Holy Drained Bank Account, Batman!

[Mercy_Me]

Hi everyone. :) I have 4 kiddos ranging in ages from 14 down to 3. It's no secret that clothing them (even when I am thrifty) is, well......expensive. My youngest was in need of fall/winter clothes, so I hit several places online to see where I could do better. Both places were having great sales, so I built my shopping cart at both to compare. My average was around 145 and that included 4-5 pants, 4-5 shirts, maybe a hoodie or sweater, a pair of shoes, possibly. Other than needing a heavy jacket and a nice Christmas outfit, that would probably get him through the winter and into spring, so I think it is somewhat of a bargain. Have I let the cuteness go to my head?? What do you guys think of that price? (for one child)

[Jean in Newcastle]

Honestly, I get really nice clothes at Goodwill and other thrift stores. Clothes are usually $5 or less so you can get a lot of clothes. For younger children I can find pretty much anything I need in their sizes. Older ones are harder so often I supplement my thrift store run with a visit to Target etc. for them.

[LibraryLover]

www.savers.com/

[Mercy_Me]

Oh how I wish we had a Savers here in the Southeast! My BF frequents hers in California and LOVES it!!

[rootsnwings]

We have a huge outlet mall here with carter's, gap, bass (shoes) & Oshkosh outlet stores--I can clothe a kid (nicely) from head to toe for an entire season for $85 at the carter's outlet, easy. They usually have 20% off, anyway.

 

Our thrift stores are pretty decent and all clothing & shoes are 1/2 off on wednesday's. I came out with 4 pairs of nice, name brand jeans (for me!) for less than $6 last spring! They sometimes have some cute coats & things too. We only wear coats here about 3-4mo out of the year so they often look brand new, especially the children's sizes. I'm a little more picky about shoes from the thrift store but have broken down and bought a pair of $5 Stride rites! ;) Its definately worth looking into! :)

 

Always search for coupon codes & free shipping codes when you shop online. I saved over $1000 on our last computer (a Dell) using a silly coupon code I found on the net!!!! Crazy!

[Mercy_Me]

Oh, I know! I alwayssss search coupon codes before I buy anything online. I still remember the first time I did it and saved 20 bucks off of my Children's Place order. I was so thrilled! And then I got angry thinking about all of the money I had thrown away by not doing that. LOL! That is AWESOME that you saved that much on the computer!

[elfgivas]

Honestly, I get really nice clothes at Goodwill and other thrift stores. Clothes are usually $5 or less so you can get a lot of clothes. For younger children I can find pretty much anything I need in their sizes. Older ones are harder so often I supplement my thrift store run with a visit to Target etc. for them.

 

:iagree:all of this. and target has great markdowns, too....

ann

[Mercy_Me]

I think I simply need to break my gymboree addiction. I honestly hardly ever shop there b/c of the prices, but I look (and drool) often! I see what I can find on ebay, but even that can get pricey! They had such a good sale going that I couldn't resist building my order to see what I could do. I guess I just need to close it out, suck it up and go thrifting. LOL

[Cricket]

From what I had seen people spend on clothes, that sounds reasonable.

 

For us, it would still be too much. I find that in order to clothe my children cheaply, I go shopping a lot. :) We shop garage sales though. I can always find the cutest girls clothes. I bought some skirts and tops a couple of weeks ago for $1 each. Some my older dd can't wear until next year but for $1, I couldn't pass it up. Boy stuff is harder to find. I think they are harder on their clothes so they don't last as long. But it takes time to find things and here people have garage sales year round. Goodwill is okay but once I'm used to garage sale prices, Goodwill seems too high! I also hit clearance racks at the mall. Kohl's is good too. Every so often get a $10 gift card in the mail (some advertising thing) for Kohl's. I once got two pairs of pants and two shirts for my dd for about $1 after getting clearance items and using the gift card. That was fun! I buy things ahead of time because clothes are always on clearance at the end of the season so I buy the size they will need for the following year. It took me a long time to convince myself to spend money on something I didn't need *right then* but it has saved me a bunch in the long run. We do splurge on brand new clothes occasionally though but not for an entire wardrobe.

