How To Save Money on Kids’ Clothes

*This post has been reviewed by an Illinois Registered CPA. However, when making important financial decisions, it's best to speak with your financial advisor.

Last Updated on August 24, 2022

Saving Money on Kids’ Clothes

As an adult and a parent, you might not focus on buying clothes for yourself. Gone are the days when you used to spend hours at the shopping center for fashion’s sake. Now, your kids are growing. You focus on their needs and prioritize their expenses. One of them is clothes.

Kids grow fast, and you have to keep up with their wardrobe needs … and whims. Kids’ clothes can drain your budget. If you have more than one child, you need to start thinking of solutions. From discounts to setting a strict clothing budget, discover how to save money on kids’ clothes.

How to Save Money on Kids’ Clothes with Cheaper Options

Kids, especially young ones, often don’t put a high price tag on fashion. They’re more interested in fun times, games, affection, and getting lots of attention. Plus, they grow up so fast. Next year your son won’t fit in those lovely $40 jeans you bought from a fantastic brand. They are doing just fine with a pair that costs less. The bottom line is you can save money simply by buying cheaper clothes.

For you, this might not be a good solution. You need quality clothes that last longer. Otherwise, you invest more in the long run. Small children grow out of their clothes fast. It doesn’t make sense to invest a lot in clothing, at least not when they’re little. Later, when they grow and start developing their own clothing preferences, you might have to spend more to meet their needs.

Don’t Avoid Secondhand Shops

Have you ever gotten a pre-loved dress or jacket as a gift? Maybe the person who gave it to you wore the item only once or twice. Maybe they wore it many times, but it still looked great. You could use it for years.

There is no shame in buying secondhand clothes because they can look and feel as good as new ones. The only difference will be in your pocket. You can save a lot of money per year with secondhand clothes. Generally, this is available for any other secondhand item.

Some of the clothes you’ll find at thrift shops could be in excellent shape. You won’t even notice someone used them before. There are even brand new garments at thrift shops. These are clothes other kids rejected or didn’t have the chance to use. Some of these clothes come from stores that went out of business.

What to do if your kid doesn’t want to wear secondhand clothes

Is your kid reluctant to dress from a thrift shop? Don’t blame them. Some people feel a bit embarrassed to even enter a secondhand store. Don’t give up without trying. Go shopping together with your child because they may see products they like. You might want to insist on buying them to save money and teach kids that pre-loved clothes are just as good as new ones. Buy something for yourself, and set an example.

Buying secondhand products is also a matter of environmental concern and care. With consumerism peaking, do your bit to reduce your impact on the environment. The clothing industry produces waste. It now accounts for 10% of global carbon emissions. Teach your kid about these things. They can grow up and become responsible adults as they’ll understand why it is important to recycle.

Buying items from second hand stores can be a good starting point. This teaches them about responsible buying. It also helps them have a more environmentally-friendly approach and save money.

If you are reluctant about the idea of pre-loved clothes for kids, you’re not the only one. Many parents feel ashamed when cutting down costs on kids-related stuff. They want to offer kids nothing but the best, which is normal. Start the other way around. You might not be ready to dress your kid in secondhand clothes yet. Buy pre-loved items for yourself. Wear them for a while. How does it make you feel? The most probable answer is good.

After a few weeks or months, you’ll forget where you bought them from. Those clothes will have your personal touch. It will feel like you always owned them. You won’t stop to think someone else wore them before. Then, you’ll be ready to buy second hand garments for your kids too.

Save Money on Kids Clothes with Outlet Shops

Outlet malls and shops are an excellent way to save money on clothes. Here, you can find new apparel. Many of the products come from well known brands. Here are a few of the advantages of buying clothes from outlets:

• You find clothes from popular retail stores.
• Older, as well as current collections, are available.
• Prices are usually lower compared to big retailers.
• The clothes are new.

Despite these pros, there are a few downsides to consider:

• It takes time and patience to find clothes. These are big stores.
• Usually, outlet stores are not located in central areas. You’ll have to drive there.
• You may not find the latest clothing collections.

Avoid Matching Outfits

Matching outfits are those combinations of apparel that stores display in their windows. Your kid might insist you buy those clothes they see on mannequins, but they may cost more. Go inside the store and start exploring. You will probably find similar options at lower prices. Those outfits in the windows look stunning.

The pieces are in perfect harmony. The problem is they might not match the rest of your kid’s wardrobe. Buying them would limit your options. Look for clothes that have similar designs. There could be lots of options your kid would love. It just takes more time to find them.

How to Save Money on Kids’ Clothes with Discounts

Discounts are one of the best ways to save money on clothes. There are all sorts of discounts clothes stores offer.

First, you have seasonal discounts. Those normally become available at the end of the season. Winter clothes are no longer necessary at the end of February. Stores need to sell them. Next winter, they’ll have a different collection. To get rid of these clothes, they offer discounts. Some are quite generous. You could pay a lot less for quality clothes by shopping during the discount period.

Then, there are all sorts of regular discounts. The competition in the clothing industry is fierce. Brands constantly offer promotions to stand out. It is part of their marketing strategy to sell more. Why not take advantage to save some money?

