Melissas Bargains

Kids are constantly growing (which means that they are constantly OUTGROWING their clothing).  Having little ones doesn’t mean you have to budget!  Here are 10 ways to save on children’s clothing!

Ways to Save on Retail Clothing

Sign up to receive newsletters from your favorite companies – Get a heads up on upcoming sales plus get coupons by e-mail when you sign up to receive newsletters from your favorite companies!  Some stores will even have exclusive shopping hours for their preferred customers and will notify you if you are on their e-mail list!

• Carter’s
• Crazy 8
• Gap
• Gymboree
• JC Penney
• Kohl’s
• Old Navy
• Osh Kosh
• Payless Shoes
• The Children’s Place

Take advantage of free customer rewards programs – Many companies offer customer rewards programs where you can earn points toward gift certificates!  The best part?  They’re FREE to join!

• Gymboree Rewards – Earn 1 point for every $1 spent.  When you spend $250, you get a $5 rewards certificate!
• JC Penney Rewards – Spend $100 in a month on qualifying purchases, get a $10 Reward
• The Children’s Place My Place Rewards – Earn 5 points for every $1 spent.  Earn a $5 rewards certificate for every 1,000 points

Take advantage of bonus cash offers – Some stores offer bonus cash offers at various times throughout the year.  When you spend a certain amount, you will receive your bonus cash to redeem on future purchases!  The best part?  These bonus cash offers can be combined with everyday rewards offers if the store offers them!  Make sure you read the fine print for redemption dates and restrictions.

• Gymbucks – During promotional periods, spend $50 at Gymboree, and get a Gymbuck for $25 off your next purchase of $50 or more!  You can only redeem Gymbucks at certain times.  Check with your store for details.
• Kohl’s Cash – During promotional periods, spend $50 and get $10 in Kohl’s cash!  You can redeem your Kohl’s cash on anything during the redemption periods and it can be redeemed in store or online!
• Place Cash – During promotional periods, spend $40 at The Children’s Place, and earn Place cash for $20 off a future purchase of $40 or more!
• SUPER Cash – During promotional periods, spend $20 at Old Navy and earn SUPER Cash for $10 off a future purchase of $20 or more!

Shop End of Season Clearance Sales – Many stores have end of season clearance sales.  Combine these sales with coupons and save even more!  When my kids were younger, I used to shop these sales and buy clothes for them to wear the next year!

Ways to Save on Resale Clothing

You hear more and more every day about “going green”  Save money on children’s clothing by taking advantage of resale opportunities!

Check out Children’s Resale Stores – Find out what resale stores there are in your area.  They often have pretty strict standards, so you can usually get great clothing (sometimes even new with tags!) for a fraction of the price.  PLUS, you can bring in your children’s old clothing to get credits to help offset expenses!

Check out garage sales – If you’re willing to spend the time, you can find name brand clothing at a fraction of the cost at garage sales.  Check Facebook for online garage/yard sale groups in your area, too!  This is a great way to get rid of items you don’t need and make some extra cash, but you can also get great deals on things you do need!

Check out Freecycle – Sometimes people don’t want to deal with re-selling their items and so they will just give clothing away for FREE on Freecycle!  Find the Freecycle boards for your area and check it out!

Have a swap party – Have a swap party with friends or family members and swap clothing you no longer need for clothing you DO need!  This helps everyone save money.

Check out Consignment sales – Look for information about consignment sales in your area.  This is another great way to get rid of children’s clothing that no longer fits and to pick up some new things, too!  Consignment sales often have strict quality standards, so it’s a great way to get new or gently used clothing at a fraction of the cost!

Check out Craigslist or Ebay – You can sometimes find great deals on name brand clothing on Craigslist or Ebay.  On Ebay, make sure you check the seller’s feedback rating first and also make sure you look at shipping prices.  With Craigslist, make sure you arrange to meet in a public place and don’t go alone!