[Mom0012]

I think $145 is very reasonable to spend on a child for their clothing, especially if you will be able to hand it down. My mom buys all of my niece's clothes and then she hands them down to my daughter, so I rarely have to buy anything for her. My mom will buy my son a few items, but it's not as fun as shopping for girls, so it's not usually much anymore especially has he has gotten older. I probably spend about $150 on him and then we pass the clothes on to my nephews.

 

Lisa

[MissKNG]

At Wal Mart, the Garanimals clothing is $4 or less. Actually at the end of last season, I bought 4 sweatshirts for $1 each - in the big girl's section (not the toddler section)! My big girl is wearing one right now.

 

One thing to note is buy a size up so if your youngest is in 3T, I would get 4T.

[LauraGB]

My youngest was in need of fall/winter clothes, so I hit several places online to see where I could do better. Both places were having great sales, so I built my shopping cart at both to compare. My average was around 145 and that included 4-5 pants, 4-5 shirts, maybe a hoodie or sweater, a pair of shoes, possibly.

 

I think you could have done a little better, but not much. For the three year old, it would seem reasonable to spend about $8-$10 (x5 = about $50) and shirts at about $5-$6 (x5= about $30) plus a couple hoodies and a pair of shoes...

 

If you like to buy new - personally, I buy from places like Target or Walmart (as much I hate to do it) for this younger age because they won't be wearing my investment for more than a few months, and then I have to start all over.

 

Now, if you were asking about your 14 year old, I would be dying to know how you got away so inexpensively!

[cdrumm4448]

I have to stick with the thrifters. We have a St. Vincent DePaul near us and kids' clothes are around $2 each. I hardly ever buy clothing in a real store.

[TXMomof4]

I don't think that is too bad at all. Of course, you could go cheaper at Walmart or Target - certainly at a thrift store, but for new, name-brand ?) clothing, that's great.

 

We don't have a thrift store here AT ALL! It's killing me! Not even a goodwill! I envy those of you with access to cheap(er) clothing!

[justamouse]

Honestly, I get really nice clothes at Goodwill and other thrift stores. Clothes are usually $5 or less so you can get a lot of clothes. For younger children I can find pretty much anything I need in their sizes. Older ones are harder so often I supplement my thrift store run with a visit to Target etc. for them.

 

:iagree:on Wed the Salvation Army has most tags 1/2 price and 60 bucks will buy you garbage bags full of clothes. And, if you like name brands, they're all there.

[fairfarmhand]

depending on the kid I'm clothing, I do better than that at Goodwill. I bought all my dd (12)'s clothes for the fall for less than $50 last week.

 

However, there is very little selection for boys.

[lionfamily1999]

I think I simply need to break my gymboree addiction. I honestly hardly ever shop there b/c of the prices, but I look (and drool) often! I see what I can find on ebay, but even that can get pricey! They had such a good sale going that I couldn't resist building my order to see what I could do. I guess I just need to close it out, suck it up and go thrifting. LOL

Ack! Yes, that's expensive.

 

Thrifting is not as bad as it was when I was little. You can find (ime) a lot nicer clothes in greater quantities and the styles are not from a decade ago ;)

[2squared]

I have to vote for new at Target/Walmart as well. They are slightly more expensive than thrift/garage sales, but you only have to go shopping once. If you are buying toddler sizes still, Target & Walmart are very affordable. I think their clothes are cute too.

 

I have bought at thrift stores and garage sales, but I find that those clothes seem to wear out so they can't be handed down. New Target clothes do last long enough to get handed through our family.

[rafiki]

.

[Veritaserum]

My kids wear Children's Place almost exclusively. I wait for a mega sale and pick up items for less than $5 each. Sometimes Gymboree or Kohl's have good enough sales that I'll get a few things from them, too. I recently bought a new fall/winter wardrobe for my oldest (10) from Children's Place and Gymboree for $120 (4 dresses, leggings, several pairs of pants and jeans, several long-sleeved shirts, and a pair of sneakers). Her coat still fits, so I didn't need a new one. I bought her summer wardrobe from Shopko's clearance for $50. All of this was online.

