My friends all know that I suffer from Gymboree addiction. I’ve seen folks that are worse — there’s a girl at Rachel’s Mother’s Day Out that is dressed head to toe Gymbo ….. hair bows, socks, in addition to the outfits.
Have you checked the prices on these things?? A dress, for $32? OUCH! It’s adorable, but expensive. Yet, when you check Rachel’s closet, and see her pictures on this blog, the majority of her clothes are Gymboree. After being a mom for 14 years, I’ve learned how to be sneaky, and buy clothes for cheap.
1. Buy end of season, for next year
I know you can get burned by this, but there’s only been one time where this hasn’t worked for me, and it was actually with the boys. They just haven’t grown as fast as I had anticipated. Hence, I have an entire box of shorts, with the tags still on them, that I bought at the end of the summer ’08, thinking that they would wear them this past summer. No dice. I’ve got some skinny boys.
For example, if you were in the market for summer clothes for next year, there are some shorts for sale as low as $2.99. Combine with a coupon, and you’re all set. I tend to shop online, since the task of taking the 3 small children to the mall is incredibly daunting. Always check RetailMeNot before pushing the ‘complete your order’ button. You may be able to find a coupon for a percentage off your purchase, or free shipping.
2. Ebay
Yup …. I use this all the time. I set price points in my head, and then bid below that. I know what things would cost me retail, and then I set out to beat it by as much as I can. I’ve gotten a lot of Rachel’s Gymboree stuff here, as well as boutique shoes, like L’Amour, See Kai Run, and Umi, for a fraction of the cost. I prefer to buy my items in a ‘lot’, meaning a couple of outfits all together. This saves on shipping, and I can match pieces up with things I have at home already.
3. Seasonal Consignment Sales
I’ve been shopping consignment stores since Abby was small, but I’ve just recently discovered the wonderful world of consignment sales. In my area, we have a glut of sales in the fall, and in the spring. For about 6 weeks straight, there will be a series of sales every weekend. If you volunteer to help, or sell your own items, you get extra perks like shopping early, or getting a discount. Liz explains the sales much more concise than I can: check out her tips! Saves your wallet, and is green to boot! Reduce, re-use, recycle!
4. Buy bigger, for more usage
It makes sense to buy things with a bit of room for your children to grow into. (I don’t do this for shoes) I buy things like t shirts, nightgowns/pajamas, turtlenecks, tights, dresses in a size bigger, so that we can wear it for 2 years. Case in point — Rachel is wearing a dress today that is a size 5. When it gets too short in a year or two, I could potentially pair it up with a pair of leggings or jeans, and she can wear it as a top. If sleeves are too long, we roll them up; same thing goes for leggings.
5. Goodwill Hunting
I’ve only scored a few things from Goodwill, but they’ve been rock solid. Abby had a beautiful London Fog dress coat that I found at the Goodwill when she was small, and I just picked up a Little Tykes climber/slide cube last week for $10! Brett’s sister Shawna is the Queen of Goodwill — we have Halloween costumes thanks to her, as well as a set of matching Children’s Place overalls that will fit the boys when they are older.
6. Take one down, pass it around
I can’t say enough great things about hand-me-downs. Rachel has some dresses that I’ve saved from when Abby was a little girl, and the boys are dressed in Gap, Old Navy, and Children’s Place, thanks to their 3 older boy cousins. I’ve bought very few things for the boys, as a result of the kindness of our family, in passing these things on to us. If they are in matching outfits, you can guarantee that I bought it. Otherwise, our boys are sharp dressed men thanks to the kindness of our family.
I’ll be passing Rachel’s things down to a younger cousin, and I’ll bless someone else with our boy clothes when they are outgrown as well.
Want to save some more cash? Check out Jen’s Thrifty Home for more tips!
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