Do you swoon over the cutest clothes as you shop for yourself or your child(ren)? I love shopping almost as much as I love life itself. My girlfriend laughed on one of our shopping trips as my toddler emulated me pulling clothes to one side as she looked at all of them herself. I always wondered whey retail stores put that lower level of hanging clothes so low (older Mommy’s knees give out too quickly)!?! But, maybe they are that low for pint sized shoppers like my daughter! We are both dazzled as bright colors on clothing and prints shout buy me! If only we didn’t have to look at price tags!
For the sake of space and organization, we do have to watch those price tags so I shop for the majority of my toddler’s clothing items after season. It’s not uncommon to bring home a long sleeve winter tee for only $3 in the middle of spring’s eighty degree weather (as we did a few weekends ago). Shopping after season isn’t for everyone but I love great buys and beautiful clothing! Pairing the two is perfect for me because we’re able to have more for less money. And of course, there’s always something else to spend our money on…….like beautiful places & events to wear our after season clothing!
Here are a few of my tips for shopping after season:
- Skip the “new” selections and head straight to the sale or clearance racks. Unless you want to pay full price and/or just get a small percentage off this season’s clothes, you are wasting time looking at all the clothes that will make you say, “I wish……”
- Embrace versatility. Pair outfits together that are not seen in catalogs and/or in stores. Mix patterns and colors. Two bold prints…….why not? My toddler loves to dress herself and loves color & prints! She sometimes looks like a little gypsy with all her bold prints but she’s confident, clean, & healthy!
- Don’t say that store/catalog is not in my budget. I love to find Gap tops and/or Mini Boden items after season for my daughter. A $25 plus item is marked at $10 and under after season. That’s a steal for the quality of clothing these stores/catalogs offer. Study stores/catalogs and keep an eye in their clearance bin—after seasons or at the end of seasons. The $4.95 panties at Gymboree come home with us when they are clearance priced for under $2. I also pair 20% coupons with the sale and stock up on panties one or two sizes up——-socks too! Cheap but great quality!!
- Shop at Goodwill/thrift stores. Many times, I luck up on second hand items for under $2 for my daughter. The cute clothes aren’t always practical for everyday. So skirts and such end up in excellent condition. We buy & wash them to pair with other items in her closet. Even wearing them a few times gives us the $ value we paid for them.
- Look at least one size up from current size. The clearance sections sometimes don’t carry the size 4 we are looking for but have a size 5 or 6 that we will need in a few months or a year. If the item is over $5, I don’t buy it but many times the article of clothing is cheap after season. Thus, we come home with items just under $4-5 and we often begin wearing it sooner than later.
These after just a few of my after season shopping tips! Keeping up with this trend helps our budget and affords me the opportunity to splurge on a few items we need throughout the season that I didn’t come across and/or something that really caught our eye that could be paired with many outfits that season——–like our splurge on toddler Ugg boots!
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