Thursday, August 7, 2008

Back to School: deals on clothes

We won't be needing to pull out any real Fall clothing for at least a month here in sunny and hot Colorado. But the idea of going back to school, makes me think of boots, jeans and sweaters. Careful not to get caught up in the moment and spend your yearly clothing allotment on 4 outfits for you kids!  Here are some great ways to save on clothes (year round!)

  1. Lands End Overstocks. Save just about half the price on snow boots winter jackets, and regular clothing.  I love knowing that when my kids are wearing Land End snow gear, their toesies and belly buttons and nice and warm!
  2. Sears has a program called Kidvantage.  Anything you buy is covered under a "wear out" warranty as long as your child is wearing the same size.  So if those size 6 jeans wear out, get holes or have a broken zipper, while your child is still a size 6, you can get a replacement pair for free.  I think I"ll buy jeans for Afton at Sears this year.  All other brands I've recently tried have gotten holes in the knees before she outgrew them.
  3. Wait until stores mark down their Fall gear before you buy.  This usually happens right about the time Fall weather kicks in anyway!
  4. If you do buy full price clothes, make sure you are aware of the stores price adjustment policy so you can try to recover some of your costs.  
  5. Hit the used stores.  I like the local used kiddie stores. Their prices are usually lower than chain discounts stores.  But all of them have great deals!  Check online for coupons before you go to save even more.
  6. Swap.  Christy and I trade our kids clothes back and forth.  Right now Afton is set through size 10, and Abel and Haven through size 4.  We have tight rules to make the swap work well and ensure clothes stay neat and nice.  It is so great to pull out a big bag from my garage and have a seasons worth of "shopping" done!
Know about other great places and ways to save save save on clothes?  Share it with us!

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