Clothing, shoes, etc.

[pnault17]

I can see how the HBA budget drops considerably with WAGS or CVS.

And my food budget hasn't dropped, but I'm getting more for the money... Not much of a stockpile yet.

But what about shoes??? And clothes??? My kids grow out of these at alarming rates.

How do you cut your buy price on those kinds of things??? :lost:

How do I buy shoes for a family of 5 without using plastic? :sad:

[raesana]

I buy my clothes at thrift shops. The Goodwill here actually gets brand new stock from Target and resales it- tags and all! I get my son's clothes at garage sales and off of Craigslist. He's 3 so he doesn't know the difference. I actually find amazing things like 3 Gap jeans with tags for $5.00.

Once you resolve to not pay full price for anything, you end up really resourceful. My brother really wanted a $60 video game for his birthday. I started looking early and found it on sale for $35.00 and used a 10% discount code. I also bought a brand new laptop for $340 (50% off) with free shipping.

Just keep your eye out. It's tough with the shoes, but I've set my shoe budget at $10. I've found kid's Timberland snowboots at Footlocker on clearance for $9.00 and found some Carter's sneakers at Finishline for $6.00. Also, Payless has really good clearance every few weeks.

I'm also not brand conscious, so that helps a lot!

[pnault17]

I'm not brand-conscious.

I have twin boys who *DESTROY* their clothing. If it weren't snowy and cold up here, their shoes would never have lasted this long.

They need pants. And shoes.

And my DH needs pants, too. I'm trying to patch/mend/sew to keep old stuff in use as long as possible, but I work FT and can't ever seem to find the time.

I'll have to make more of an effort to check out Good Will, etc.

Thanks

[isis]

Clearance! Whenever I go shopping, thats the first racks I hit. If I find something at a reallllly good price, and its not the current size either DS is in, I'll buy a size up. I misjudged what size I thought he would be wearing this winter, so he has quite a bit of stuff that he'll have for next year. DS2 gets alot of hand me downs from DS1 and my nephew, but I never pass up on a good deal on the clearance rack.

Most of the stuff in their closets right now, I paid $5 and under. Last year, Old Navy had an extra 50% off clearance prices and I racked up on stuff, $100+ regular retail, I paid like $20!! For jeans, I bought each two pairs from Old Navy when they had kids denim $7 a few months ago. And sometimes you can get super cheap items, $1.00 and under at KMart. I still have a few tanks for DS2 that I got for .07 each last summer.

If you don't mind gently used clothing, consignment shops & garage sales are also good places to get really good prices.

For shoes, I try to get them on sale or clearance, either Stride Rite, Sears or JCPenny. Sometimes I can find a pair at Burlington. I don't normally buy the kids shoes from Payless, but I did find a pair for DS2 for $5 a few days ago.

And places like Big Lots and Dollar General you can find socks & underwear cheap.

HTH :)

[puakinikini]

I think once you get into couponing, it is hard to pay full price for anything. I love gymboree and combine sales and coupons and try to shop when you get gymbucks. I also buy all the basics off the clearance racks at JC Penny and other major department stores. I get the majority of my 3 y.o. twins wardrobe from a consignment sale that my twin club puts on in the Fall and Spring. I buy a lot of used clothing for preschool and daycare.

[kelly252]

I'm not brand-conscious.

I have twin boys who *DESTROY* their clothing. If it weren't snowy and cold up here, their shoes would never have lasted this long.

They need pants. And shoes.

And my DH needs pants, too. I'm trying to patch/mend/sew to keep old stuff in use as long as possible, but I work FT and can't ever seem to find the time.

I'll have to make more of an effort to check out Good Will, etc.

Thanks

I dont know where you are located. But there is another store called Gabriel Brothers they are located in the northeast and midwest. When I lived up there I shopped there all the time. Super cheap stuff that is all overrun buy-outs from several different stores. Lots of kids clothes and good quality shoes for the whole family. There stock changes all the time and you never what awesome thing your gonna find. I have found beautiful bedding from Macy's, Wolf Gang Puck Pots and Pans and clothed myself, husband and kids for years. You can find Levi's and all kinds of brand names for 75% off the regular retail price. The little kids clothes are the best since they are not priced that high to begin with. At Gabriel Brothers most of them are rock bottom prices. Hopefully you live up in that area, Im kinda suprised that this store isn't talked about on HCW. Its a bargain hunters dream.

[reincarnation]

Also try your local Craigslist.

Place an ad saying what you want for free or low cost.
Example.
Wanted:
Boys School worthy Jeans size 10. Polo shirts size Med. Shoes size 6 ect.
Most folks would rather give to others they know Need it, instead of donating to Goodwill who then charge near full price sometimes. (which really annoys me....)

I also do thrift/Goodwill for my kids clothes, but do the GAP outlet twice a year for all of us. They have Great sales with coupon, so I stock up when the Friends & Family deals occur.