7 Lessons on Cutting Costs for Kid’s Clothing

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If you’ve received piles of catalogues and endless emails from retailers promoting the latest clothing sales for fall and winter, you’re probably trying to assess the real deals from the duds. With back-to-school spending expected to reach $74.9 billion this year, stores are clamoring for their share of consumer dollars by releasing many alluring specials. So while discounts on everything from denim to sneakers to sweaters are tempting, jumping on every offer that comes your way will ultimately lead to overspending.

To avoid blowing your shopping budget, study these seven lessons on cutting kid’s clothing costs without sacrificing style or quality.  

1. Audit your kids’ closets.

Before buying your children new wardrobes for school, review each child’s closet to determine which clothes still fit and which need to be replaced. Parents and children often forget what items they already own, so this is a good practice. Keep a detailed list so you don’t double up on items. Shopping with this list will also serve to prevent impulse purchases and ultimately save you money.

2. Get thrifty.

Offset the cost of new clothes by selling those that your kids have outgrown. Visit your local consignment store or head to thredup.com where you can sell gently-used threads. Apply the credit earned toward like-new items including denim, sweaters and outerwear. This is an especially good method to fulfill your teens wishes for name-brand fashion for a fraction of department store prices.

3. Snag end-of-season clearance.

From shorts to short-sleeve shirts to sandals, your kids will get a lot of use out of warm-weather clothing items through the first several weeks of school. Take advantage of summer clearance sales of up to 70-percent off as retailers clear out seasonal clothing and accessories to make room for fall merchandise. Some of these discounted summer staples can be layered during cold weather, too.

4. Use your smartphone.

While scoping out store sales, don’t settle for the lowest sticker price. A well armed smartphone can help you sweeten the deal: download the PriceGrabber app for instant price comparison, Poach It for tracking prices and sale alerts, and Coupon Sherpa for mobile coupons to get extra savings like 15-percent off your apparel purchase from Sears, and 25-percent off at The Children’s Place. Keep in mind, many retailers are willing to match another store’s coupon so speak up if you find a better deal elsewhere.

5. Read the labels.

Study clothing labels for care instructions before making a purchase and weed out items that specify dry-clean only. Any clothes that require hand wash may create a time consuming project, so only buy machine washable items to make your life easier and cheaper. I recently forgot this very important rule and purchased a summer dress on clearance for $37, only to realize it was dry-clean only when I went to wash it. I now have a dry cleaning bill that costs nearly the same as the dress – ouch! Read this article on Fiscal Fizzle for ways to make clothes last.

6. Control “spaving” tendencies.

Retailers encourage shoppers to dish out their dollars by offering extra discounts on larger purchases with promotions like “Save $25 off $150 Purchase” or “Buy 3, Get 1 Free.” In fact, one email I saw recently said “the more you spend, the more you save!” Actually, the more you spend, the more you spend. Don’t let promotions dictate your budget, and use whatever offer fits within what you already planned to spend.

7. Be patient.

Parents feel pressured to get everything done and ready before the first school bell rings. However, practicing patience can go a long way in terms of dollars when it comes to buying fall and winter fashion. Items like denim and fall apparel are better buys later in the season when retailers start making room for holiday merchandise. While these apparel staples may be touted as “the best deals of the season,” you can be assured of better pricing later on.

About the Author:

Andrea Woroch is a nationally-recognized money-saving expert who helps consumers find simple ways to live on less without making major sacrifices. With a finger on the pulse of American consumerism, Andrea dissects savings and retail trends for the media, encompassing everything from travel to electronics and medical bills. She regularly contributes to consumer stories with leading news organizations and has worked with Today, Dr. OZ, Good Morning America, CNN, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Money Magazine, and many more. As an avid writer on personal finance and consumer topics, Andreas’ stories have been published among popular lifestyle and personal-finance websites including AOL’s Daily Finance and CNN.com. You can follow Andrea on Facebook or Twitter for daily savings tricks or visit www.AndreaWoroch.com for more information.