There is hardly ever a need to pay full price for kids clothes — even the super nice wear-to-a-wedding ones. Kids grow so fast that their clothes are usually "used" before they are barely worn. So, today we’ll cover 5 ways we dress our kids for a fraction of the full price tag.
1. Easy Amazon Deals
Amazon.com offers huge discounts on clearance items. The trick has always been finding them. We’ve made this a snap with the links below.
Amazon.com Baby & Kid’s Clothes Discounts
90% OFF - Baby & Kid’s Clothes.
80% OFF - Baby & Kid’s Clothes.
70% OFF - Baby & Kid’s Clothes.
60% OFF - Baby & Kid’s Clothes.
50% OFF - Baby & Kid’s Clothes.
40% OFF - Baby & Kid’s Clothes.
30% OFF - Baby & Kid’s Clothes.
2. Clothing Stores - The Markdown Schedule
Clothing stores such as GapKids, Old Navy and Target drop prices dramatically when they need to make room for new inventory. I’ve managed to buy stuff for my kids at 50-90% off by shopping off-season for the upcoming seasons. This is a great way to stock up on socks, tights, underwear, basic T-shirts, and other items that are impossible to find used. Grab a winter coat in February for $5, and you won’t be rushing out with your credit card next year at the first hint of snow.
All major retailers have a markdown schedule. Here is Target’s schedule. Note: This may vary from store to store. Ask a store employee about your particular location.
TARGET’s WEEKLY MARKDOWN SCHEDULE
Monday - Infants, Kids Clothes and Electronics.
Tuesday - Women’s Clothes and Domestics.
Wednesday - Men’s Clothes, Garden, Toys, Health and Beauty
Thursday - Lingerie, Shoes, Housewares, Sporting Goods, Luggage
Friday - Cosmetics, Hardware, Auto, Home Improvement and Jewelry
TARGET’s AFTER HOLIDAY SCHEDULE:
All holidays except Christmas follow the 3-3-2 rule:
The first 3 days after the holiday are 50% OFF.
The next 3 days are 75% OFF.
The next 2 days are 90% OFF.
After that it goes to salvage.
Below are some examples:
4th of July
July 5 = 50% OFF.
July 8 = 75% OFF.
July 10 = 90% OFF.
Halloween
Nov 1st = 50% OFF.
Nov 4th = 75% OFF.
Nov 7th = 90% OFF.
Other retailers may have slightly different schedules. Chat up an employee at your favorite store to get the inside scoop.
3. Ebay For Box Lots
eBay! hosts another plethora of clothing options. Again, it helps if you’re willing to buy off season. The bargains here are usually in the "lots" of several items, and people trying to clear out the closet or get rid of inventory rather than make a huge profit. Narrow your search by size, gender, and specific brands that you like (e.g. gymboree girl 3).
4. Thrift Shops - The Designer Secret
Thrift shops are a great place to find really expensive, high-quality kid’s items in pristine condition. Why? Because people tend to "preserve" these designer items, not letting their kids wear them. I routinely find gorgeous stuff with the tags still attached. Since I’m only paying a couple bucks for it, I’ll definitely let my kids wear it!
Prices are low because the items are donated and the selection spans seasons, sizes and styles so you can afford to be quite selective. Warning: Knowing this little secret will turn you into a complete clothes snob. Once you know where to get Ralph Lauren for a few bucks, you’ll never buy clothes at Walmart!
THRIFT STORE TIPS:
1. Think Twice.
It’s very easy to get carried away when the prices are so low. So, think twice before you buy — no matter how cute and cheap they are.
2. No Returns
Usually the return policy at thrift shops is minimal to non-existant, so make sure you check for missing buttons, broken zippers and stains before you buy.
3. Consignment Stores
Consignment shops offer pre-screened, generally more-organized, high-quality items with a heftier price tag. Sometimes worth it, sometimes not.
5. Yard Sale Strategy
The best bargains are found at yard sales. Most of the time the seller just wants to get rid of stuff so the prices are rock bottom. Seek out sales in the Volvo-driving neighborhoods and your kid will soon have a designer wardrobe for less than the price of a nice bottle of wine.
YARD SALE TIPS:
1. Go early for the best selection.
2. Go late for the best prices.
3. Don’t be afraid to make an offer — "Can I take all of these for $5?"
General Bargain Hunting Tips:
Think Ahead.
If you’re willing to shop off-season and ahead a few sizes, you can get great quality at bargain prices, and avoid those last-minute expensive shopping sprees. Invest in some plastic storage bins, make some labels and you’re all set. Organizing this stuff is essential — otherwise you’ll end up buying more than you need and not using it.
Keep A "Need List"
Keep track of sizes and clothing needs in something you keep with you, like a small notebook or PDA. The next time you’re in a thrift store wondering if your son has rainboots for spring, or what size they should be, you’ll have the answer without going home and digging through the closet.
What’s Your Secret?
