There is absolutely no reason to buy brand new clothing for your children at fancy mall stores or department stores. Instead, check out used clothing and discount stores to keep your child well-dressed on the cheap.
Children’s clothes might as well be disposable. After all, if they aren’t ripping a hole in the knee of an expensive new pair of jeans, they are growing so fast that those jeans are looking more like shorts. The key to buying kids clothes without going under financially is to shop on the cheap, without making your child look like an orphan in a Charles Dickens novel.
Garage Sales
Garage sales, yard sales, rummage sales… whatever you call them, they can be a great place to buy nice-looking, inexpensive clothing for children. Most people who sell clothing at a garage sale will sort it by size, making it easier for you to shop. The clothing is usually washed. Many people use garage sales to sell communion dresses and other fancy clothing that has only been worn once. As for the price, it usually can’t be beat; anywhere from a quarter to a dollar per item of clothing is standard. You can even barter with the garage sale owner if you are buying more than a few pieces of clothing. For example, if clothing is a quarter per piece, and you are buying five pieces, offer a dollar. Odds are your offer will be accepted.
Unfortunately garage sale clothing has its downside too. They usually feature clothing for babies, toddlers and preschoolers, so older children are out of luck. And garage sale shoes for children are a no-no, unless you are buying dress or novelty shoes that won’t be worn too often. Especially in the case of sneakers, shoes take on the shape of the previous owner’s foot, and are not likely to be comfortable for another children.
Look over garage sale clothing carefully before buying it. Keep an eye out for missing buttons, stains, rips and items that obviously have not been washed. These are all bargaining chips for getting the garage sale organizer to lower his or her price.
Auction Sites
Online auction sites such as Ebay and Yahoo! Auctions can be a treasure trove for parents seeking inexpensive, nice clothing for their children. The most common scenario is a stay-at-home mom who is looking for some extra cash. She gets together some kids’ clothing that seems too nice to sell at a garage sale, and groups it together for sale at auction. The winner is you, the parent who is looking for a great deal. Children’s clothing sold at auction is usually clean, rip-free and name-brand. It may even still have tags on it from the seller’s child growing out of it before getting to wear it. Sellers usually group similar items together by size, so you can pick up a half-dozen pairs of shorts in size 8, for example, at one sale. Auction sites categorize their clothing by item and size, so searching for a certain kind of clothing is quick and easy.
There are a few drawbacks to buying kids’ clothing at online auctions. First and foremost is a problem common to all auction sites, fraud. If it seems like the seller is not on the up-and-up, check her feedback rating and trust your instincts. Also, prices will be higher than garage sale prices (although considerably lower than retail), and you’ll have to pay shipping too. Clothing on auction sites usually runs a season early (rather like retail stores), so if it’s summer and you need summer clothes, you are probably only going to find fall or winter clothes for sale. And even if the seller includes pictures in the listing, pictures won’t allow you to see the cat hair, or smell the cigarette smoke, or feel the fabric. You are buying on blind faith.
I commonly use online sites to pick up summer wardrobes for my older daughter, who can’t find decent clothing at garage sales due to her age. We have never had a problem with fraud, but occasionally we run into a problem with a seller who mistakenly says a piece of clothing is one size, when it is in fact another size.
Hand-Me-Downs
The time-honored tradition of hand-me-down clothing is alive and well in suburbia. Whether you are getting clothing from an older cousin, big sister or neighbor’s kid, hand-me-downs are almost always free. Whether they are in good shape though, is another story. You get what you pay for when you accept clothing from a friend or relative. You may also have to accept clothing that is too big for your child, and store it away for future use. But there is no cheaper way to outfit your child.
Generally speaking, it’s considered bad form to turn down hand-me-downs. Accept everything offered to you, even if it is not in your or your child’s taste. No law says you have to wear it, and you don’t want to risk drying up the free clothing pipeline. Toss anything that is too trashed to wear, and sell the rest at a garage sale or auction site. Just make sure you wait a year or so, so the giver is less like to have hurt feelings if she sees a shirt she gave you sitting out on a driveway garage sale table.
One exception: the shoe rule for garage sales also applies to hand-me-downs. It is acceptable to turn down shoes unless they are nearly new or not obviously conformed to the previous wearer’s foot. Etiquette for underwear is not so cut-and-dry. Most people won’t hand down used underwear, and most parents won’t accept it, especially if it shows signs of previous soiling. But if you are offered underwear, your best bet is to take it and deal with it in whatever way your comfort level allows.
A clever way to make hand-me-downs work for you is to develop a network in your neighborhood. The entire block can hand down clothing to each other on a regular basis, making for well-clothed children and happy neighbors.
Discount Stores
There are times when you need seasonal clothing NOW, and there are no handy garage sales, auction offerings or hand-me-downs that will fit the bill. Then it’s time to venture to your local discount store to see what they have. Whether it’s WalMart, Target or another major chain, most discount stores sell clothing for children at a range of quality and prices. If you see a sale, buy several pieces of clothing at different sizes and colors. Store the larger sizes away for later use.
There is absolutely no reason to buy brand new clothing for your children at fancy mall stores or department stores. Leave that to well-meaning relatives on special occasions, since they are less likely to get frustrated when your daughter rips her $50 dress or your son grows out of his $75 khakis. Instead, check out used clothing and discount stores to keep your child well-dressed on the cheap.