Our kids are at the age where they see to grow overnight and I need a constant stream of clothing coming in to keep everyone covered. That can get very expensive but it is a necessary expense. However, our family has several ways to save on clothing.
Accept hand-me-downs
Even though some people are too embarrassed to be open about their needs, my husband and I have committed to living a frugal lifestyle and are not afraid to post a message on Facebook that says something like, “My kids are growing. If you are cleaning out your closet and find anything in sizes 10 and up for girls or 8 and up for boys, please let me know.” Our friends are always willing to share and we have received boxes and boxes of clothes: both new with tags, barely worn, and excellent for play.
Use referral credit at Zulily & Totsy
Every day, I receive emails from Zulily and Totsy mentioning the deals for that day. When I see a spectacular deal, I will share my referral link on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. When people click through my link and make a purchase, I receive a credit to use on the items we need. Most of the time, this means free (or super cheap) clothes.
Get rebates through Ebates
If I am shopping for clothing online, I will always click through my account at Ebates. With Ebates, you earn cash back for every purchase and they list thousands of retailers. Ebates will also list discount codes for extra savings.
Use ThredUp to buy and sell
While I have not used ThredUp personally, I have friends who do and they like it a lot. ThredUp is like a consignment store but it is online. You can buy and sell almost new children’s clothing and save up to 80% on your favorite brands. You have to admit that turning outgrown clothes into cash without having a yard sale is a fabulous idea.
Consignment, yard sales, thrift shops
When I want dressy clothing, I turn to consignment sales. Locally, we have two sales a year and when you consign with the sale, you get a ticket to get in before the sale opens to the public. At each sale, we have been extremely successful at getting name brand clothes at very reasonable prices.
We have also found lots of great deals at yard sales. We always plan ahead by searching through Craig’s List before heading out for the day. Then, if I find someone who is selling the sizes I need, I will leave my email address and ask them to contact me before their next sale.
The people I work with will swap clothes. At my work we wear scrubs and some of us gain and lose weight so we will give each other a bag of clothes.Lots of gently used kids clothing goes this way also. I even gave some gently used toys to a friend of mine cause her son was just getting into Legos.
I’ll take any LEGOs. LOL That is a great idea about swapping scrubs too.