With this month being August and with all the Back to School sales starting, I thought this would be the perfect time to share my best Budget Clothes Shopping Tips For Stylish Families-especially after my last outing where I found dozens of amazing deals (don’t worry, I didn’t buy them all-I wanted to but I left some for you all!)!
Budget Clothes Shopping Tips For Stylish Families
If you are like the majority of SAHM’s and your family lives on one income you probably jump on good clothing deals when you find them. If that is the case, I’ve got some excellent budget clothes shopping secrets for you today that I think you are going to love because not only will they help you save money, they will help you up your family’s style! Today I’m going to share my best 4 affordable clothes shopping tips for stylish family’s plus a bonus list of what to and not to fork out extra cash for. When you are finished with this article you’ll know how to save money on clothes & still have a sharp dressed family.
First, a little bit of background. I’ve been a professional family photographer since 2009, but I didn’t really find success in that line of work until I began stylizing my clients family’s clothing for their session. Once I started helping family’s decide what to (and not to wear) my business took new heights. And of course once I learned how to do this for my clients it didn’t take long for the art of selecting stylish family clothing to carry into my own family life. Eventually it became second nature to ask “How’s this going to look in pictures” when I was out shopping for clothing for my family.
BTW, if you feel sorry for photographers kids because they have their pictures taken all the time, don’t-they totally get used to it…..eventually, lol.
Husband’s on the other hand….yeah they never do. You can feel sorry for them! 😀
Why Try To Remain Stylish When You Have a Big Family
You might wonder, why even bother with style when you have so many kids?
My answer is, because we have so many kids!
Here’s the thing, when you have a big family and you go out you get noticed by pretty much everyone, and first impressions matter. I don’t want peoples first impression of my family to be, “Look at that crazy big family with all those shabbily dressed, poor, neglected looking kids. Obviously those parents are irresponsible and have never heard of birth control” .
Secondly, we homeschool. Although a large portion of the population accept homeschooling there are still a few out there who jump to uneducated assumptions about homeschoolers. I don’t want to add fuel to their assumptions.
Thirdly, some of my kids are naturally loud and can be a little rambunctious (did I mention I have four boys?).
My point is, there’s more than one reason for people to notice and be shocked by our family!
Since we purposely opted for a big family from the start, and because we homeschool, I don’t want strangers and new people we meet to get the wrong impression and gawk any longer than necessary. And I definitely do not want to raise unnecessary red flags and allow people to think my children are neglected (even tho I sometimes pretend not to know them in public-like the time my 7 year old boy burst out of our minivan in a crowded parking lot playing his screaming air guitar and completely oblivious to the fact people were watching). 😀
By dressing nicely it sends the message that “We made our choices thoughtfully and purposefully, these kids are loved and cared for, and we know what we are doing.”
Okay, maybe we don’t always know what we are doing-but who want’s perfect strangers thinking that when you are out in public, am I right?
So that is one reason I like to dress my family nicely and teach my children to dress well. The second reason is because I’m a little old fashioned in some areas and I believe the following;
Dressing well shows respect for oneself and others. A well dressed person sends the message that they are sociable, respectable and responsible.
Of course if you walk around town playing a screaming air guitar that kind of negates the whole “responsible” message, but hey-you’re seven once, (and he was kind of cute in his dapper bow tie and suspenders-which he selected himself and chose to wear that day BTW).
Why Budget Shop For Clothing
I’m sure every family has their unique needs and reasons to budget shop for clothing.
Our family of 8 is rich in so many area’s-and so this isn’t a complaint, but since we have always been a low income family there are many reasons why we need to budget shop for clothing.
For one-we need to save our money for things like the obvious, bills and food. But our family also has unique expenses like curriculum (we pay for our children’s homeschool curriculum out of our own pockets).
I’m sure every family has their own unique expenses!
Where to Budget Shop for Clothing
I personally love shopping a variety of places for affordable clothing. Thrift stores, Walmart, and Old Navy clearance racks are my mama jam! The majority of clothing for my children I find at Walmart and on Old Navy clearance racks. When I’m shopping for style I hit the Old Navy Clearance racks but I get lucky with Walmart sometimes too. When I’m shopping for house clothes I usually settle on Walmart.
For the kids I always check the thrift store sections and sometimes get lucky, but for my kids, as a general rule I always buy new. Here’s why.
I don’t know about you, but I find most the time the prices on thrift store, used (and mostly worn out) kids clothing is the same for brand new items you would find for new clothing on clearance racks! I used to buy used for my kids all the time. But too many times I found that the used pieces barely lasted through one child-and never lasted long enough to pass down to a sibling. So I’d have to buy clothes again for the sibling. I realized it was costing me more to buy used since I paid clearance rack and even new price for them!!!! I also realized that when I bought new there was a better chance it would last through a couple kids.
This is not to say you won’t ever find deals for your kids in thrift stores-I always check out the kids clothing in thrift stores and sometimes get lucky and find excellent deals-especially on button up shirts, but I find that for ages around 3 through to at least around 12 it seems like it’s a better deal to just shop clearance racks for the kids.
