Frugal Ways to Buy Baby and Children's Clothing

Are you spending too much money on your children's clothing? Read on to find out frugal ways to buy baby and children's clothes in your local community.

Consignment shops

Most cities will have at least one consignment shop. In fact, many will have one or more that are specific to baby and children's items. This type of consignment shop saves time as everything is very organized by size. Many even carry maternity items, nursery decorations, baby furniture, equipment and toys. The prices are quite a lot higher than the mom-to-mom sales and garage sales. However there are many more designer and department brand names to choose from. I have found many items with the tags still on, especially for special occasion dresses. Halloween costumes are a great find at children's consignment shops, usually for less than $5.

Garage sales

This is the most time consuming way to find deals on baby and children's clothes. It is worth it to buy the local Thursday or Friday newspaper during garage sale season. In our paper, community divides the sales up. Most sales will list what items are available. Mapping out your route will save time. However you really don't know what the items will look like until you go. To save on gas, I try to go to 3 or more within close vicinity to each other. Great deals can be found for usually 25-50 cents each item, sometimes as high as $1 if they are in great condition or more if a designer brand.

End of season clearance

Many department stores and specialty stores will have major sales to clearance their end of season styles. This is a great opportunity to find a deal. I can quite often find 75% off the original prices. Always be on the lookout for further discounts using discount cards and/or coupons. These bargains can often be found online as well. There are discount codes that can be entered for additional percents off and for free shipping. Some stores will offer free shipping after spending a certain amount such as $50 or $75.