Back to school clothing is a major concern for many parents because when all is said and done the adventure can be quite costly. Even with all the sales and hours spent searching for that latest bargain, being at the mall all day can still be quite draining.
That’s why these frugal back to school shopping options should be considered for finding those new school outfits. Some of these frugal back to school shopping tips take a little organizing, others a few phone calls but in the end, finding what you for back to school this fall can be done frugally and with a lot of creativity.
4 Frugal Ways to Find Back to School Clothing:
A Clothing Swap
Back in high school or college you may have traded sweat shirts with a friend giving up some long held unused fleece for something more to your liking. Clothing swaps are pretty much the same thing but involve a bunch of people bringing bags of clothing together with the ultimate goal of going home with a bag full of ‘new’ things. To organize a swap first decide who will host it, set a date, and plan for everyone participating to bring desert, munchies, or drinks so it’s a fun event!
The gathering could be held in a back yard on a sunny day or during the evening in a living room providing it’s big enough to spread out piles of clothing. On the day of the swap clothes should separated between boys and girls and if possible by size. Whatever is leftover at the end should be saved for a later time when another swap with more people can be scheduled.
Thrift Store Shopping
There are stores that make themselves out to appear thrifty and then there are the real thrift stores. The latter are the ones you want to hit because that’s where you’ll find some amazing bargains.
Photo by Brendan-C
The best thing to do is compile a list of the thrift stores in your area calling them up to see if they get new shipments of clothing on any particular day. That way you can sift through new stuff before others have. Give yourself enough time to check out the thrift stores so that if you really have a hard time finding what you are looking for, you’ll still have enough days before school to go elsewhere.
Garage Sales
When you see garage and yard sales in the neighborhood, pull over and check if they have any clothing. Very often garage sales have outfits at very low prices! You can also find garage sales listed in your local paper or on craigslist.
Hand-Me-Downs
Whether it’s from an older sibling, cousins, or even from your own possessions stored away in the attic, hand-me-downs are one of the best ways to find ‘new’ clothing for our kids. If you decide to go this route just be sure you’ve completely given up on any attachment to the articles of clothing you pass on because chances are your kids, or someone else’s for that matter, may not wear them or care for them the way you once did.
Give your second hand clothing a good wash and then enjoy your kiddos in their new duds that you were able to shop for on a frugal budget. Second hand clothing is not only frugal but green as well since it helps keep items out of landfills. Good Hunting!
Jakob Barry is a home improvement journalist for Networx.com. He blogs about Green topics for pros across the U.S. like Houston, TX, garage doors and garage door contractors in Tempe, AZ.
Thank you so much! I am trying to go green, I’ve started to go green in the office by getting a refurbished chair, but I want to expand my “greeness” elsewhere! Thank you!