Thrift stores aren’t all bad though. Quite the contrary! They are where I look for good deals for myself.
The top is a $5.00 find from Walmart (from the juniors section- the women’s section tops are too long and drown me). I don’t wear jeans often because I’m allergic to nickel in the buttons and details and they bother me if I wear them more than one day in a row.
Best of all-no nickel buttons!!!
But when it comes to thrift stores for clothes-I’m pretty much the only one in the family that I buy clothes for there!
Although I browse the men’s section and sometimes find something in my husbands size, I don’t purposely shop for clothes for my husband there, only because he is a unique size (medium top but needs large for the arms and is 32 waist with 36 inseam for pants. So for him I’m stuck shopping Amazon or Old Navy sales for most his tops and he has to special order his jeans.
So the only one I get thrift store clothing for is me.
I have kind of a love hate relationship with thrift store women’s clothing! The reason women’s clothing can be a hassle to buy at thrift stores is because it takes so much time and patience to find the gem pieces! For one, the women’s clothing is always packed so tightly on the racks and the majority of clothing there is, well, for lack of better wording-often too worn. By that I mean-pilling, stained, stretched out, coming apart or way dated in the worst way. Of course sizing is always a tricky part at thrift stores too.
And although I like Walmart’s prices for women’s clothing-especially on tee shirts, I find that unless I’m getting a tee shirt or tank their clothing just doesn’t last, fit me right, or look good on me (maybe you have a different experience). Of course it could be because I’m on the upper side of petite (5′ 3.5″) and Walmart doesn’t really have a petite section for grown up girls. Sometimes I find things in the juniors section but it’s rare (most juniors pieces don’t work for my mummy tummy, lol!)
So that leaves me with the thrift stores as my main option for clothing for myself.
4 Big Budget Clothes Shopping Tips For Stylish Family’s
Through the years I’ve learned some tricks for getting the most bang for my buck AND scoring some seriously amazing finds for myself-and even for the family. Here they are;
Tip 1. Know Your Brands
This is especially helpful for thrift store shopping. Did you know that some brands truly are better than others? Here’s a story. I don’t think I’ve ever bought anything from Nordstrom and until recently I didn’t see why anybody would. So being the curious type that I am I started looking into why people pay so much money shopping at places like Nordstrom. I discovered that my assumption that “Nordstrom clothing was simply regular clothing that was marked up nearly 3 times just because it was Nordstrom” wasn’t entirely correct. I learned that Nordstrom quality clothing is usually better.
Something that really stood out to me and surprised me was that I learned the amount of stitching coming apart in brand new clothing in stores with cheaper clothing is appalling.
But even so, I don’t think very many of us have the desire or funds to run out and drop $600.00 on a coat at Nordstrom no matter the quality. For so many women-especially those in the childbearing years-our bodies are fluctuating too. So what fits this season might not even fit in a year.
On the same hand, we don’t want to spend $600.00 buying different pieces over the course of a few years because we keep buying (and replacing) clothing that was mostly worn when we bought it and it only lasted one season.
So I looked it up. There are a few brands that have affordable clothing (especially if you score them second hand) and that have notoriously better quality fabrics, better stitching, and are longer lasting. If you want to get the best bang for your buck at thrift stores, here are six top brands to memorize that have quality clothing;
- American Apparel
- Coldwater Creek (note that they are going out of business)
- Christopher & Banks (also going out of business)
- L.L. Bean
- Levi’s
- Maurices
- Ralph Lauren
Along the lines of knowing good brands, you also want to know YOUR brand. By that I mean the brands that usually fit your body best and look good on you. This makes it easier when you are shopping and you spot that or those (if you are lucky enough to have more than one) brands!
The following are not necessarily brands known for their durability and longevity, but I personally do find they seem to last a very long time! I have some pieces in these brands that are still going strong and looking good after nearly 20 years-and since the styles are simple they are timeless. But not only do they carry clothes that are my personal favorite styles (I love Indie style), I also love that their styles always look good on me and bonus, they are nice to wear for comfort (especially in the summer)!
- American Eagle
- Ambercrobie & Fitch (I always get the most compliments in this brand)
- Banana Republic (My favorite for my hubby)
- Old Navy (my favorite for the hubby and kids)
Tip 2. Know What It Pays To Splurge-Here’s 8 Items
There are a few key pieces that it actually pay’s off better in the long run to get brand new or to look for in top condition (used), and that you shouldn’t feel bad for spending a little more money on.
Here’s the list;
- Plain Jeans-it’s better to spend more on a good pair of jeans since cheaper jeans are made with thinner fabric and can come apart or rip far more easily. Also, jeans with thinner materials don’t hold up through the day and can be very unflattering after a couple hours (making you look heavier/unfit and showing underwear lines-ect…). As you saw above you can find middle of the road and even upper quality jeans second hand though!
- Shoes-it’s better to spend more on shoes that won’t kill your feet and that will last vs spending money on new ones every year that are cheap and fall apart and hurt your feet.
