7 ways to save on kids clothes

One thing I hate to spend too much money on is kids clothing. They outgrow it so fast and my boy, who could care less what he's wearing as long as it's cool enough in summer or warm enough in winter, is very hard on his clothes. They get stained or torn pretty quick. (I have it on good authority - my mom - that I was this same way as a kid. Tomboy!).

So I've found a few ways over the years to keep the cost down.

1) Hand me downs. A good bit of Brady's clothing, from birth to right now, has been from other people. I love the idea of free clothes and also re-using instead of buying new.

2) End of season or clearance sales at Walmart (see pic to the right). This shirt is more than half off. Three-dollar shirts I can live with! And sometimes they're $1! I check the racks all the time, every time I'm in the store so I can stock up for the next season. Last year, I get him two brand new pairs of tennis shoes for $3 each. Same with boots, coats, anything.

3) Yard sales. You can find clothes for 25 cents a piece at times.

4) Thrift stores. Most stores sell kids clothes for 99 cents a piece. Shoes are  usually between $1.99 and $3.99.

5) Freecycle. This is a group where people in your community post things they have to give away and you can pick them up for free. You can also give away things for free that others come and pick up. I personally used Freecycle extensively in South Carolina when my son was young and got most of his clothes and toys that way and got rid of most of them that way too. Just use typical caution and this can be a really fantastic money-saving option.

6) Sell clothes that are too small on Ebay, in a yard sale or in a consignment store. I've recouped a decent bit of money doing lots on Ebay and through yard sales. Check out consignment stores in your area to see if they accept kids clothes.

7) Re-purpose. Having a boy, I just re-purpose his torn up shoes and stained clothes into play clothes. For girls, I  have seen lots of ideas for taking old clothes and remaking them into dresses and other stuff. Here are two ideas: Do It Yourself Tank Top Dress Tutorial at the Happy Housewife and Ruffles & Stuff.