How to Save Money on Back-to-School Clothes

Whether your child is ready for kindergarten or you have a style-conscious preteen, keeping a growing kid in fashion, or at least presentable, is a healthy expense. With some preparation and savvy shopping you can save money on back-to-school clothes and use the savings where it matters, such as college tuition. Try these budget-minded tips to save more on a back-to-school wardrobe.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• School clothing budget
• Back-to-school sale information

How to Save Money on School Clothes

1. Set a budget for back-to-school clothes and stick to it. For best results, break the budget down for initial purchases and ongoing monthly expenditures. Save more money by limiting purchases at the onset of the school year and take advantage of clothing sales as they occur.

2. Clean out your child's closet to determine what kind of school wardrobe you have to work with and separate back-to-school quality clothes from play clothes. Assess the number of outfits that can be made with existing pieces. Save money on back-to-school clothes by isolating separates that you can mix-and-match.

3. Save money on back-to-school clothes by shopping for summer sales in June and July. Buy enough outfits for warm-weather wear and look for items that can take the wardrobe into the Fall. Plan ahead for next Spring as you buy back-to-school clothes for more savings.

4. Take advantage of Winter clothing sales in the Spring. Coats and jackets or items needing frequent replacement, such as scarves, gloves and hats, make good choices. Projecting a child's growth is not easy but is often doable with outerwear and worthwhile if the savings are considerable.

5. Look for back-to-school clothes in online auctions, classified ads and consignment shops. Oftentimes, new and nearly new clothes can be found for a fraction of the retail price, particularly outside of the school shopping season.

6. Balance the need to involve your child with shopping with the need to save money on school clothes and do so as is age appropriate. You can win the battle over the school wardrobe by giving them an allowance to spend on trendy items or accessories and allowing their input on color and style. This minimizes impulse buying and purchases that go unused.

Tips & Warnings

• Use comparison shopping search engines to save money on back-to-school clothes.
• Make an agreement with family and friends to buy school clothes in lieu of toys as gifts.
• Check clothing carefully before you buy to ensure that it is not damaged.
• Learn basic sewing and repair skills as well as stain removal techniques to extend the life of school clothes.

[kated2009]

on 8/24/2009 Excellent tips for saving money on school clothes!

[YvonneRobert]

on 8/19/2009 Step 2 is sooo hard at this point. thanks! 5*

[howeuser]

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[nadrielle]

on 8/7/2009 Love #6! Great idea.

[munreabates]

on 8/3/2009 OH how i wish all teh schools in Brunswick county are going to uniforms!!!