Summer is coming to an end which means it is time for school clothes shopping. This is the time of the year parents sometimes dread but, with preparation and creativity the daunting task can become a fun adventure as opposed to an overwhelming and expensive task.
Determine ahead of time how much will be spent on each child and stick to the budget. It is also necessary to shop sales, take advantage of end of the season clearances and search for discounts. Your children will outgrow their clothing quickly so why buy everything at once? Shopping at the beginning of the school year then two more times during the year will save money and give the kids an opportunity to shop for a new trend.
End of the season clearance sales are the perfect opportunity to find great bargains on name brand school clothes. Spring and summer clothing items can be found on clearance during the fall and winter months while fall or winter clothes can be found on clearance during the spring and summer months. There are usually great bargains for shorts, skirts or Capri’s that can be found towards the end of August, just in time for the first month of the upcoming school year. The same concept applies to the winter clearance sales when you can purchase items for the following fall or winter. Buying end of the season coats, hats, scarves or light jackets can often purchased for as much as 90% off of the original price. For even bigger savings, buy items a size or two larger at the end of each season for the following year.
Consignment shops are excellent locations to save money and in some situations make a little money. Before heading out to get new school clothes, sort through the items worn last year to determine what does not fit anymore and take them to a consignment shop. If the items are in good wearable condition they may buy the clothing from you. Consignment shops typically pay 50% of the price they will sell the item for so if you take in a shirt that will sell for $3.00, you will get $1.50. Consignment shops usually have excellent selections of name brand clothing for fantastic prices and they also have clearance sales for end of season clothing.
Shopping online for school clothes saves time, money and you do not have to deal with mall traffic. Online auction sites have hundreds of clothing items available at all times and it is not unusual to find name brand clothing with tags attached for a few dollars. It is best to know the exact size you need or purchase items that are slightly larger because there is typically no refunds for online auction purchases unless the sale is through a store listed on the auction site.
Second hand and discount stores are two of the best places to buy school clothes at bargain prices. Second hand stores often have name brand clothing items with tags still attached for a few dollars or less. Discount stores often sell inventory left over from larger department stores for as much as 50% or more off the original price. It is important to keep in mind when shopping thrift stores to check items for rips or missing buttons that you cannot replace or repair and that the sizes are correct because they typically will not take returns.
Before heading out to the stores, always do an online search for coupons or store discounts and check the newspaper for sales. Many department stores offer online coupons for shopping their online store which will in most cases have the same selection or sometimes larger selection than what can be found in the mall store.
