Shop a season or two ahead for clothes. Right now I am on the lookout for clearance winter clothes for the next year when I am shopping. I was just at Kmart last week and bought my kids all the winter PJs they need for Winter 2011 and I got them for just $3.99 a pair (2-piece fleece). Just don’t forget you bought them! (I do that sometimes! HAHA.)
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I do this for everyone in my family and put them away in a tote marking them for the season they are for. When seasons start to change, I pull them out, wash them and hang them up and VIOLA new wardrobe :D It’s also like Birthday/Christmas cause my girls forget what we bought (and my husband never knows what we have gotten him cause he is so clueless about his clothes lol) and when we start pulling stuff out they are like, “Oh I forgot about that!” or they enjoy matching us outfits. I also love this time of year because of yard sales, where you get the best of any season. I usually have a yard sale in the fall with some outgrown spring/summer items and fall/winter items, then do the same in the spring. I LOVE it when other people have all season stuff at their yard sales too!!! My husband has asked me before, “What if no one can wear it (insert season)? Then you have just wasted money right?” I always tell him that it is NEVER wasting money cause SOMEONE in our family {I am the youngest of 7 kids with 20 nieces/nephews and 12 great-nieces/nephews} is always gonna be able to wear the clothes. I use to be on a site that we would “recycle” clothes with each other from all over. I miss that.
I would love to do this but my son is young and I have no idea what size he’ll be in a year. He was born preemie at 5 lbs 8 oz and now weighs almost 20 lbs at 3 1/2 months! Do you have an idea for how to buy sizes? I used to do it for myself as well but since I’ve had two pregnancies in 2 years I have no consistent size. If you have any ideas, I’d love to hear them!
I TRY to do this but my little guy is growing too fast now. When he was little I did this alot. I stick to PJs and jean which he needs year round esp with chilly nights camping!
I have found that nothing beats a garage sale for children’s clothes! I got an Old Navy heavy winter coat for my daughter for next year for $2, and it doesn’t look used at all!
I just that you are posting this on here. I have been doing this for years before I had my son with my clothing too. I am glade to see I am not the only one and it does save so much in the long run.
This year I hit some very good sales by marking the calendar. I know sounds strange but it works well. I have figured out that in the last two weeks of Jan. and first two weeks of feb. I get the best bargains on winter items. From sears and Jc Penny’s. This is the weeks they take all there clearance clothing and then take off another 60%-80% on top of that. Most racks are marked from .97-4.97 Then with online coupons saving it is just amazing. There is something so gratifying about looking at a store receipt that says you spend a little over $40.00 and saved over $600.00 dollars in one trip….hehehe
Also I found a great site called thredup.com were you can buy boxes of clothing (which is up to 15 peices) for just 15.95. It was a plum direct to join for 6 months (they are like groupons) and I am very please at what was in the box. Since I had credit I figured I would give it a try.
I used to do this when my kids were younger, but I still do it for other things. When I see something for a holiday, birthday, or just something of general use, (like school supplies), I pick it up. I have a system of bins in my closet. I also like to stock up on hats and gloves because my 12 year old loses them like crazy!
My husband HATES when I buy for the next season! But I do it anyway :) My local thrift store had a ton of girls sun dresses for 1.29 on 1/2 off day I got them all & childrens place baithing suits. all for .65 each! I have one of those zip plastic blanket bags stuffed! Also when childrens place had their clearance, I got 6 pairs of shoes and 2 3packs of socks for $51!
I just got back from Target and got 5 pairs of pants and three shirts for a bit over $10, everything was 75% so these will be their next winter clothes. I have always done this for my kids and for myself.
Old Navy can be great off season too, especially in the girls (at my store, at least). I have been blessed to have loads of hand-me-downs for my son, but hardly any for my daughter, so I have been buying ahead. I got performance fleece hoodies, pullovers, and pants for next winter for $2.74 each. I got a Hello Kitty Halloween shirt for $1.99 and a year or more ago, I got the cutest pink sundress for $1.99. At Meijer I got Halloween Carters pajamas for $2 right after Halloween, and recently at the Disney Store website, I got a Mickey and Minnie Christmas sweatshirt for $5. Another non clothing bargain I am looking forward to, I bought 2 Easter egg kits last year for $.29 each, and one is Mickey and friends themed, so we can make Disney Easter eggs a month after our trip. :)
just bought pj’s for my little men at Kohls’s for $4.40 for 2 pairs (regularly $38.00 for 2 pair . . . that calculates to $2.20 per pair !!
And everything I buy ahead always fits.
Great deal!
I’ve heard people who are afraid to shop this way because what if the little one hits a growth spurt? True, that may happen, but that’s why there’s ebay. And if you shop on dirt-cheap clearance, you can often recoup more than you initially spent! For example, I just sold a Baby Gap dress shirt/sweater vest that I thought would fit my little guy this Easter, but will be too small – I bought it at consignment on clearance for $1.99 and sold it for $35 on ebay :)
Right into the Disney Fund! We may have just gotten back, but we’re already saving for our son’s high school graduation trip in July of 2013!
I do this and have for year. I have a section of our finished attic that has Rubbermaid totes of clothes and I have them labeled by size and gender. So BOY 5T, etc. I have even gone so far as putting boy clothes in blue totes and my girls in silver totes. My girls is in a 4t now and I have clothes in a 6-7 for her already. And shoes up to a size 1. I have to keep a list of the sizes I need in my wallet so I don’t get to many duplicates.
And I must have totally missed the post when Old Navy did 50% off the marked clearance price. I normally do that and stack it with a coupon and then use a gift card from some other deal. I love scoring a full outfit for my kid down to the shoes for less than $10. Cheaper than my local thrift stores and its new.
I buy a season/size ahead too! I love kohl’s. I get discounts for there all the time for 20 or 30% on top of their clearance prices. Plus I can take anything back that doesn’t fit or we don’t like no matter how long has gone by. For school this year I spent less than $100 and I got 10 pairs of pants, 10 shirts and a winter coat!!! I also love the OshKosh outlet near us. They have awesome clearance deals, with discount coupons, and they also accept returns forever with a receipt :) The other thing I do is check out the shoe section of the stores. My boys feet seem to grow so fast and we will always need sneakers, so if I find a good pair of sneakers on clearance in a size or two up I get them. My kids wear $40 sneakers that last a long time and I only pay $15 or less for them. Cheaper than the target sneakers that fall apart in 2 weeks!
Since I have 2 boys born in the summer, I can pass clothes down which really helps to spread the money even farther :)
I do this too right now since my daughter is not picky (she is only 4 1/2). I have a three bin system going in the top of her closet. One bin is for outgrown clothes so they can be put into it once they have been washed for the last time. Then, I have a bin for the upcoming season’s clothing (so right now I am in the process of washing spring clothing, after trying them on to see how they fit) and there are some to be gotten mid-summer that do not fit yet. Lastly, I have a fall/winter bin full of clothing I got for next to nothing by shopping sales.
I have always done this for both my kids. I can only do it for pjs and hats and things for the older one now (she thinks she’s a fashion diva or something LOL) but it does save a ton of money. Just like the walmart clearance the other day. I got gloves, scarfs, and hats for $.25 to $.50 it was awesome!
Target is the best for this when you ahve little ones…. their Circo stuff at 75% off is $1/item!!!
Just place them in a tote in a specific area and when the season rolls around THERE THEY ARE!!! I have always done this. Best buys are at the high end stores when they go 75% with an additional % off that. Talk about CHEAP