Save Money on Clothing Purchases for Your Family

Even with a tough economy, your family still needs clothing. Children still grow out of clothing and a family needs clothing for special occasions or different seasons. Sometimes these purchases can feel like a big challenge as you’d rather “make do” with what you have, and you feel frustrated that you have to spend money on new clothing. But you truly can save money on clothing purchases for your family. It simply takes a bit of creativity, practice and planning to learn how to save money on every clothing purchase. But once you get used to saving all of this money — in any economy you’ll be saving lots of money that can go to other places like the kids’ education, vacations or other family needs. Tip #1: Expect to have to buy clothing. Some families, especially in a tough economy, don’t like to think about having to make a purchase. But that is just avoiding the situation. These purchases are going to come around — some of them at regular intervals. You can learn to expect them and to prepare for them. Preparation for something so often makes it easier. This goes hand-in-hand with shopping early. When you shop early you also have more options and can make decisions quickly. Tip #2: Get to know other families with children your age — or just a bit older. This is an excellent tip that many families have relied upon for years, especially in leaner years. Have the children who outgrow their clothing give it to the smaller or younger children. While this won’t get you away from making every clothing purchase, it often can help with many of the basics like jeans, tops and sweaters. Having a group of Moms come together and form a clothing swap can help out many families. Tip #3: Look for quality, practical items. Many people focus on going to a discount store to save money. But if you buy several items at a cheaper price and they do not last very long — this actually wastes you more money than if you go to a better store and buy two items that last a much longer time. Most family members would rather have good clothing and less items than lots of clothing but less quality items. Tip #4: Check out consignment stores. Consignment stores in many areas are a “best kept secret” and can become your bargain shopping best friend. A consignment store will have high quality designer clothing on sale at very reasonable prices and you can often get great deals at a consignment store. At some consignment stores you can let them know you are looking for certain items and they will call you when they come in. Tip #5: Discover coupon website that save you cash. If you could save 30% on your purchase or get free shipping — wouldn’t you want to know about it? That’s why you should be sure to visit coupon websites like RetailMeNot.com and SlickDeals.net. You’ll find coupon codes for many popular retailers.

by Abigail Beal