One of the most significant expenses when it comes to being a parent is clothing. Kids grow so fast, and as they grow, they explore more. Exploration leads to them wearing clothes out quickly and getting holes in them. Keeping your child’s wardrobe up-to-date with the right size items, as well as replacing all of the damaged clothes, can be a constant battle on both your sanity and your purse-strings.
Added to that, the pressure for kids to dress well starts far too early. And your kids will want to dress similarly to their friends. Keeping up with the latest trends is hard work.
Here are a few top tips to help you get the most out of the clothing that you buy your kids
Buy Clothes That Are Designed To Last
You should try and look for the most hardwearing of kids clothes that will last through all of the days spent playing on their knees or climbing trees. Look for strong natural materials with a solid weave that will take the impact of the occasional crashed bike or up-turned skateboard. Sometimes, it is worth paying out slightly more on a better-made garment that is designed to last, that picking up disposable fashion items that will end up getting torn on their first wear.
Hand-Me-Downs
If you have more than one child, then you should look to keep clothes that have been grown out of for the younger kids to wear. Wearing the clothes of an older sibling may have been a bit of a social no-no. However, it is a very environmentally friendly option as it means that you will get full use out of an item of clothing before it is thrown away.
Often, kids don’t even really care if it’s been worn by someone else before them. There may be a few initial grumbles, but these will soon pass.
If you’re stuck for space to keep all of these older items, why not put them all into a vacuum-sealed bag so that they can compress and save space?
Buy Second-Hand
You can often get some excellent quality items when you are buying second hand. Check out local charity shops, a well-run store will only put out the best clothing that gets donated. Often, you may find items that have never been worn, or that might have been worn once or twice. As kids grow so fast, it may be that the clothing was donated before it even got worn in.
Don’t forget, if you are buying from a charity that you are also helping out a good cause, so everyone is a winner.
You could also check out parenting groups or the Marketplace on Facebook, as there are always clothes up for sale. Again, many of these may have barely been worn.
Buy Ahead Of Time
If you know that your child still has some growing to do, then you should look at buying ahead of time. If you see bargains in the next size up in the seasonal sales- buy them and wait for them to grow into them.
There are two really good sales a year when retailers are emptying their stockrooms in an attempt to clear space for the next ranges to come in. If you time it right, you can get some great deals as they clear through the inventory.
Don’t Get Sucked In When Buying
It is so easy to see an offer when you are out shopping and think that you really must buy that item immediately. Sometimes there will be offers on things that you really do not need, and yet you get so drawn into them that you end up buying them regardless.
Try to resist the urge to buy anything that you don’t actually need. If your kid already has lots of T-shirts but needs new jeans. Don’t buy more T-shirts just because you have seen cheap ones.
Make Do And Mend
It may be worth developing some sewing skills if you don’t already have any. Learning how to mend small holes can be handy for giving torn clothes that little bit of extra life. If you are repairing playing out clothes, then why not find some patches to sew over larger holes? This will mean that they get much more use out of the items that they have.
If you don’t know one end of a needle from another, you should look at some youtube tutorials to help you get started. Who knows, if you get good enough, you may even be able to start making your own clothes.
Vickie L Couturier says
i love clearance racks,,you can get some awesome buys if you just watch and wait
Jacquelyn Cannon says
I found that buying clothes and shoes ahead of time allows me to have money to spend on emergency items. Because I have already bought clothes or shoes in advance.
Stephanie Jones says
thanks for sharing this.. going to places like goodwill is a good option
Donna Porter says
I have found buying on clearance and using coupons works well at times. Also finding moms that have kids a bit older helps to get clothes passed down.
Janet W. says
I’ve found the best way to save money is to buy ahead of seasons so you get clothing on clearance instead of paying full price when you need it. It also helps having two grandsons very close in age so hand me downs are great!