clothing budget Archives - SavingAdvice.com Blog

There are approximately 50.7 million public school students in the US. There are an additional 5.2 million private school students across the country too.

In July, back to school spending reached $82.8 billion, and many families have yet to finish all of their shopping. They are still on the hunt for great back to school clothing deals, looking to finish up before class is back in session.

Luckily, there are still deals to be hand. In fact, you can find clothing discounts as late as October. Since the back to school rush usually ends in late August or early September, many retailers off-load anything that remains in early fall.

Whether you need to finish up now or are willing to wait until October, it pays to shop in the right places. For back to school clothing deals, here are a few stores you shouldn’t ignore.

Thrift Stores and Consignment Shops

When it comes to finding back to school clothing deals, it’s hard to beat thrift stores and consignment shops. Younger children tend to outgrow their clothes quickly, so parents often donate pieces their child can no longer wear. This means you can find items in good repair at discount prices.

If you want to get the most bang for your buck, consider heading to stores in affluent neighborhoods. People tend to donate to local shops, so you may find higher quality items by taking a trip to the right area. Just bear in mind that consignment shops tend to be more expensive than genuine thrift stores, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t deals to be had.

Additionally, don’t overlook online options that follow similar principles. You may find great back to school clothing deals on eBay, thredUp, Swap, and other sites. Just make sure to read the descriptions carefully and pour over the pictures. Since you can’t physically handle these items in advance, you need to make sure you are actually getting an item in good repair.

Walmart

A leader in the discount department store space, Walmart is an excellent option for back to school clothing deals. Not only are their base prices reasonable, but sales are also common.

Plus, you may find great items on clearance from the last season that can help you build a wardrobe for less. For example, t-shirts and tanks may be cheaper in the fall. But, if you layer them under a flannel, hoodie, or cardigan, they work for autumn, winter, and spring.

Walmart typically has a sale around the Labor Day holiday. Since this is usually near the beginning of the school year, discounts can be plentiful. If you want to have an efficient trip, check the sale flyer before you head to the store. That way you know exactly what items you want to target.

Old Navy

A great place for back to school basics, Old Navy typically has an excellent sale before kids head back to class. Plus, their base prices are generally very reasonable, so even items that aren’t on sale can be affordable.

Old Navy also has school uniform pieces available in-store and online. They cover the majority of the colors schools use, so you should be able to find back to school items with relative ease.

At times, these items go on sale as well, but their regular prices are also incredibly reasonable.

Amazon For Back To School Clothing Deals

When it comes to back to school clothing deals, Amazon should be on your list. While pricing on individual items can vary, the retailer has such as large selection, finding pieces at discount prices is always possible.

Plus, they do have a back to school sale every year that includes children’s clothes. If you are a Prime member, you may also have access to free shipping, making it a convenient option.

Additionally, Amazon’s returns policy is usually fairly generous for items shipped by the online retail giant. That means, if you accidentally get the wrong size, you can return or exchange it with relative ease. However, third-party sellers aren’t always as easy to work with, so exercise caution and read the seller reviews before you purchase items that aren’t sold directly by Amazon.

Ross Dress for Less, TJMaxx, and Marshalls

These discount retailers usually focus on overstocks and off-season items. However, you can find great back to school clothing deals if you are willing to hunt through the racks. Plus, like most retailers, Labor Day and back to school sales can happen at these stores too.

Before you go shopping, contact the store to see which day they typically stock new items. Then, try to make a trip on that particular day, so you get the best selection of sizes.

Additionally, don’t forget to check the clearance racks. While their usual prices are typically affordable, the clearance items can be downright steals. This can be ideal for base layers, like t-shirt and tank tops, that may be going out of season now that summer is drawing to a close.

Hold a Clothing Swap

While not technically a back to school shopping option, hosting a clothing swap gives you and other parents a chance to exchange items their kids no longer need.

Have everyone bring their items and divide everything by size on-site. Then, let everyone look through what’s available in their children’s sizes. You can even get the kids involved by allowing them to pick out some clothes. Since everything is free, there really isn’t any harm in doing so.

Once the swap is over, the remaining items are boxed and ready for donating. Ultimately, it’s a simple solution for cleaning out closets and finding new clothes all rolled into one.

Ultimately, all of the options above can help you save big thanks to their back to school clothing deals. You may need to dig through some racks and embrace the clearance aisles to find the biggest discounts, but it can be worth the effort if you genuinely need to reduce your clothing costs.

If you still need to finish up your shopping, give these stores a try, especially over the Labor Day holiday when discounts are plentiful. But, if you can’t shop right now, keep an eye on sale and clearance racks in late September and early October. You may find just the bargains you need to keep your budget under control.

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Clothing is expensive. When you’re buying clothes for two adults and a couple of kids, it becomes even more so. Enter the idea of sharing a wardrobe. Or at least parts of a wardrobe. While things like underwear should never be shared, it may be possible to share shirts and pants. How? Elastic and unisex clothing.

Keep in mind that this idea is not for your “nice” clothing that you wear to work or parties. Unless you’re in a same-sex relationship it’s just not possible to share a suit or a dress. (But if you are and you and your partner are the same size, it may be possible and worth a thought.) This idea is for your weekend, lounge-around-the-house or work-in-the-yard wear.

Things like t-shirts are often made for either gender. If you and your partner both wear a size large t-shirt, you can share it. Not only is this a money-saver for everyday shopping, when it comes to buying souvenirs from trips or concerts, you can buy one instead of two. The shirt may be a little big or small on one of you, but it probably won’t be enough to notice. You can greatly reduce the number of shirts you have cluttering up the house if you buy fewer and just share them.

The same holds true for elastic-waist pants like sweat pants or sweat shorts/basketball shorts. A large or medium in these may be sized the same for either gender, or just slightly different. If you and your partner are close in size you may be able to share these types of pants. Again, they may be a little big or small, but if you’re just wearing them around the house, no one will see or care. Rather than buying two pairs of pants for her and two for him, just buy two and you each get to alternate which ones you wear. Obviously if one of you is very petite and the other one is 6’10”, this isn’t going to work. However, if you are only a few sizes apart, you may be able to get enough t-shirts, sweatpants, and sweatshirts to make your weekend wardrobe sharable.

You can also share wardrobes amongst kids. How many times have you bought each kid his or her own shirts or shorts and maybe you didn’t need to? If your kids are close in size, they can share things like t-shirts and elastic-waist pants. If they are the same gender, they may even be able to share other clothing items, as well, reducing the number of items you need to buy. Again, instead of buying two outfits for each kid, just buy two outfits and let them alternate. It may mean some squabbling in the beginning, but they’ll get used to it.

Obviously you need enough of each item so that all kids and adults are clothed at all times. But you may not need to buy several shirts and pants for each person just so everybody can have their own wardrobe. You may only need to buy enough so that there is a pool of clothing available. The great thing about unisex and elastic waist clothing is that it can grow or shrink with you to some extent. As kids grow, elastic items may fit longer than will button fly pants. As adults gain or lose weight, elastic waists can compensate a bit better than other types of clothing.

Wardrobe sharing can be a great way to save money on an everyday basis, but it can really help if you are financially strapped. It essentially cuts your clothing budget in half. Rather than buying multiples of things, you can buy just one or two. That’s a big deal when every penny counts.