 

I check this site to know who has a big sale going on:

 

http://www.pinchingyourpennies.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=10

[eaglei]

If you want new, not bad, especially if they will be handed down to younger siblings. However, I have to agree with those who posted concerning yard sales and thrift stores. Some Salvation Armys not only have great clothes at rock bottom prices, but also have sales on a fairly regular basis - either bag sales (either $4.00 or $5.00/bag and they really stuff that bag over-full), or, sales on specific clothes, e.g., all women's shirts may be $0.75 for a day or two or so - it's hit or miss - the sale items change on an irregular basis - but one day one of the stores had men's suits (the whole suit) for $0.75! Goodwill is another great place to shop, although their prices are higher than Salvation Army, but still low nonetheless. And some Goodwills are better than others in terms of having special sales. For example, one has sales based on the color of the hanger - which you don't know till you are checking out (so people don't switch hangers). We have a working knowledge of where the Salvation Army and Goodwill stores are located and which ones are best for which things!!! And I can't even begin to summarize the terrific deals we've gotten at yard sales. I actually got a brand new - still had the tags on it - fleece shirt for $0.25! I'll stop here! :D

[HollyDay]

I'm going to jump in here and say I think you did great. To all the ladies who rave about thrift and Goodwill stores......I'd love to shop at them!!!! I've actually had ladies tell me I'm doing a poor job as a homemaker because I do not buy all our clothes at such places. We have very few thrift stores in our area and no Salvation Army store. Only 1 thrift store has a dressing room to try on clothes. Buying clothes that might not fit is not a good idea. Now, we have several consignment stores, but they are not cheap. I do start our shopping looking at Goodwill first. Then Walmart, Target, Kmart type stores. Then consignment stores. Then sales at "regular stores" like Khols, Penney's, etc. It is not easy. I rarely find much at the Goodwills unfortunately.

[fairfarmhand]

I'm going to jump in here and say I think you did great. To all the ladies who rave about thrift and Goodwill stores......I'd love to shop at them!!!! I've actually had ladies tell me I'm doing a poor job as a homemaker because I do not buy all our clothes at such places. We have very few thrift stores in our area and no Salvation Army store. Only 1 thrift store has a dressing room to try on clothes. Buying clothes that might not fit is not a good idea. Now, we have several consignment stores, but they are not cheap. I do start our shopping looking at Goodwill first. Then Walmart, Target, Kmart type stores. Then consignment stores. Then sales at "regular stores" like Khols, Penney's, etc. It is not easy. I rarely find much at the Goodwills unfortunately.

 

 

Totally understand this post. There are 3 Goodwill shops within driving distance of my house. However, only one of them has the "good stuff" that makes it worth my while.

 

And even then there are certain things I will not buy used from Goodwill.

 

(for instance, jeans for myself...each manufacturer has different sizings and sometimes they shrink, etc. So I'd rather go to a store, find jeans I like, try them on and get the size I need than try to sort through hundreds of pairs at Goodwill to figure out which tens fit me, which tens run small, which ones run large, etc.)

[justasque]

I don't think anyone's mentioned hand-me-downs from friend yet. My homeschooling friends pass clothes along all the time. I remember going to co-op once and seeing five or six kids wearing things that had at one time been ours. I was so happy to see this! It's quite the normal thing in our crowd, so none of the kids mind - they enjoy going though a pile of clothes and being able to pick whatever they like.

 

Here's the thing, though. Some folks don't like hand-me-downs from friends, and it can be awkward to offer them when the offeree turns out to be somewhat horrified at the thought. So make sure your friends know you are open to such offers. And make sure you are giving your cast-offs to your friends.

 

Beyond that, we're big on thrifts - $2 tops & bottoms for kids, $3.50 in the adult sizes (which boys seem to enter at horribly young ages!).

 

When I do buy new, if it's something I can hand down to my kids, I go for good quality and gender-neutral styles. If it's something seasonal, or basics to mix-and-match with our thrift pieces, I go for Target or Old Navy.

 

Interestingly, our thrifted clothes are often of a higher quality than I'd ever dream of buying new. My son regularly wears Ralph Lauren shirts with Banana Republic pants - I was horrified when I found out how much these cost new! For seven bucks at the Goodwill he is wearing $200 worth of clothes! (It's all the same to him - he just wears whatever comes out of the drawer first.)

