Back-to-school time can be very stressful not only on children and parents, but also on the wallet.
Finding ways to save while getting that back-to-school wardrobe and still letting your kids have some fun picking out their new duds can be a challenge. Below, Kate Sorensen at Coupon Cravings gives us her top five tips on saving money while back-to-school clothes shopping.
1. Color match. It goes without saying that every woman’s closet needs a pair of black heels. Kids closets are the same. Try to buy clothing that follows a certain color scheme and have a few staples, for example, a pair of light jeans, dark jeans and a neutral cardigan. If your child looks best in warm hues, try to stick with those. Or, maybe it’s cool hues you’re after. That way you don’t end up with 8 pieces of clothing that cannot be mixed and matched and maybe they stick around a little longer and get worn. Academichic does a good job of explaining color hues and how to combine them.
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2. Make a date. Just because school starts on a certain date doesn’t mean that your child needs to have their complete wardrobe picked out by that day. Get your child an outfit of their choosing for the first day of school and then set a date with your child(ren) to take them shopping for the rest of their wardrobe. Generally the back-to-school markdowns begin in September and continue throughout the month where everything that was full price starts to get marked down.
3. Pack your coupons. Make absolutely sure to save any and all coupons that you come across and keep them with you in your purse, car or wherever may be convenient for you. Just because you don’t think you’ll use that Sears coupon on tools, doesn’t mean that you might not be able to use it on clothing.
4. Reuse and recycle. If by chance you’re lucky enough to have friends with children that are around the same age as yours or just a year or two older, make sure to let them know that you’d love to go through and purchase their kids stashed away clothing and accessories before they consider tossing, donating or having a garage sale. You could find a belt or purse used only once or twice for a fraction of the price of a new one!
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5. Always shop ahead. There are countless times where pieces of clothing, whether it be a t-shirt here and there, a pair of shoes or headband go on sale for rock bottom prices, some as low as a few pennies. Make sure to watch the clearance rack to catch these great deals and then store them away in a marked storage bin. That way, when back-to-school time creeps up next year, you’ve got a good start on the wardrobe! Also try ThredUp and Schoola for great deals.
I hope these tips help you lighten the load on the wallet a little this school year!
Kate Sorensen is a Wife to a wonderful husband and Mother to two beautiful kiddos. She thoroughly enjoys being frugal and saving money where she can so her family can enjoy a better life. To Kate, being frugal doesn’t mean going without, it means saving for more.
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