Savin' - Clothing
Since I’ve been in full fall clothing buying mode - Figured I’d finish this series with how to save on buying kids clothing. Here are my tips:
1) While tempting, all those kids sites - Zulily, Totsy, Mommy Bargains aren’t really much of a deal at all. By the time you factor in shipping & time spent waiting for said item to arrive - they aren’t worth it so my first piece of advice is unsubscribe from all of them; now!
2) Instead - Figure out who has the clothing you like the most for you child. Every company has email updates now so sign up for those. You don’t have to open them until you’re in the market for something. (In fact, those are the first things I delete when I open my email) Also a lot of companies give you a 20% off coupon just for signing up!
3) Sign up for a store credit card. In our household Old Navy not only has the most stylish kids stuff but its also very reasonable and their sales are awesome so we have an Old Navy visa. We automatically get 10% off any purchases we make + we rack up points for every $ we spend. When we spend a certain amount of $, we get $ coupons. We also get added coupons with each statement so if done well, you can garner steep discounts. Added bonus is you can use for Gap & Banana and use their coupons interchangeable.
4) Buy a size or two bigger. You can roll sleeves and cuffs; so why not stretch those jeans for 2 winters instead of 1? Look for pants with the adjustable waist bands or loose/adjustable dresses.
5) Shop end of season sale for next year. You know that your 2T child will be a 3T next year so its safe to buy a few summer things now if deeply discounted.
6) Buy used. We have a great second hand store in Williamsburg called Flying Squirrel. Some of my most loved items for my children were purchased there at a fraction of the cost of retail! And best part is when you’re done, they’ll buy it back! I’ve also had amazing luck at the Goodwill by work. Lots of stuff still had tags on it!
7) Set up a swap with friends. I have a trade going with a girlfriend who had a son first and then a girl, while I had a girl first and then a boy second. I give her all my daughters stuff in exchange for her son’s stuff!
Photo: Le Bon Marche - by Robyn Lee