Kids grow so fast. Babies need new clothes every couple months, teenagers every six months, and the ages in between can be a year or not even close before those back to school clothes are completely grown out of. Infants get fat and older kids get taller; so in the constant cycle of needing to keep fitting shirts on our children’s backs, how can moms keep up with the growth rate and prices at the same time?
Clothing is not cheap and the older a child becomes, the more expensive clothing and shoes become as well. Teenagers are picky and it’s about this time in their lives that they hate you for not being an invisible mute; so taking them in public for new clothes embarrasses them to no end and they become even more uncoorperative but leaving a fifteen year old with cash or a credit card is insane so a mom either takes the stubborn adolescent to the mall or tries to wing it alone to come home and learn he hates them; both cause migraines so to the mall together you go, grinning and bearing it somehow.
Most families head to malls and large shopping centers to get all the shopping done in one close area if possible but an even smarter way to shop is to avoid the mall and expensive retail places all together because there are some alternatives that keep the same brands and styles but at far better prices than most other places anywhere.
Tj Maxx and Marshall’s offer goods from other companies that sold them wholesale after excess inventory from other stores so their shoppers get bargain deals on the same items as in department stores and the local mall. Teens and kids can find cool shirts from Hurley, Billabong, Roxy, and others while everyone else can find Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Carter’s for the baby, and name brand jeans at discount prices for everyone. Mom will also find outrageous deals on handbags from Dooney and Bourke, high heeled pumps, leather boots, and even Coach shoes. Marshall’s has the Shoe Mega Shop for Mom to browse for herself and the kids. Both stores also have a men’s section, home, gourmet food, and even sell baby toys cheap. Get the maxx for the dollar!
Infants especially need a constantly updated wardrobe. Before their clothes even show signs they’ve been worn before, they are ready to be packed away into a box somewhere, but the good news is every mom has this issue with children of all ages so they sell their gently used items worn only a few times in good condition on sites like Ebay and Craig’s List for only a few bucks to make a little money while cleaning out the closet for the new items. Why not save a grip of cash on clothes still new but much cheaper, direct from a fellow mother looking to unload them instead of throwing them away to go to the dump?
Many moms post plenty of lots or a few lots for way less than any store would sell them for. This lot on Craig’s List was recently posted, going for a small amount of cash for all of these items; a real deal.
Ebay has some fantastic deals but there are so many huge lots of clothes to sort through so to narrow down the search a little, try a few of these recently added lots to get started.
Most sellers prefer their buyers to pay with a Paypal account because they are much safer for online shopping and purchases are guaranteed. Paypal is free and easy to start an account, just link a credit card or two, then shop thousands of places online with more security over the web and complete payment transactions in seconds. Craig’s List is still a cash transaction of course as it works with sellers in person.
A third option is joining freecycle.org to meet with local moms like Craig’s List only this site is for free items. Moms would rather give their baby’s old items to another mom rather than the landfill so they post a message of clothes, toys, videos, and even high chairs on a first come, first serve basis to get rid of items taking up too much space in their home or storage when other Freecycle mothers are so in need of items on a small budget.
Visit the site, join for free in a minute, then have emails sent daily of all the items being offered for free. Other users also get rid of things during spring cleanings and moving so desks, dressers, tv and computer screens are listed for free to get rid of in a hurry for people trying to move quickly with less stuff to take to the new house. Everything offered on Freecycle is always absolutely free, it’s the rules! Seriously.
