Need New Clothes??

Oh, how kids grow, and grow, and grow. It seems like one minute they're in 3-6 month clothes and the next they're in 12 months. Sometimes they skip a whole size!

When C was born he weighed only 3 lbs 7 oz. It's crazy how small those preemie clothes are! The one good thing about him being so small at first was that his clothes lasted longer than most babies. But, now at 16 months he has caught up and continued to grow. His 12 month clothes are too short, his 18 month clothes too long! It's cute.

We also have Baby Girl coming along in August. Unfortunately, since she is a girl, she can't wear C's old hand-me-downs. So, how do I save money on clothes for C and BG?

One place that I frequent is Kid to Kid. It's a store that has gently used clothing, furniture and toys. They even have maternity clothes. You can sell back your gently used clothing and then get new-to-them clothes for your kids. One trick is to hold on to your used clothing until it's about to come back in season and then take it in to sell. If you take winter clothes in the summer, they are less likely to give you any money for them. Another store similar to this is Once Upon a Child. I don't like this one as much because the one near me is kind of gross but, I've heard good things about other locations.

Another great place to get baby and kids clothes for cheap, as well as furniture and toys, is a consignment sale. I attended my first consignment sale this past spring and it was awesome! For those that happen to be in the DFW area Divine Consign is wonderful. The event is held in an auditorium or conference center and it's huge. It's held one weekend in the spring and one weekend in the fall. They have so much stuff that this year, they let people drop stuff off to consign on the second day. You can find name brand Gymboree and others for under $5. Some items still have the original tags on them! For this particular sale, if you are a first-time mom you can sign up and get in early to shop before everyone else. Thousands of people attend these events. Look for them in your area. When I went in the spring, I stocked up for C's wardrobe this spring and summer and next spring and summer.

If you are part of a Mommy group or have a group of mommy friends, a great idea is a swap. Get all of your mommy friends together and bring any gently used clothes and pile them up together for everyone to go through and take what they want. It's a great get together and it's always great for clothes to go to someone you know. You can do this with your adult clothes as well.

And as always, clearance racks. It doesn't hurt to stock up for next season by shopping this years clearance racks. Over Christmas, I bought C 3 pairs of jeans for $5 each at Carter's in sizes 18 months, 24 months, and 2t. Now we're set for jeans for the next 6-8 months!

What good tips do you have for saving money on clothes for you kids??