Dressing Kids in Style on a Budget

Money gets tight sometimes when you have several children. Diapers, formula, vitamins, doctor visits, and shoes for growing feet all add up fast! However you can still make your kids look like a million bucks—without spending it.

Probably the most well-known tip would be to shop a season ahead. Why pay $25 for a long sleeved Nike sweatshirt when you can buy it on a post-season clearance rack for $12 or less? Don’t buy a coat in the fall for $60…shop ahead and get it in the spring for $30 or even less. One year I found an $80 Nike coat for only $19.99, and another year I purchased a $40 winter coat for $8 at Sears. The best part is, as your children grow, you will already have some things in the back of their closet that fit them, rather than having to make a mad dash to the mall.

Another tip would be to buy brand-name items. You might feel like you are saving money by buying clothing at Walmart, but once the clothing shrinks a size in the dryer and wears thin with use, it often cannot be handed down to other siblings. Also the shrinkage does not allow for much growing room. However brands such as OshKosh, Nike, Carters, Levi, Children’s Place, etc. usually do not shrink and they maintain their fresh looks wash after wash. It is more economical to buy a $12 shirt that lasts through three little boys than to buy a $5 shirt that has to be trashed after one boy! You can even get the name brand items cheaply by checking outlet stores and even Goodwill or Salvation Army. I recently found a Ralph Lauren denim jacket, still with that starchy new feel to it, at a Salvation Army store for only $6.

Another place to find great deals on kids clothes is Sam’s Club. I have found kids Levi’s on clearance for $6 each and they regularly carry Carters blanket sleepers for infants and toddlers for only about $6.50. They do not carry a lot of clothes at one time, but what they do carry is always name brand (sometimes high end brands as well) and it’s always at an outstanding price.

With a little foresight and a bit of extra time, you can be assured that your kids are dressed in quality apparel…without a large quantity of cash!