How to Save Money On Clothing

Clothing can often take a significant chunk of change out of your budget, whether you planned for it or not. Furthermore, it can be difficult to decide whether you should go for fewer quality items or to get the things you need, but that are made at a lower quality.

And when you have a family, that cost is exponentially higher! When children grow one or two sizes every few months, the cost of clothing a family can be very high!

Luckily, there are a few tips that can help lower the cost of clothing for you and your family.

Try Second Hand

While you might not be the best thrifter (someone who finds gems at stores like GoodWill or the Salvation Army), you still have a shot at finding quality clothing that have been gently used. Try some of the following options:

• ThreadUp.com – This site offers gently used clothes that have been professionally inspected for quality. You can even buy items that are new with the tags on if you’d like!
• Poshmark – This app also allows you to view items from other people’s closets and buy them directly from the previous owner using the app.
• EBay – Especially if you’re looking for something vintage or very unique, eBay has lots of interesting options!
• Threadflip – This app functions much like an online consignment store — someone sells their clothing and then they receive money once the item is sold.
• Facebook Marketplace – Particularly helpful for children’s clothes, you can often buy bulk amounts of clothing for a very discounted price.
• Local church sales – Again particularly helpful for children’s clothes, these items are often donated and then sold to benefit a particular mission or vision in the church.
• Consignment sales – Look for consignment stores or large sales in your area. You never know what kinds of treasures await!

Stock Up!

The seasons of the year are fairly predictable, so you know that you can likely get Christmas outfits for the entire family at 50-70% off for the next year, if you buy everything a few days after Christmas! Similarly, look for clothing that you can buy at the end of the season and find a way to rotate it into your closet the next time the season comes around. This is particularly helpful for staple items like jeans, scarves/hats, etc.