My mom sewed my clothes when I growing up. Most of the time it was good. There were moments when I wished I looked like everyone else, but it was pretty cool to get to design my own stuff. AND I learned to sew a bit along the way.
I sewed my own kids’ clothes for years…it was a tradition I liked carrying on. I did it on the cheap, recutting cast off clothing and using clearance bin fabric. At some point while homeschooling, having 6 babies and working 3-4 jobs at a time on the side, I ran out of time. Some of the kids were getting old enough that they had opinions about what they wore. I might spend hours on an outfit, only to have it rejected during the final fitting. Sewing lost it’s charm for me.
Now we shop more at thrift stores, where the girls can try on stuff. ThredUP gives us the convenience of thrift store shopping at home. We love that Old Navy clearance has prices to rival thrift stores and online sales around holidays that make their whole stock accessible. Forever 21 has some of the trends the teens crave (after you sort through the WEIRD they also carry) at bargain prices. Discount shops like Ross, TJ Max, Burlington, and Marshalls fill in the gaps.
I tried shopping at a huge consignment sale once. I was pregnant and tired and the crowd was overwhelming. I thought the prices were high. I could do better on clearance racks and I was so under impressed that I never went back. That was 8 years ago. I have several friends who still go every season and score great deals. Every thrifty method isn’t for everybody, and that’s ok.
There are times in my life where sewing exactly what we need still feels easier than running all over town looking for something specific, but if we are looking for general items for a particular season, it’s really fun to bargain shop.
My two girls have different shaped bodies and different personalities and style preferences. We don’t hand down as many clothes as we used to between them. Since we get their clothes so inexpensively, we sell what they can’t use anymore at yard sales and use the money to replace the clothing.
When you sell at yard sales and buy at yard sales, you can dress for free.
One of the best ways I like to save on clothing is to host a HUGE garage sale twice a year and invite friends to bring stuff. Then I can shop from what they bring. I have some stylish friends who price their stuff cheap. This August was a huge win that way. (I scored 2 Vera Bradley purses for $.50 and $1.00 each and they hardly look used!)
We pass clothes down through the boys as much as possible. I have purchased more for the toddler than usual since 3 boys have worn the clothes over a period of 10 years and they are worn out. Crumbling elastic, pilly fabric, ripped knees–worn out. I also shop for the oldest–who has no one to hand down to him.
Clothing is the hardest budget for me to stick to. We do cash in an envelope but I only get $10 a month per person, which is also supposed to cover shoes. That really doesn’t cut it, so I supplement that budget with garage sale income, and online sales. My ideal budget is $200 per year season for the ones that don’t get passed to, and $50 a season for the others. We’ve never quite had that much, but a girl can dream. If I finish a month with money left in the envelope, I remove it from my purse and put it in a clothing envelope in the safe. That way we can save up for bigger purchases later in the year.
It’s possible to be thrifty whether you sew it, buy it new, or buy it used. How do you prefer to save money on your kid’s clothes?
This is day 20 of our series 31 Days of Kids and Money
A couple of friends pass clothes around. As soon as someone outgrows it, there is usually someone that it will fit. Was MUCH easier when they were younger though and didn’t have strong opinions about what they wore.
So often there are too many clothes that they don’t wear just taking up space. So donate the good stuff too!! There are families that are watching the thrift stores for it. Have you ever scored something at the thrift store that was exactly what you needed? It is such a blessing to come across those finds. An item you have hanging in your closet, taking up space that you never wear, could bring so much joy to someone else.
Great points, Nicole. Donating, sharing with friends, or hosting a garage sale are all good ways to get rid of stuff. I don’t have a moral problem with having a garage sale first and donating the stuff that’s left (we throw away trash so garage sale leftovers are still nice things.) At a garage sale we can offer things for $.50-$1.00. Thrift stores mark those same items up to $5 or so. It’s a blessing to budgeting families to find a good garage sale too. I’ve dreamed of having a clothing swap, but hosting the huge garage sale where we shop from each other is close to the same thing.
I don’t sew my kids’ clothes either! With how cheap you can get clothes at garage sales, thrift stores and such (plus free hand-me-downs) it hasn’t made financial sense for me to spend my time sewing.
If someone enjoys sewing, that’s a whole ‘nother story altogether, but I don’t love it enough to spend my precious free time doing it for fun!
Just discovered your website through Stacy Makes Cents. So happy! My mom sewed for me, too, but these days fabric is so expensive that purchasing ready-made (esp. pre-loved) seems more economical $ and time-wise (UNLESS you find fabric at the thrift store, which is terrific). We, too, love to find clothes and good used shoes at the thrift store, yard sales and kids’ consignment shops. I used to do the big 2x year consignment sale thing, too, but it really was overwhelming. Found we do just as well thrifting and yard sale-ing. The kids are young enough that they think it’s a grand adventure. And yes, by the third kiddo, that elastic is just shot. 🙁 Haven’t pulled the trigger on Thred Up yet, but I’ve surely been looking, thanks to Stacy’s coupon.
Claire! I’m so happy you came by from Stacy. She is such a great friend. You have a really good handle on shopping for kids clothes frugally. I made my first Thred Up purchase with a coupon code a friend shared with me and only spent a few dollars out of pocket. I shared that purchase on facebook and a few of my friends used the coupon offer to try it. That gave me some store credit. I’ve been able to get a few hard to find things that way. It’s nice that they reward you for sharing a coupon with others.