweet girls for barely anything.
My secret?
I do the bulk of my shopping at garage sales, online yard sales, end-of-season sales and with family.
Here is how we save money on children’s clothes:
Garage sales
Don’t turn up your nose at garage sales! This is probably where I do the bulk of my clothes shopping. I find brand new and barely used clothing and shoes all of the time at garage sales. Kids grow out of things so fast that lots of times they don’t have time to wear clothes out. They wear it a few times, then it’s too small.
That’s when I swoop in.
On average, I spend 50 cents per piece of clothing. 50 cents! Good luck finding that price anywhere else. Some sales will even have clothes for 10 cents. Typically, those clothes might have a few stains, but a good soak in some OxyClean at home and most of the stains are gone. And if it doesn’t come out, you’re only out 10-25 cents and it’s probably going to get stained anyway.
I try to not spend more than $1 on a really nice piece of clothing at a garage sale. Coats and dresses are typically more, but even those usually don’t end up costing more than a few dollars. It’s a huge savings.
Shoes are the same, especially for little feet. I’ll spend 25 cents to $2 on the shoes, but only that much if they’re in great condition. I have bought brand new shoes for 25 cents several times. When people want to get rid of things, they wheel and deal.
Don’t be afraid to ask if the person putting on the garage sale if they will take a lower price. Many times, I get the price down if I have a pile of clothes. You can’t barter at the department store. It is a great feeling to leave with a bag of nice clothes and know you only spent a few dollars on them.
Online yard sales
Where I live, on Facebook we have an online yard sale for our area. It’s a group where members can post items they are selling — hence, an online yard sale. Craigslist is another great, similar option.
I’ve found some great deals on here. When our oldest was needing some 2T clothes last year, I found someone getting rid of multiple tubs of clothes in her size. I went to her house, pored through the clothes, and made off like a bandit with so much stuff for 25 cents each!
If I need a specific item, the online yard sale is great since many people sell seasonal clothing knowing it will go quickly, such as Halloween costumes for kids.
(As always when meeting people, be sure to meet in a public place or make sure you know the person. Get full names and phone numbers, too. Safety is the No. 1 priority — not the deal.)
End-of-season sales
Most stores have end-of-season sales where the clothing is drastically reduced. This is the time to stock up for next year. I’ve bought boots, coats, shorts, you name it, all for less than $2 each at each of these sales. I don’t mind paying a couple dollars for something that’s brand new, especially since I know it will pull double-duty with my girls.
After the holidays, be sure to check the store racks for holiday-themed merchandise that’s marked down. After the Fourth of July, buy that red, white and blue skirt in the next size or two up. After Christmas, buy that little suit in a bigger size for next year.
It’s also a great time to buy gifts for friends and family that might be expecting babies. Be sure to check online to see if there are extra coupons or discounts you can use to reap even more savings at the checkout.
Family
I am blessed to have a pretty awesome family, and I would be remiss if I didn’t include them on how we save money on clothes.
I have lots of nieces and nephews and we help each other out by borrowing tubs of clothes. (You know, the big plastic storage containers?) Just the other day, my sister-in-law sent me a text asking me to bring my 6-9 month tub since I would be seeing her that weekend. I love helping them out, and they do the same for me. It’s wonderful.
Besides the clothes swapping, I also have a mom and a mother-in-law that are deal hunters and they keep a steady stream of new and used clothing (using the same money-saving tactics) pouring into our house. They are phenomenal. Grandmas are pretty good at spoiling grandkids, and for that, I am truly thankful.
Whenever my mom buys me or one of my sisters-in-law something we think is cute, we get excited because we know eventually it will make its way to us.
If you don’t have close family or extended family to swap with, try swapping clothes with a friend who has kids. Ask around at a moms group, church or just a circle of friends to see if they’d be interested. Make sure it’s someone you trust that you know will return everything, and without destroying it.
Be realistic in knowing there is a chance for something to happen to it (stains, spills, rips, etc.) and be ready to show some grace if it does happen. It’s all part of having kids, right?
When I shop using the methods I listed above, I save hundreds of dollars every year. As an added tip, I use the money the girls get for birthdays and Christmas and put some of it towards clothes. That way I’m still using it as a gift, but we don’t see it coming out of our budget.
Kids’ clothing doesn’t have to be new.
It doesn’t have to be name brand.
It just need to keep them covered … and looking cute.
How do you save money when shopping for children’s clothing?
“Erin is a wife, stay-at-home mom to two spunky girls and a Christ follower. She writes about faith, homemaking, recipes and saving money, all sprinkled with a bit of humor.” Find Erin over at It All Matters Mom
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lorraine williamson says
February 13, 2015 at 8:58 amlove yard sales also when the thrift stores go 1/2 off I check them out thanks for sharing visiting from frugal friday have a great day
It All Matters Mom says
February 13, 2015 at 3:32 pmMe, too. I’m excited that garage sale season is right around the corner. Thanks so much for stopping by!
lydia @frugaldebtfrelife says
February 13, 2015 at 10:28 amlol! That one about saving money on clothes was the same thought I had when I found out my second was also a boy!
It All Matters Mom says
February 13, 2015 at 3:31 pmOh good! I’m not crazy then. Great minds think alike.
Janelle@The Peaceful Haven says
February 13, 2015 at 11:10 amGreat ideas and resources! This will help so many young moms!!
It All Matters Mom says
February 13, 2015 at 3:31 pmThank you! I hope it can inspire others to make smarter spending choices. Kids don’t wear clothes very long before they grow right out of them!
