How to Fill Your Tween Girls Closet Inexpensively

Keeping a tween girl well dressed can be difficult and expensive. If they are not outgrowing their clothes faster than you can buy them, they are requesting fad items that you do not like, and disagreeing with what you purchased. Here are some tips to help you fill your tween girl’s closet inexpensively.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Find classic pieces. If you purchase classic clothing pieces you won’t have much to argue about. Purchase jeans, khaki pants, colored T-shirts, button down dress shirts, and skorts in navy blue and khaki whenever she needs a wardrobe refresher. If these items are too plain, you can also purchase embellishments like bedazzle jewels and appliqués from the craft store.

2. Purchase after season. For the best prices in tween clothes shop two weeks after school starts, a week after Christmas, and after spring break. Avoid shopping when new clothes come out for the season, and instead shop after those items have gone on sale.

3. Purchase from online clearance sections. My favorite places to purchase clothing for my tween daughter are Old Navy, FrenchToast, or LandsEnd clearance sections. These websites are especially useful when she needs something for a special occasion and we cannot wait for after season sales. I also use these websites to buy her staples like tights, sweaters, turtlenecks, socks, and even shoes.

4. Allow her to purchase a few trendy pieces each season. Still tween girls need some say in their own wardrobe. After you have all of the basics in place, give her a small clothing allowance each season to go ahead and purchase two or three items of her choice each season.

Tips & Warnings

• Spend some time with her figuring out her likes and dislikes so you can buy her clothes with confidence.
• School uniform stores supply great wardrobe basics.
• Do not ridicule items she buys on her own; just find ways to make them work with what you have purchased.

[Gracie1402]

on 4/29/2008 my daughter just turned 10 and these are great tips! "Trading" with friends is always great too! And just FYI, I agree with you a preteen should have SOME choices (NOT all)! 5 stars!!

[joyful327]

on 4/10/2008 Good article - I also recommend ebay.

[AHermitt]

on 3/22/2008 PreteenMovier, sorry you don't approve, but no 9-12 year old should be running the show. There still needs to be a compromise.

[PreteenMovier]

on 3/20/2008 She is a preteen. And need to have SOME choices? Change to all, and I might've rated more than 1 star.

[elmellison]

on 2/28/2008 I love these ideas! I have a 9 year old, she thinks she is a tween. I know she really wants some self-expression. She has low self esteem and often feels kind of lost. Some of these ideas may just be the thing to give her some freedom of expression!