Your money is limited and time is short. Here is my best advice to make sure shopping for back-to-school clothes doesn’t send you to the poorhouse.
Set spending limits. Time to get real. How much money (not credit) do you have available for school clothes? Write it down.
Take an inventory. Sort through your kids’ clothes and decide which ones you want to keep and which ones they don’t wear due to wear and tear or because they no longer fit. This gives you a clear idea of what you have and what you need to buy.
Sell the old to buy the new. If you have gently used clothes in good condition, sell them and use the money toward the purchase of back-to-school clothing. You can sell on eBay or on Craigslist, at a garage sale or by taking them to a resale consignment shop to sell or use as trade items.
Assess needs. Not every child will have the same needs when it comes to school clothes. What is reasonable? Now divvy up the money you have against the children’s needs, and then move on to “wants” until all the money has been appropriated.
Start with new shoes. There’s nothing like a new pair of shoes to get kids in the mood for the first day of school. Shoes are so satisfying; they will take the edge off the raging case of the “I wants” that your children may have picked up somewhere. And a new pair of shoes even perks up last season’s clothes.
Know the dress code. It may have changed from last year. If you’re in a new school, you should definitely check the code. You don’t want to be in the unfortunate position of having to re-buy to comply with set dress standards.
Make your own clothes. This is not for everyone, and I would never advocate you making your kids wear weird, homemade-looking clothes. That being said, you really may want to try your hand at making clothing. For many of us, it is a fun and fulfilling hobby. Take a class, find a seamstress who will mentor you, get your kids involved and have some fun creating new fashions they can wear to school. Seriously.
Time your shopping. Many sales happen before school starts during August, but the real savings begin after school starts, around October. If you can put back-to-school shopping on hold, definitely wait until the fall to buy new clothes. If you feel confident about predicting your children’s growth spurts, you can also buy clothing for the following year.
Don’t buy for the whole year. It’s not wise to buy a year’s worth of clothing for a child for several reasons. First, kids grow. Second, styles change. And third, kids, like grownups, enjoy getting new things. If you get it all now, everything will be old come January. But if you buy a couple of things now, several more at the after-Christmas sales and then again in the spring, it will seem like they are getting new clothes all the time. That’s because they are.
Shop resale. There are so many great bargains out there, including deals on uniforms. Your Costco may have the uniforms for local schools at seriously discounted prices. Check with neighbors and parents in your community. Call consignment shops; look for garage and tag sales while the weather is still nice. Venture onto eBay. As long as you know your brands, your sizes and your prices you can get some remarkable deals.
Mary invites questions, comments and tips at mary @everydaycheapskate.com, or c/o Everyday Cheapskate, 12340 Seal Beach Blvd., Suite B-416, Seal Beach, CA 90740. This column will answer questions of general interest, but letters cannot be answered individually. Mary Hunt is the founder of www. DebtProofLiving.com, a personal finance member website.
Commented