Nikki @ Growing Up Mom says
February 13, 2015 at 12:26 pmI do a lot of my shopping at the thrift stores too! I love Goodwill and Salvation Army most because they are easier to find, but you would be surprised the number of Churches that have Saturday or Thursday thrift stores. Aside from the price, I love that my money is going towards helping others. It’s a win-win if you ask me. With the baby, I’m very lucky that she is 6 months younger than my niece so I had almost all of her clothes before I even popped. But with the big sis, we used to go clearance shopping up until she hit 4. It was awesome until then, because she is so tall yet so skinny that the toddler clothes are too short and the girls clothes are too big. We have work with the size 5-6’s for her now. It seems that she’s going up just one size a year though, so maybe we can start this again. It was just a complete shock for us (maybe I just didn’t want her to grow up). Thank you for yet another great post Erin. Your’s is one blog I look forward to each week!
It All Matters Mom says
February 13, 2015 at 3:30 pmThank you, Nikki! When I started staying home I was so excited because I could hit up the Thursday and Friday sales during the day! My daughter is tall and skinny and blasting through her clothes so fast, too. (Same size as your daughter it sounds like.) Thanks for your sweet words, too. I appreciate that you take the time to leave comments — I look forward to those.
Emily @ My Love for Words says
February 13, 2015 at 5:44 pmGreat tips! I was a little crazy when my 1st was born 6 years ago. Everything was Gymboree and Baby Gap, but after seeing how little the babies wear their clothes (because they either grow out of them so fast or get dirty) I was quickly converted to buying used clothing. There’s so much out there that’s still in great shape it’s a no-brainer! 🙂
It All Matters Mom says
February 13, 2015 at 11:58 pmIt’s so easy to get lured in when there is so much cute stuff! It’s completely understandable. I get brand name and new stuff at garage sales. It’s the best!
Lisa @ Fun Money Finds says
February 13, 2015 at 5:52 pmI was always nervous to shop at consignment stores (I have no idea why) until I found out that my friend (who had PLENTY) of money bought her kids clothes there. One shopping trip and I was hooked! It’s just hard to pay very much for kids clothing because they outgrow it so quickly!
It All Matters Mom says
February 14, 2015 at 12:00 amI know it can be hard sometimes to break out of that mindset, but once you do it saves so much. Our 3 year old is growing like a weed and I don’t think she barely wore any of the jeans I bought her. At least little sister will hopefully get some more wear and tear out of them. Thanks for reading!
Brittany at Equipping Godly Women says
February 16, 2015 at 10:13 amGreat tips! I do all of the same things too, and we rarely spend much on clothes at all. Oh, and we do shop at the consignment store too.
Erin | It All Matters Mom says
February 16, 2015 at 11:09 amYou are on the ball, then! 🙂 Consignment sales and stores are a great resource, too. Thanks for the tip!
Becca says
February 17, 2015 at 7:17 pmI struggled to find good-quality second-hand clothing for my kids once they reached the age of 3. Garage sales are out – here, it’s not at all unusual to see used kid’s clothes, not a particularly good brand-name, and a few seasons old, for sale for $10 an item. Second-hand shops often charge more for pilled and stained clothes than a similar item would cost new. (Seriously, why would I pay $5 for a pilled and stretched-out t-shirt when I can get a brand new t-shirt for $3?)
My kids are both in school now and I find I save a lot of money because of school uniforms. The items themselves are cheap, or often free from other parents. That still leaves weekends and school holidays, which is where end-of-season clearance sales and Internet pop-up shops come into play. Generally speaking we only need about 4 or 5 t-shirts and maybe – maybe – a pair of pants; although they can also just wear their school uniform pants, since they’re just plain black, white, navy or grey leggings. (Our school gives us lots of leeway on uniform pants and shorts.) We can generally pick up t-shirts on clearance for $1.
At the moment, I’ve forbidden myself from buying any clothes for the kids, because their dressers are full. I’m now on a ‘buy it as they need it’ plan instead. They won’t really need anything for a couple of years now.
Rosemarie Groner says
February 19, 2015 at 10:58 amWe do the same! My mom recently brought us some “new from a store” clothes for our size 2T toddler with the price tag attached… $24 for a pair of jeans. Seriously? I wouldn’t pay $24 for a pair of jeans for me!
Rosemarie Groner says
October 24, 2016 at 10:11 amThere are so many great options for cheap clothing! Thrift stores, TJ MAxx, Thred up… I can’t figure out why anyone would pay retail price!
Erika Belvin @ BizyMommy says
April 11, 2015 at 1:33 amI love saving money on my kid’s clothes. I always buy bigger sizes when they’re on sale because thats less I have to buy later!! In fact, it’s kind of a passion of mine and why I blog about baby clothing deals so often 😀
Jessi says
April 13, 2015 at 6:38 pmI love doing that – especially when you find amazing deals! 🙂
Christina says
December 14, 2016 at 11:26 amUtilizing family and garage sales sound like smart and resourceful ideas. Doing additional legwork to find the best online options is a smart move as well.
Eileen says
May 28, 2017 at 5:32 amThe great idea and so informative. I read your whole article. This will helps me so much. Really, I am so glad to read your post. Thanks for share this post.
Marlena says
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Andrew Powell says
May 1, 2018 at 3:33 pmThis is a really amazing tip. Your tip is very helpful for saving money buying baby clothe. Thank you so mush share a helpful tip. I read enjoy your article.