[bluemongoose]

Well, I think that is pretty good.:001_smile:

 

We mostly buy new clothes because we only have a Goodwill as far as thrift and honestly it is way overpriced. I can get things on the clearance rack brand new at the Gap and Gymboree and the Hannah Andersson Outlet for the same price as the Goodwill. It just does not make sense to me to spend the same on used clothing. We do have a friend who has been giving us hand me downs, but I think we are about out of that stage with her! She has petite kids and mine are tall, hers are older, but mine have caught up as far as clothing sizes.

 

I have never had luck with Old Navy, Target, and Walmart as far as good fit for my kiddos body types, and the clothing holding up. I like to pass my clothing down to the next kid, so I would rather pay a couple of dollars more and have it hold up than pay a tiny bit less for something that only lasts one kid.

[6packofun]

OK, but what is that site FOR? I saw some craft ideas...?

[Veritaserum]

OK, but what is that site FOR? I saw some craft ideas...?

 

The site I linked is a shopping website. The particular board I posted lists good deals for anything bought online (clothes, electronics, crafts, etc.). Other boards are local and list grocery deals. It is a wonderful place for finding bargains. :)

[Renee in NC]

I have to stick with the thrifters. We have a St. Vincent DePaul near us and kids' clothes are around $2 each. I hardly ever buy clothing in a real store.

 

:iagree:

 

We did buy new clothes when they went to school, but that was due to it being so short notice. I will be looking for "school clothes" at thrift stores starting in the spring (so I have some idea what size they will be.)

 

ETA: I went to JC Penney on a big sale day with a coupon and shopped the clearance racks (except for one pair of shoes.)

[cathmom]

I don't think I've ever spent that much. My dc get lots of clothes as presents or hand-me-downs, and to supplement that, I buy some from my favorite thrift store and some from the twice yearly Mothers of Multiples yard sale of the group I belong to. Other than that, I don't go yard-saling.

[Carol in Cal.]

For that age I always bought ahead at thrift stores and garage sales. If I ended up not using something, no harm done as there was not much of an investment. When my DD was kindergarten age, some people thought that we were wealthy because she mostly wore Gymboree clothes. But all of them were from those secondary sources, so they were actually cheaper than Walmart. It's a fair amount of work to keep this going, but it's very effective at saving money. I kept the 'buy ahead' clothes, sorted by sizes, in underbed bins. I would go through them about 3 times per year, pulling out the ones that DD had grown into.

[In2why]

I'm going to jump in here and say I think you did great. To all the ladies who rave about thrift and Goodwill stores......I'd love to shop at them!!!! I've actually had ladies tell me I'm doing a poor job as a homemaker because I do not buy all our clothes at such places. We have very few thrift stores in our area and no Salvation Army store. Only 1 thrift store has a dressing room to try on clothes. Buying clothes that might not fit is not a good idea. Now, we have several consignment stores, but they are not cheap. I do start our shopping looking at Goodwill first. Then Walmart, Target, Kmart type stores. Then consignment stores. Then sales at "regular stores" like Khols, Penney's, etc. It is not easy. I rarely find much at the Goodwills unfortunately.

 

 

I have noticed that thrift shops are getting rid of their dressing rooms too. It makes it almost impossible to buy clothes there. I wish everyone it bothered would complain to the manager and even write the organization. One of the shops here told me they have a huge problem with Shoplifting. It is frustrating, but at the same time they could lock the dressing rooms, and require an employee to open them. I guess that would put the employee in the position of having to police it, but I would imagine that they lose more to customers who no longer buy, than those who shoplift.

[Margaret in GA]

I am a pretty thrifty girl, but I buy nice clothes for our family. I cannot shop thrift stores here because they are totally picked through (maybe we don't have enough of them?) I've never found anything worth the musty smell. A few times I've found something good at a consignment store though.

 

So... buy the dang clothes. Seems like a pretty good deal to me. I think it's important that people look nice. Including kids. They get treated better by adults and other kids alike. And as a child who always wore outdated, unmatched, ill-fitting clothing, your child will have more self esteem if they look good.

 

just my .02

Margaret, who drives a used car, grows a garden,cans her food, and uses coupons at the supermarket, but wears nice clothes, darn it.

