Shopping for your little ones can be a hassle and spendy! I have a few tips and tricks under my sleeve to make shopping and easier and a lot more cost-effective!
Here are five tips to help you save money on kids’ clothes. These tips will work for kids of any age!
5 Genius Ways to Save Money on Kids’ Clothes
1. Shop Online
Online shopping can reap some hefty benefits if you want to save money on kids’ clothes. Not only are websites geared specifically for kids, but some stores offer online sales that are not available in store.
Most online shopping sites have low-cost shipping, and if you’re lucky, you can get free shipping if your purchase is over a certain price.
You can also benefit from online sales by purchasing online and utilizing the ship to store pick up option. This removes the shipping cost as well as shortens the wait for your items.
I also recommend this method because you can have your little one try on the clothing at the fitting room after pick up, so if you have any issues, you can return or exchange the item according to the store’s policy right then and there.
To earn cash back for your online purchases, make sure you sign up for Rakuten (formerly known as Ebates). New accounts will receive $10 when they make their first purchase.
2. Check out the Clearance Rack
Fun fact, only about 5% of clothing in the clearance section is damaged. The main reason for an item to be placed on clearance is because the product is not selling fast enough, or new products are being released, and the store needs to make room on the sales floor.
Most stores receive new products biweekly, if not weekly. The new products are placed on the front of the sales floor, and old products are moved to the back racks; there’s a constant rotation.
With this rotation in place, that means there will be new clearance items every week. Beware, most stores DO NOT update their clearance online as much as they update in store.
An item may have the original price online because there is no need to make space on an online store, but that same item may be on clearance in-store due to limited space.
3. Go Thrifting
If you don’t enjoy thrifting, hear me out first! This follows up with tip #2. Most stores are now sending their “salvage” clothing to thrift stores for a tax break.
Salvage clothing is clearance clothing that hasn’t sold after being on clearance for a certain amount of time. With the never-ending cycle of new clothing being put on the front of the sales floor, and the old products moving back, there is going to be a point where clearance needs space as well. This is where salvaging comes in.
Some stores leave their hanging tag on the clothing, (the tag on the string or plastic loop) making it very easy to spot the salvage clothing at the thrift store.
On the other hand, some stores require the removal of their hanging tag, but the clothing tag (the tag sewn onto the garment/tagless iron-on) will have a permanent marker slash through it, or it’ll be cut horizontally (so that you can still see the size) to slash the brand.
This will also help you tell the difference between a donated item and a store salvage item.
Donated children’s clothing is always hit and miss, mostly miss. For the most part, when someone is donating kids clothing. This is because the clothing has usually been outworn, especially in the boy’s department.
Infant clothing, sweaters, and outerwear are going to be your best quality donated items for children.
4. Repurpose Damaged Clothing
Repurposing damaged clothing can be a lot easier than you think and double as an activity for the kids!
You can tie-dye, airbrush and stencil shirts to camouflage those permanent stains.
A ripped knee can be turned into cut off shorts in no time, cut even more holes in the jeans, and make them distressed.
Those jeans with the grass stains? Spray them with some bleach to acid wash them; the bleach will also remove the grass stains. Don’t be so quick to throw away your kids “damaged” clothing.
5. Think Outside the Box
You’d never guess how many stores sell clothing. The Dollar Tree has 3-pack socks and solid tees, among other clothing and accessories for $1.
If you’re lucky to live near a Five Below, they are great for $5 graphic tees, athletic gear, as well as shoes and so much more.
Your local hardware store is not just for hammers and nails; they have clothing as well. Not only your typical aprons and coveralls, but some hardware stores also receive salvage clothing from warehouses due to the load being too large to salvage to a thrift store.
Many grocery stores sell clothing too. Go to the last two isles of any Grocery Outlet, and you’ll be greeted by clothing and shoes.
Family Dollar, Dollar General and so many more stores that you think are only good for getting your laundry detergent and potatoes will have some of the best clothing deals in town.
Shopping for your kids can be expensive; however, utilizing these tips will help you save money on their clothing.
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