Back to School Shopping Savings: Thrift Store Shopping

Derron is back again today with some tips on how to save on back to school shopping.

Every year when it comes to school clothes shopping, Christmas or birthdays, clothing is always a hot topic for purchases.  One of the things that I learned early on is that we were spending an enormous amount of money on clothes every 6-8months.  My daughter was just growing too fast and she wasn’t stopping.  It was really running us broke, and that’s just for one child.  One day, my wife and I decided to stop at a local  store to check it out.  What we found was amazing.  We were able to buy 4 outfits for just under $10.  What was this new destination we had found for clothes shopping?  A thrift store.  We had spent hundreds of dollars every school year buying new things for my daughter to wear.  What I had just discovered is that because my daughter was growing out of clothing so fast is that we were really wasting time and money buying BRAND NEW.  So what my wife and I decided to try was thrift shopping for clothes.  Now there are a lot of these types of stores out there.  From Salvation Army to Goodwill to stand alone thrift shops, we started checking them all out. 

We went in with a plan.  My wife and I settled on a dollar amount we would spend and go from there (this did not include socks, undergarments and shoes).  To our surprise, our plan worked.  We were able to choose from a larger selection at a discounted price.  This past school year, we spent less than $100 school clothes shopping and this did include a few new outfits.  But for a much cheaper overall expense, we were able to get more for our money and still get quality clothing.  Now thankfully, the growth spurts come and go less frequently, but we still use these “thrifty” little stores as often as we can.  What had been a major expense within our budget just became a way to save money. 

Now I know there are those of you who refuse to buy anything “second hand” and that’s fine.  But for me and my wife, it was a way to save and now my daughter now would rather go to a local thrift shop than go to the mall.   She chooses to go to the more trendy second hand shops, where the clothing is of higher quality, but we are still saving money along the way and she is learning a valuable lesson on spending.

So don’t be afraid to go “thrifting”.  You may be surprised at what you can find.

TIPS FOR THRIFT SHOPPING:

1. Look over the clothes. Be sure there are no holes, loose strings or stains.

2. Go on special sales days. There are typically a few days throughout the month where you can find very good deals. For example, 50% off day, senior citizens day, etc.

3. Try things on! Make sure what you're buying actually fits.

4. Wash it before you or your child wears it!