[holdoll]

Now, if you were asking about your 14 year old, I would be dying to know how you got away so inexpensively!

 

If you don't mind used clothing, our girls love to shop at Plato's Closet. We get jeans for $7-$8, tops for $3-$4. The last time we went in there was a sale and you could get specially tagged items for $10 to fill up your grocery store bag. For $20 I got them 4 pairs of jeans, 6 graphic tees and 2 blouses. They also have shoes and young mens clothing. They'll also buy your gently used clothing.

 

Here's the link.

[SweetMissMagnolia]

about to have to get fall/winter clothes for my ds....pretty sure he's ready to go up a size-lol his pants are right at the ankles.... lol right now I can get what I need at walmart (basic jogging pants/sweat shirts)--we have 1 consignment store in our area-need to look there I guess,haven't been in years.....

[Renee in NC]

I am a pretty thrifty girl, but I buy nice clothes for our family. I cannot shop thrift stores here because they are totally picked through (maybe we don't have enough of them?) I've never found anything worth the musty smell. A few times I've found something good at a consignment store though.

 

So... buy the dang clothes. Seems like a pretty good deal to me. I think it's important that people look nice. Including kids. They get treated better by adults and other kids alike. And as a child who always wore outdated, unmatched, ill-fitting clothing, your child will have more self esteem if they look good.

 

just my .02

Margaret, who drives a used car, grows a garden,cans her food, and uses coupons at the supermarket, but wears nice clothes, darn it.

 

Some of us will just have to dream, then, won't we?:lol: If I *had* money to spend, my dc would have nice clothes, too. My dc don't wear outdated, unmatched, ill-fitting clothing, though, so it isn't a big deal.

 

I'd like to have nice clothes for the simple reason that they look newer longer. When we get name-brand hand-me-downs, I am always amazed at how long they look good. I'll buy thrift store clothing over Walmart/Target clothing any day for that reason!

[jenL]

For Gymboree, I think that is reasonable, and the clothes last forever. If you like their styles, but want them to be more affordable, have you checked out their sister company: Crazy 8? We really like their clothes, and you can often find them marked down to 75% off.

 

I have trouble shopping at thrift stores for my boys as they are pretty thin, and I have trouble finding slims that fit properly. I've had luck with Old Navy, Oshkosh, and Crazy 8 for pants. I also find that thrift stores do not have a good selection of boys' clothes. I'm not sure if it's because they wear their clothes harder, or if it is just like this in my area. For us, I buy online on clearance or at an outlet store, and I always use coupons on top of those prices. I think buying brand new is definitely possible if you are savvy. Follow the sales and use coupons/coupon codes. Children's Place is another store where you can get amazing deals at the end of the seasons.

[mcconnellboys]

I think that's rather a lot. Most folks I know with multiples shop at consignment stores, Wal-mart, consignment sales held by church groups, etc.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Ultimately it comes down to how much money you have and what percentage you can afford to go toward clothes. When I did our budget $0 was left for clothing:confused: but I still manage to have "normally dressed" children in comparison to the other children in our neighborhood by going to thrift stores. It's hard in a thread like this to know if a "Yikes!" is just that it's more expensive than you expected or if the "Yikes" is "How am I now going to have enough money to put food on the table". I have to say after seeing the nice things I can find at our thrift stores, even if our money situation got dramatically better I would probably still do some of our shopping there:)

[Sparkle]

Check out the site in my signature, ThredUP - it's a site for exchanging gently used kids' clothes.

 

I do a lot of thrift store shopping for my kids. I'm lucky that we have some excellent thrift stores that I can usually find some very nice brands very inexpensively, plus they often have 50% off clothing sales. I do NOT shop Goodwill, though, they are way overpriced.

 

I also shop Children's Place and naartjie when they have sales. Sometimes I can get great deals there, and it's nice for buying dressier clothes or pj's. But yeah, I know the whole budget deal, ya gotta do what ya gotta do. Luckily my kids have no problem wearing thrift store clothes, except I always need to buy new Levi's for my oldest to wear since he's super tall and skinny.

