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3 Tips to Save Money on Kid Clothes

The cost of raising kids is a hot topic, and one covered at ad nauseam. Can raising a child really be as expensive asthey say – i.e. almost a quarter of a million dollars by the time they hit seventeen? Many stats show that on averageparents spend $600-850 per year on just clothing alone for their children. That is ridiculous – even for teenagers!Here are three easy tips to save money on your children’s clothing budget.

1. Just Have Less: This tip goes against the grain, but what if your child (and us, adults, for that matter) just hadless clothing? This is definitely easier to get away with if your children are under 8, home schooled, or wearuniforms. Usually around the age of 8 or 9, many kids dress to impress their friends – or at least dress so thatthey don’t get made fun of. However, if you do have a younger child, try limiting their wardrobe to eight outfits.Of course, you should have a few pairs of pajamas and a special occasion outfit in their closet too. By havingless, you have less laundry to do, your kids have more space in their rooms, and you save more money. Thismay seem extreme to some families, but if you cut your child’s wardrobe size by at least half, I bet you will seean improvement in organization and by how much faster laundry day goes.

2. Buy Second Hand: Most of my toddler’s outfits are hand me downs or bought used. It is nice to be able tobuy higher quality fashions, such as Baby Gap, Gymboree, and Converse for what most pay for Walmartbrands. If you are picky about what you buy second hand, then you will end up with great pieces that are ingood condition even when your child is done using them. I think it is very important to have quality clothing foryour children, since they are more cost efficient in the long run. I find it wiser to buy quality brands at usedprices than cheap brands at new prices. Let’s be honest; kids are messy. I am much more forgiving and easygoing when my toddler completely ruins an adorable Gymboree outfit because I know that I didn’t lose a lot ofmoney (of course, I would prefer for all of her clothes to stay pristine, but I have to be realistic too).

3. Buy Out of Season, Ahead of Time: If used clothing grosses you out, or perhaps it is too hard to find goodpieces in your child’s size, then you can still score new clothing for great prices. The main purpose is to shopout of season. This will not work for everyone. For example, my little bug was born in the summer, so I clearlyexpected her to be in 18 month clothing by the time she was 18 months. Even now at 21 months, she is still in12 month clothing! So I ended up with a lot of pieces that were never worn. However, I have done this methodfor Christmas gifts for my nieces and nephews. I shop the after-Christmas clearance of Children’s Place orGymboree with a big coupon code, free shipping, and Ebates. Last year, I bought clothing gifts for ten kids for$50, or $5 a piece. I enjoyed a stress-free Christmas too. Now that it is March, you might still be able to findgreatly discounted fashions leftover from winter at your favorite store. Just buy the size you think your child willbe next winter. Chances are if it doesn’t fit, you will be able to gift it to someone you know or sell it for at leastthe price you paid.

Kids grow fast, and it can seem like you are continually shopping for new clothes for them. Try these three tips tosave some money on their wardrobes. You should be putting the money into savings for when they are teens andtruly care about where their clothes come from.