Do you have a tip to share? Let us know your deal snagging secrets.
hannah, it sounds like our shopping habits are pretty similar! i love the thrift store, not only because of the low prices, but because i feel like i’m getting some extra life out of something that might have otherwise been thrown away. khymi’s hiking boots were $5–all they needed were new laces. i can’t imagine buying $50 shoes from REI for a kid who’s just going to outgrow them by next summer! she’s got “backup” socks and underwear here, and those were markdowns from target.
an admission of yuppitude: i routinely check the lands’ end overstocks site, especially their “on the counter” feature. a number of items are posted for quick sale on saturday, then marked down by 25% on monday, 50% on wednesday and 75% on friday. the whole lot is turned over every saturday. it’s a good place to look for kids’ and adults’ clothes–i’ve gotten some great deals.
i also got a swimsuit for a steal from the “not quite perfect” section (which sometimes can just mean that the color is the wrong shade to match the rest of that season’s collection).
great post!
I love y’all. Y’all are my heroes.
I’m in the Atlanta area, and we have the most awesome consignment sales every spring and fall (actually late winter and late summer). I use this little rinkdink website to find all the good sales. I have to admit, it was great when my daughter was a baby. Clothes tend to get worn more and worn out more now that she’s four. I not only buy at these consignment sales, I also sell at these sales. I’ve sold things I’ve bought on consignment for more than I paid for them. Once you get the hang of it, you find out where the good sales are, and which ones to skip. I don’t like wasting time with sales that have less than 50 sellers. I like the big ones, and I like the ones that are in the really nice parts of town. One of my best finds was an Oilily dress for $5. It looked like it had just come off the hanger. I’ve bought high-end things, I could never otherwise justify buying, for less than $10. Here is the website I was referring to: http://home.comcast.net/~sbreaden/
It’s looking a little bare right now, but save that, and check it in about 3 months from now. The list of sales will be never-ending.
Happy Shopping!
This is a great article!!! I think I’ll link to it this weekend! Great advice. Thanks.
And now I’ll put on my shameless plug hat… Celebrity Playdate is live! There may not be a Salvation Army on Rodeo Drive, but stars need parenting advice too. I hope you’ll stop by!
Okay, and that would be…
http://celebrityplaydate.wordpress.com/
wicked deals! The amazon deals are particularly fab. Do you know if 90%, 80% etc., exists for all departments?
Thanks for the FAB list!
@tricia - Amazon offers those discounts on a lot of their categories, but not all. Poke around some and you’ll see what I mean.
Anything that ends in a four at Target-like $3.94-is absolutely the lowest they will price that item, with the exception of slightly damaged packaging merchandise and such.
For ladies plus sizes, get on the Torrid e-mail list and get notice when their entire clearance goes 50% off, (which happens every two or three months), and Lane Bryant, too, and hit their biggest sales with a gift check giving you significant savings. I typically spend $100 at each twice a year, which is a lot, but I usually get $300-400 dollars worth, so I work it into the budget even if it hurts, lol.
We swore we’d buy our kids good, comfortable shoes so that they wouldn’t end up with the foot problems that have plagued his dad and I as adults. We went with Merrell brand shoes but they’re upwards of $30 new–and on sale! We started buying them on eBay, shopping only the sales where the shoes were in almost new shape and still cheap. With shipping charges, we routinely pay $10-15 for a pair of shoes. We buy ahead, too, figuring that our size 6 wearing son is going to eventually need a like-new size 10 shoe. I just bag them and label them and have them all at the ready. When our eldest outgrows a pair, we wash them and put them back in the bag for his little brother to use when he’s big enough. We’ve saved a lot of money watching auctions and buying good shoes at a decent price.
I attend many public sales and find that I can purchase blankets,towels, and washcloths for next to nothing by being the last bidder. In other words, don’t bid on anything until the last bidder gives up. That way you won’t be jacking the prices up by bidding intermittently. Wait until you think “Thats all she wrote.” Meaning the primary bidder has given up. When you attend a public sale, go early and look into all of the ‘box lots’. These are cartons that have a jumble of items inside them and everything looks like junk. You might pay $1.00 for the box but I can guarentee you will always get something from inside that you like. Take your own collapsible chair, and on sunny days, a large umbrella, to be tucked into the back webbing of the chair to keep the sun off of you. My friend also takes a small battery operated fan to attach to the umbrella ribs, for a small,refreshing breeze. In closing, I hope you don’t go to the sales I’m going to because competition should be tough for us both!
Sorry, guess I’m a little late to the party with this comment, but I’m very excited to report that my wife and I bought entire summer wardrobes, except footwear, for our 5 y.o. boy and 2 y.o. girl in eBay lots, for a total of $144. My wife did most of the searching, and targeted items that included at least 10 pieces of clothing in one lot, and included brand names in the item description. We also used a great tool called snipestreet (snipestreet.com) to enter bids on our behalf at the last second. We saved a lot of money using this tool.
More importantly, we saved a lot of time by doing our shopping from home and having everything shipped to our doorstep (which also has the added bonus of creating a special package delivery for the kids to enjoy). I highly recommend this method of outfitting your children for each season.