Check out the available discounts before buying kids’ clothes. If you go to a shopping center, take your time. Don’t stop at the first store you come across. Check out more brands. Some might offer better discounts. After comparing the offer, make a money-wise decision.

Discount retailers can help save money too. These shops provide clothes at lower prices compared to brand stores. You can find quality apparel that costs less and looks great.

To stay up to date with the best kids’ clothes discounts, subscribe to newsletters. If you like a brand or store, make sure you’re on their email list. This way, you’ll get the latest discounts and special offers right in your inbox. Also, try to benefit from discount gift cards. Even a discount of as little as 5% makes a difference, especially if you shop for two.

You could save a great deal of money with discounts. If you’re struggling to find out why you can’t save money, use discounts. Make it a habit to benefit from all the available discounts, no matter what you buy. This habit will consolidate your savings account. It can even help you fix your credit faster.

Anticipate Your Kid’s Clothing Needs

Especially if you buy last-season discount clothes, pay attention to the size. A winter jacket you buy for your four-year-old daughter is ok now, but will it still fit her next winter? Consider this aspect too. Think about how fast your kid has been growing for the past months. It might be a good idea to buy larger clothes. One size larger could be enough. To avoid mistakes, take these steps:

1. Check out the current size your kid wears.
2. Compare this size with the next one when you look for clothes (e.g. XS and S).
3. If the difference is not big, compare it with the next size. (e.g. XS and M).

Reuse the Kid’s Clothes You Already Have

Are you a mother or father of two? Then, you already have plenty of clothes because of your first child. Do not throw them away after he or she outgrows them. You can use them for your younger child. This will also give them a valuable lesson on the importance of sharing. It will teach them to be practical and reuse rather than discard objects.

Clothes worn by bigger brothers or other relatives can still be in great condition. Why waste money on new ones? You can also apply the same approach to repurposing clothes. For example, turn a dress into a skirt. A pair of old jeans can become a comfy and cool pair of shorts, and so on. Reuse every clothing item you can as long as it’s still good.

Take Advantage of Clothes Liquidation Stores

These stores might not appeal to you at first. The merchandise you find there might sometimes have minor flaws. These are things you can easily adjust. But in most cases, you don’t have to worry about it. You may find products that are in good condition, you just have to pay attention to make sure you come across these items. There are several reasons why liquidation stores have very low prices.

1. They buy products from stores that cannot sell them. These stores basically sell their products at lower prices to get rid of them.
2. They buy products from companies that are shutting down.
3. The products come from other stores that are changing locations. These stores try to avoid the transportation costs for their remaining merchandise.

For these reasons, liquidation stores afford to sell cheap clothes. You might find lots of items for children there. Most of them are quite fashionable too. Just remember to inspect the products first. This way, you’ll avoid items with flaws.

Take Advantage of Garage Sales

You probably take walks with your kids in your neighborhood every day. Do you ever see garage sales? If yes, don’t shy from checking them out. There are all sorts of interesting items you can find there, including children’s clothes. You may pay only a few bucks per item. It’s worth giving it a try.

Just one piece of warning. Arm yourself with patience. Garage sales are not department stores. You will not see the merchandise neatly displayed on shelves. You’ll probably have to go through piles of all sorts of clothes to find something.

Garage sales come with different advantages, but also some drawbacks.

Garage Sales
Pros	Cons
A variety of items	They are only organized occasionally
Low prices	You can’t ask for different sizes
Older items you can no longer find in stores	It can take time and patience to find something good

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How can I save money on clothes with two kids?

One of the best ways to save money on kids’ clothes is to recycle. Especially with two daughters or two sons, try to pass on the clothes from one to another. At least do this for items that are still in good condition. You’ll avoid buying more clothes for your smallest child. To do this, take these three steps:

1. Avoid throwing away clothes that are in good shape as your first kid grows.
2. Keep these clothes in a separate, easy-to-access place.
3. When your second kid arrives, sort and wash these clothes and see what you can reuse.

How can I save money on new kids’ clothes?

New clothes can cost a lot, even for toddlers. To save money, you might want to apply these three methods:

1. Try to find and take advantage of discounts.
2. Get vouchers or discount cards. Use them whenever possible.
3. Look for cheaper alternatives to brand stores, such as outlets.

How to budget to save money for my kid’s clothes?

There are several money-saving and budgeting strategies you can rely on. Some of the most popular include:

• The 50-30-20 budgeting method – you save 20% of your income each month.
• The digital envelopes system – you allocate a strict budget to your spending.
• The half-payment method – you save money for bills from each paycheck.

The digital envelopes system might be a good idea to budget for apparel. Here is how you can apply this method:

Budget per month	$3,900
Envelope 1: Essential expenses (mortgage, bills, gas, grocery)	$2,500
Envelope 2: Savings	$700
Envelope 3: Clothing	$300
Envelope 4: Entertainment	$400

From an overall budget of $3,900 and with essential expenses amounting to $2,500, you still have $1,400 for other expenses. You can set a savings goal of 50%, and allocate the rest to other envelopes, such as clothes and entertainment.

Sources:

These facts show how unsustainable the fashion industry is. World Economic Forum. (n.d.). Retrieved July 24, 2022, from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/01/fashion-industry-carbon-unsustainable-environment-pollution/