- Kids Shoes-again you can go through 10 pairs of cheap $10 shoes over a years time for one kid or you could buy them one good pair for $50.00. Seasoned mama tip-a good pair of real leather cowboy boots or leather shoes can last through multiple kids and are the best bang for your buck! Also, since kids feet are still “soft” and growing it’s super important they have shoes that will not permanently mess up their feet!
- Anything you will be wearing ALL THE TIME. If you buy used and plan on wearing it all the time it’s not going to last long if it’s already half or mostly worn out.
- A good jacket-since you want it to last. I’ve been seeing that L.L. Bean is highly recommended.
- Bra’s-A good bra can help with everything from eliminating back and shoulder pain to posture, circulation and looking put together. Read The Importance of Wearing The Right Sized Bra to learn how important a good bra is.
- Boys Jeans-unfortunately most boys are really hard on jeans. It’s hard to find used jeans for boys (in sizes 10 and under) because they don’t last through one boy! And if you are lucky enough to find a used pair of boys jeans they probably won’t last the week. But I have learned that if you buy a middle of the line, thick pair of jeans they might last through one boy. If you buy thin, super cheap jeans they are not likely to last more than a couple months. You don’t want to buy the most expensive designer jeans for a boy less than 16 either-they will probably irreparably rip the crotch out the first time they wear them (that happened to a pair my mom got my six year old). Here’s another seasoned mama tip-frequent clearance racks for boys jeans-keep a special eye out for corduroy!
- Uniquely Sized Pieces– If you or your husband have an odd size that isn’t normally carried you’ll find that the pieces you splurge on could be your favorite pieces-like this shirt I found for my husband. I think this is the first shirt he’s ever owned that was actually his true size-he is a medium but he has large arms and his size isn’t carried in regular stores! I actually got really lucky with this shirt-I found it on sale at Kohl’s, so that goes to show you don’t always have to plan on splurging if you are always watching for sales!
Tip 3. 9 Items of Clothing Not To Splurge On
Tee shirts-no need to spend top dollar on tee shirts as they seldom last very long regardless.
Clothing made with tee shirt material-again, you won’t really be getting extra life out of it by paying top dollar.
Socks and Underpants-Although I would never recommend used, Walmart suffice for men’s, women’s, and kids underwear and socks.
Designer Clothing-you can always find it get second hand-remember just to check that it’s not stained, pilling, or stretched.
Designer Jeans-since these are made so well you can usually find designer jeans that have years of life left.
Kids Clothing-As mentioned above clearance racks can be your best friend for amazing kids’s pieces. Although thrift stores used to be a good place to find clothing for kids I’ve found that they can often times be as or more expensive then brand new. If you are shopping for used for kids just make sure the clothing is not stained, has holes, is pilling or stretched too much.
Short Sleeved Button Up for The Hubby & Boys-I absolutely love finding these second hand and on clearance racks! They are never very worn and are usually in good condition, and they always look good even when they are inexpensive.
Long Sleeve Button Up For The Boys-These usually always look good and last long enough even when they are cheap!
Knit Sweaters-Maybe it’s just me-and it really might be! But all of my very favorite knit sweaters are 100% cotton and are second hand. There’s nothing more comfortable than an all cotton sweater that’s already broken in and preshrunk because someone accidentally put it in the drier!
Tip 4. Four Photog Tips For That Stylish Flair
If you want to make it easy on your family and you don’t want to have to select their clothing for church (or feel embarrassed if you make it out the door and to an event only to find out your 8 year old wore his best holy jeans and stained camo shirt to church), here are some bonus tips for you!
- If you are out shopping and you have a choice, opt for neutrals and solids.
- Make sure the majority of clothing you get does not have loud primary colors and distracting logos.
- Keep a bin of clothing in each child’s space that is full of clothing ONLY for town and church. When you are taking the family somewhere that you want them to look their best for simply tell them to put on clothing from their town bin.
- Once clothing becomes too worn or holy, either repair it or toss it. Chances are you likely have too much for each child anyways. Read my post on Minimizing Kids Rooms.
Stuff to NEVER Buy Used
Did you know there are somethings you should NEVER buy used? These include underwear, swimwear, carseats, helmets, makeup and makeup brushes. Another item you probably shouldn’t buy used are toys since so many are older and have lead paint in them.
To Conclude
It took some real craft and practice to learn how to successfully dress my big family affordably AND stylishly since those two terms don’t usually go hand in hand! I do think I’ve nailed it though because every time we get dressed up and go out as a family we get compliments!
Our family has gotten to the point that my children each take what I believe is a healthy amount of pride and self respect in how they look when they leave home.
It might take a little time to go through and makeover your family’s clothing and style, but it’s worth it!
I hope you’ve enjoyed Budget Clothes Shopping Tips For Stylish Family’s and that this post has given you some great idea’s on how to revamp your family’s style without blowing your budget. Be sure to check out my other style and beauty posts including;
Know Your Body Shape & Scale, Dump The Frump
Lipstick Tricks for Busy Mom’s-Dump The Frump Series
Dump the Frump-Styling Series for SAH & Homeschool Mom’s
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