[justamouse]

I am a pretty thrifty girl, but I buy nice clothes for our family. I cannot shop thrift stores here because they are totally picked through (maybe we don't have enough of them?) I've never found anything worth the musty smell. A few times I've found something good at a consignment store though.

 

So... buy the dang clothes. Seems like a pretty good deal to me. I think it's important that people look nice. Including kids. They get treated better by adults and other kids alike. And as a child who always wore outdated, unmatched, ill-fitting clothing, your child will have more self esteem if they look good.

 

just my .02

Margaret, who drives a used car, grows a garden,cans her food, and uses coupons at the supermarket, but wears nice clothes, darn it.

 

Lol, I am spoiled with my thrift stores. I buy Ralph Lauren there (one hand knit sweater with a tag for 300 still on it for 3.99), Hollister, Aeropostale, Gap, Ann Taylor and even a few Brooks Brothers --you name it. Vintage coats that are to DIE for. Yes, there is crud there, but you have to pick through it. Going through my kids dressers you would never guess we got the clothes at the thrift stores. I also just snagged two gorgeous table cloths, six cloth napkins and two crochet placemats I'm going to alter for 4 bucks.

 

 

 

Ultimately it comes down to how much money you have and what percentage you can afford to go toward clothes. When I did our budget $0 was left for clothing:confused: but I still manage to have "normally dressed" children in comparison to the other children in our neighborhood by going to thrift stores. It's hard in a thread like this to know if a "Yikes!" is just that it's more expensive than you expected or if the "Yikes" is "How am I now going to have enough money to put food on the table". I have to say after seeing the nice things I can find at our thrift stores, even if our money situation got dramatically better I would probably still do some of our shopping there:)

:iagree:

 

I guess it comes down to if you are comfortable paying that much money for what you want? Do you feel that the value is good? Then it shouldn't matter what anyone else thinks.

Edited October 14, 2010 by justamouse

[justasque]

For me, because of our location, the thrift store clothes *are* nice clothes. They aren't outdated, my kids make up their own matches anyway, and they fit just fine. We pick through and choose only those which are in good condition, and were of good quality to begin with. Not every location has thrifts like this; we are lucky. But don't assume that thrifted = not nice.

 

I agree, though, that thrifted isn't always the way to go. I do it in part because I enjoy the "hunt". It isn't one or the other in my house. We start with the free stuff, supplement with thrifted, buy a few basics (solid t's) at Target or Old Navy to pull things together, then buy long-lasting stuff (coats, winter tights, etc.) at higher-quality stores with an eye towards handing down.

[In2why]

I am a pretty thrifty girl, but I buy nice clothes for our family. I cannot shop thrift stores here because they are totally picked through (maybe we don't have enough of them?) I've never found anything worth the musty smell. A few times I've found something good at a consignment store though.

 

So... buy the dang clothes. Seems like a pretty good deal to me. I think it's important that people look nice. Including kids. They get treated better by adults and other kids alike. And as a child who always wore outdated, unmatched, ill-fitting clothing, your child will have more self esteem if they look good.

 

just my .02

Margaret, who drives a used car, grows a garden,cans her food, and uses coupons at the supermarket, but wears nice clothes, darn it.

 

 

You must not have very nice thrift stores where you live.....that would be a nightmare for me.

 

I think we dress better because I frequent thift stores. I am able to get high quality clothing at a fraction of the price. But I do find that there are parts of town that have better selections, and if a store is dirty or messy, I don't go at all. There is a period of time when the boys were between the ages of 5-13 when the pickings were slim. They seem to wear out clothes at that age, so there are less donations. I really miss our Sears calalogue. I would order jeans for the boys and their policy was that if they wore out or got ripped they replaced them for free.

[Garga]

If you buy at thrift stores, be sure you're not bringing home bedbugs on the clothes. Visually check them. If you REALLY want to be sure, then take them to a laundromat and dry them for 20 minutes at 120 degrees. That'll kill the bugs.

[Mejane]

Lol, I am spoiled with my thrift stores. I buy Ralph Lauren there (one hand knit sweater with a tag for 300 still on it for 3.99), Hollister, Aeropostale, Gap, Ann Taylor and even a few Brooks Brothers --you name it.

