Clothing for your kids can cost you thousands of dollars or next to nothing. Of course, I prefer the “next to nothing “choice. Saving money on children’s clothing is not just about a few dollars, for me, it is about peace of mind.
If I know that $20 can purchase a years worth of jeans for one of my boys, I feel a sense of security. It gives me confidence that I will always be able provide for my children.
Children can grow quickly and unpredictably. They are hard on clothes. Ripped knees, torn sleeves, stains that just won’t come out are daily occurrences in my house.
In my never-ending efforts to be a not-so-perfect mother I make a conscious effort to limit the amount of money and resources I put towards my children’s appearance. Here are some things that have worked for me. Perhaps they will work for you.
SECOND HAND. SECOND HAND. SECOND HAND.
This is by far the best way to save money on children’s clothing. 
Clothing for free. If you graciously accept hand-me-downs from friends and relatives you will probably find that you have more clothes than you now what to do with. When other families move or clean out their closets and attics, you will be first one they think about. Many moms groups have clothing swaps or you can organize one of your own among with other moms you know. Check out Freecycle.org a network that enables people to give away things they don’t want to people who need them, all for free.
Consignment Stores. These are places to find high quality second hand clothing. You will spend more money than you would at the other sources of second had clothing, but still less than even discount department stores.
Thrift Stores. Thrift stores are great for saving money on children’s clothing. Items at thrift stores are discounted frequently, so you can easily find things for under a dollar.
Yard and Garage Sales. Shopping at yard and garage sales takes a bit more time and effort, but when you can buy jeans for a quarter and shoes for fifty cents it is well worth you time. This also makes for a fun family outing. Your kids can bring their allowance money and will be thrilled at how much they can buy with it.
Rummage Sales. This is my absolute favorite way to buy children’s clothing. All items are donated and the people setting the prices have no attachment or interest in how much they originally cost. Most things have a set price. High quality “like new” expensive items are sold at the same price as low quality well worn ones.
TRY GIVING OLDER CHILDREN AN ALLOTMENT.
As children get older they may resist thrift stores and garage sales or they may start to argue with you about wanting trendy, way too expensive clothing. To manage this, you may want to consider giving your child a set allotment of money that you believe to be appropriate for your budget and lifestyle.
I have been doing this for several years with my teenagers and have eliminated the arguments and struggles over clothing because I am no longer the one refusing to buy that $80 pair of shorts. My teens, now, have to make those decisions for themselves.
Kids usually love this idea, so it an "easy sell" and an effortless way to budget for your teenager's clothing.
REPAIR AND REINVENT DAMAGED CLOTHING.
Repair Holes. Holes in the knees of jeans can be easily patched. Purchase a tube of fabric glue (Liquid Stitch available at Walmart). Cut out a square of denim from an old unsalvageable pair of jeans. Glue the square to the INSIDE of the jeans to cover the hole then let it dry overnight. It is easy and it works!
Use Pinking Shears. These are the zig-zag scissors. They can be used to turn jeans into shorts. Just cut the legs off to the length you want. No hemming is needed because the zig-zag prevents any real fraying. After one washing you end up with just a tiny little frayed edge that can be quite fashionable.
I also use pinking shears to “hem” jeans quickly. Just cut to the desired length and after one washing you have that tiny little “fashionable frayed” edge.
ACCEPT LESS THAN PERFECT
Let kids be kids. Play clothes can be stained or in disrepair. I have found that this frees children to be more creative in their play, anyway. If they can roll around on the grass or slide in the dirt without worrying about stains or rips, they have more fun and are more active. And we know that the benifits of being active and creative are numerous!
Not everything (or anything) has to be new or designer or perfect. Children will survive (and probably be better for it) if they don’t have the latest fashion trend. If you choose functional clothing over fashionable and "presentable" over perfect, you will all probably be more relaxed (and happy).