Shopping for children’s clothing is surprisingly fun for me. In fact, most of the time I’d rather shop for them than for myself! There’s just something about seeing my girls in an outfit that fits their personality to a tee that gives me great pleasure.
However, with three kiddos I have seen the cost continue to creep up as they grow. That part is not nearly as fun! During the last couple of years as my family has grown I’ve learned to become very frugal in my shopping habits and clothing, for me, is one of the easiest items to save on. How you ask?
It’s simple!
Shop clearance
Every time I walk into a clothing store I head straight to the clearance racks. This is where you will find the best deals! Right before the next season is ready to roll out stores will deeply discount the current stock to move it out. You can save anywhere from 20-90% off of the retail prices. For example, online retailer Best Dressed Tot is currently having an end of the year sale where you can pick up outfits for your little ones for less than $15.99 each! Gifts for next Christmas? Heck yeah!
Shop consignment
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I. Love. Consignment. Rarely do I ever shop at retail stores for my girls (unless it’s a clearance sale). One of my favorite ways to shop is by checking out local consignment sales. In my area, Central NY, there is a 3 day long consignment sale called Sweet Little Repeats every spring and fall. During the last year I have shopped this sale and outfitted my younger girls for an entire season for less than $100! Most consignment shops are very particular about the items that they sell. They must be in very good condition. In fact, many times the items still have the tags on them!
Shop ahead
One thing that is inevitable is that our children will grow out of their clothes. When I’m shopping for the girls I make it a point to pick out clothes that are the next size or two up from what they are currently wearing and save it for later. The same holds true when shopping clearance. Right now I am picking up clothes that will fit them by next Christmas and setting them aside. Taking advantage of huge sales now will help to save on my spending come next Christmas!
Having three girls I am lucky enough to be able to hang onto the better kept clothes and hand them down to the next child. I’m not ashamed to say that I also shop at local thrift stores like the Salvation Army as well. There is nothing wrong with buying second hand although it may be a bit more time consuming to sift through the racks.
I hope that these tips will help you save on your next shopping trip! How do you save on children’s clothing?
I TOTALLY DO THE SAME EXACT THING!!!!! Clearance rocks. Thrift stores rock. Once Upon A Child is my favorite store. I have tubs with next season and lots of next year’s clothes lined up and ready to go!!! I think great minds think alike!
Great post to help others…
Haha, great minds DO think alike! Plus, it’s kind of fun to pull out the stuff I’ve put away throughout the year and see what they have. I tend to forget what I’ve grabbed along the way so it’s always a nice surprise! =)
Great tips! Thanks for stopping by on my SITS Day last week! PS If you are ever in Providence, RI… my favorite consignment shop for awesome mama things is…http://www.blackbirdsconsignment.com
I think to get the right figure you have to passed one survey locally. then you got the perfect figure of children clothing stores.