Clothes shopping can either be a complete delight or an eternal nightmare depending on your perspective and the mood of your children that day as you try to make sure they have all the essentials they need.

From beautiful handmade girls’ dresses to clothes meant to get messy, children’s clothing needs a lot of consideration and more than a little love to get the most out of them.

Here are some top tips to save money in the long run on children’s clothing.

 

Avoid False Economy

One contradiction that happens way too often, especially with kid’s clothes is being too cheap with the wrong items, as you end up spending a lot more money in the long run.

Very cheap clothes and fast fashion items will wear out quickly and are not made to last very long, which means you have to spend more money replacing them than you would if you bought a more expensive, harder wearing item to begin with.

There are places you can be cheap, such as buying big stacks of socks and underwear, as well as some basic essentials for playtimes such as lounge pants, t-shirts and other clothes that go with anything and are expected to get a bit messy anyway.

 

Shop Off-Season

Kids grow up fast, especially very young children, and so a brilliant way to save yourself money is to buy the majority of a child’s clothes off-season half a year in advance.

Most clothes shops rotate out their old stock at least twice a year (usually starting to bring in winter stock at the end of summer and summer stock in spring), and if you go straight to the clearance rack you can find some incredible discounts on future clothes.

 

Repair Clothing Yourself

Learning some basic sewing techniques is not only great for helping clothes last and not having to replace them quite as often, but it also changes your perspective on buying clothes.

Rather than buying a lot of clothes only to throw them out when they get ripped or too messy, you can buy a few well-made items that you can fix yourself, saving money in the long run.

 

Do Not Neglect Charity Shops

Charity shops, car boot sales, used clothes markets are always great places to find good quality clothes, some of which have never been worn or have only been worn once.

As well as this, second-hand clothes tend to have been made to last and wash better than cheaply manufactured clothes.

In some cases, especially at car boot sales, you can end up with a massive bargain as someone desperately wants to shift a job lot of children’s clothes, although always check the quality before you hand over your cash.

Best of all, your money will often go directly to a good cause.

 

All Baby Clothes Are Helpful

If you have a baby and some rather generous mums who want to hand you a lot of baby clothes, take all of them, because not only are donated clothes great in a pinch if you are in the middle of a wash but often come in a range of sizes to handle any sudden growth spurt.