 

 

 

Lucky! Our Goodwill just doesn't have nice clothes. I can find those brands at consignment stores for cheap, though.

[Mothersweets]

I don't think that is too bad at all. Of course, you could go cheaper at Walmart or Target - certainly at a thrift store, but for new, name-brand ?) clothing, that's great.

 

We don't have a thrift store here AT ALL! It's killing me! Not even a goodwill! I envy those of you with access to cheap(er) clothing!

 

I agree with TXMomof4 - I think $145 is a good price for all you listed! I don't have thrift stores where I live, either, so I have to wait for a good sale or suck it up and pay full price.

Edited October 14, 2010 by Mothersweets

[springmama]

We buy all of our clothes during the off season, at yard sales, thrift stores, etc. I only buy good quality higher end clothing but I make sure I get it at the right time and do not wait until I need it. For instance, I bought my kids summer clothes for next year already. Nothing was over $2.00 and most of it is nicer brands from local department stores.

 

Additionally, we get hand me downs from friends and when we are finished, the clothes get passed on to the next person in line.

[Cortana]

Has anyone shopped at the Just Between Friends sales? It's a huge consignment franchise that has events all over the US. We have 2 local events that happen twice a year each (spring/summer sale, fall/winter sale). I have gotten great deals on namebrand, quality clothing and toys for all 3 kids plus homeschool books, too. Plus, generally the last day of the event everything that doesn't have a tag marked otherwise is 1/2 price and you can really get some incredible deals. I got a gently used Columbia jacket for my 9yo at last month's event for $4 and a pair of Kaniksu snow boots (retail for $50) for $4. I saw a brand new Tommy Hilfiger jacket that still had tags for $10 (too big for my son or I would've snagged it, lol).

 

Our local sales have expanded to carry everything from newborn up to junior sizes.

 

Here's the website jbfsale.com

 

I rarely shop retail anymore, I can't afford to buy clothes for my 9yo who changes size every 6 mos. If I do, I hit the clearance racks or go when there's a great sale, like Black Friday sales. I also go to Ross Dress For Less when I can, there are some killer deals there on namebrand clothes. Otherwise, thrift shops, consignement shops/yard sales are how we do it. I don't get to have hand-me-downs, unfortunately my family is too selfish to do that, but I make sure to share ours with whoever wants them.

 

But to the OP, for Gymboree I think that's pretty good. If you can afford it, go for it!

[jazzyfizzle]

 

I agree, though, that thrifted isn't always the way to go. I do it in part because I enjoy the "hunt". It isn't one or the other in my house. We start with the free stuff, supplement with thrifted, buy a few basics (solid t's) at Target or Old Navy to pull things together, then buy long-lasting stuff (coats, winter tights, etc.) at higher-quality stores with an eye towards handing down.

 

 

We do the same. Recently I snagged an entire outfit for youngest son- dress pants, dress shirt, vest, tie, and dress shoes to wear to a wedding for a total of $10. I was so excited. LOL

[Peela]

We rarely buy anything new but we all have really nice clothes- my dd16 is terribly fashion conscious but has a fantastic wadrobe with many designer labels- all 2nd hand.

Every Sunday morning we go to swap meet here- its a big shopping car park full of people selling 2nd hand stuff out of their cars- you get one car bay each, or two. It is huge, and there are 2 within 10kms of our home. We buy EVERYTHING there. Whatever you want, it will turn up there eventually.

That's why we have so much STUFF. We also do garage sales, and buy our electronic goods- and underwear- on sale.

 

 

Still...for new clothes that sounds pretty reasonable.

[texasmama]

I've not used this site, but it looks interesting.

 

http://www.thredup.com/

 

I have a Gymboree addiction, but I have educated myself and learned all of the tricks for getting it cheaply, at about the same prices clothing from Target would cost. Then I take care of it, remove all stains promptly, wash in cold and hang to dry. Gymboree has a good resale value, and I resell all of my dd's clothes after she is done with them. I sell to local friends, online friends, and sometimes on ebay. I recoup at least 50% of my cost, if not more. It takes some time and effort, but it is a fun hobby for me. I also go to the thrift and Goodwill stores, where I have found some nice things for a good price. My score this summer was a darling Hanna Andersson dress in like new condition for $5.