Shopping for kids can be expensive. Like seriously, little people need SO many things and clothes are not cheap. So my friend Hayley from A Beautiful Exchange and I came up with a list of ways to dress your littles without breaking the bank! Buy when it's on sale. I usually buy the kids clothes months in advance. Winter and summer clearance? Yep, you better believe I'm stocking up for the following year. I usually buy a size bigger than I think he will be, just in case he has some huge growth spurt. You can always buy a belt if they are too big or try to shrink the shirts a little. But buying a little bigger is always better than buying smaller and it's SO much cheaper than waiting until the season of. Buy staples. I always buy solid color shirts and shorts in bulk. Some of my favorites are from Children's Place and they seriously always have a coupon or sale going on. You can pair these with anything and any season by throwing on sweatshirts or jackets. Shop Instagram. Instagram has seriously taken over the world… you can even shop on it now! Tons of women are selling their children's gently used clothes and a lot of shops offer specific discount codes on Instagram. Open a credit card. I know what you're thinking.. how is that SAVING me money?! But stores like The Gap and Children's Place offer rewards points when you make purchases, which eventually turn into rewards money you can use like cash. I usually use my credit card and then pay it off right there at the register so I don't forget or accrue interest. But then I receive the gift certificates from my rewards and can put them towards more clothing for free! Trade their clothes in. A lot of consignment stores around here will give you more store credit than cash for turning gently used clothes in. This way, you are basically trading in their small sizes for bigger ones. I used to be a little iffy about shopping secondhand but when you look at how much your own kids actually wear their clothes, it will save you so much money.
Go alone. Taking the kids with you will make everything ten times harder. Eli is usually pretty good about chilling in his stroller, but even he gets bored pretty fast. You want to have all of your attention and both of your hands to check everything out.Dig, dig, dig. You aren't going to be able to "browse" a secondhand store like you do in Target or Carter's. You are going to have to squat, stand on your tip toes, and thumb through each shelf in your kiddo's size. Secondhand stores can be really messy and jumbled because the workers can't really tell when something has been misplaced, so just be patient with the process.Don't be too picky. Now, you obviously don't want to choose items that look really worn out, but just because you find something that has been well loved doesn't mean it has to go back on the rack. Things like sweatpants, sweatshirts, and long sleeved t-shirts will be great for play clothes and you don't have to worry about your kid spilling something on a brand new outfit!Look for community consignment sales. There are usually pretty big sales that churches or private schools will put on throughout the year. Search on Craigslist or Google to see if there are any coming up in your area! You will probably want to do it alone or with a friend (no kids), but it will be worth it. These sales usually have nursery furniture, chairs, strollers, and high chairs at good prices as well!Shop consignment online. Sites like ThredUP are a really way to shop consignment without ever leaving your house! They usually have really great stuff for moms and kids that has been marked down at least 50% off regular price! You are able to do all of your digging and picking from the comfort of your couch! Doesn't get better than that!And there you have it! By taking time to plan a little more instead of an impulse trip to the store, you'll save a ton of money on clothing for your kiddos. And trust us, they grow SO fast and it literally pains my heart to see their clothes sitting in bins and knowing it's basically money down the drain! Would you add anything to our list?! We are always looking for new ways to save! "Be sure to check out this month's featured blog!"