Friday, March 9, 2012

Saving Money on Kids Clothes @ Colorado Parent Magazine

We need more articles like these…clear, simple, and packed full with great money-saving tips!

The marketing world may convince us that clothing must be replaced and updated each season, even kids clothes. But personally I’d rather put more money into a college account than try to keep up with the Joneses. That doesn’t mean kids shouldn’t look nice. But there are lots of ways to extend the life of kids clothes without sending them out the door looking sloppy or unkempt.

Buy Classic and Neutral

The basic tenant of any wardrobe is to invest in classic and neutral. You hear it all the time in reference to a woman’s wardrobe. If you want to have more options, buy classic pieces that will stand the test of time and then add a couple of trendy pieces for fun. Kids clothes are no different, especially if you have your eyes set on handing down the clothes or reselling them. While it’s true that kids clothes rarely trend as quickly as woman’s fashions, there ARE colors, characters and girls’ dress styles that can become dated. So to maximize your budget, populate the kids wardrobe with classic pants, skirts and tops that can be mixed and matched, then add two or three fun pieces each season.

Consider the Uniform

Before you say, ‘I would never stifle my child’s creativity and individuality like that,’ consider this: a uniform doesn’t have to be khaki pants and a white button-down shirt every day.

As a nanny, I cared for an athletic little boy who wore sweatpants each day (please note that these were well-fitting, clean, and free of holes) with a tidy t-shirt (in the winter we added on a sweatshirt). His mom discovered a style that her son loved to wear and was comfortable in and turned that into his “uniform.” At the beginning of each school year, she purchased 5 pairs of the sweatpants with matching sweatshirts, a stack of t-shirts and one or two “nice” outfits. We would just rotate the sweats+t-shirt combos during the week. There was no morning battle over what to wear and she maintained a conservative clothing budget. Let me also just add that it made laundry a breeze. He was even able to easily put his clothes away on his own because his dresser was not stuffed full with too many clothing options.

Maybe your child’s uniform would be jeans and a t-shirt or button-down, or a skirt and top. Use their favorite daily style to simplify dressing and reduce costs.

Layer for the Seasons

Instead of running out at the beginning of each season to replace warm-weather clothes with cold-weather ones, try extending the life of warm weather clothes with layering techniques. Here are some ideas:

  • Layer a long-sleeved t-shirt under a short-sleeved shirt
  • Put a t-shirt under a light-weight button-down shirt
  • Add leggings under a summery dress or skirt
  • Pull a sweater over a light dress or add a t-shirt under a sleeveless dress

Cut ‘Em Off or Patch ‘Em Up

When I was little most of our school clothes evolved into summer grubbies (this was my mom’s term for clothes we could make a mess in). Jeans that were too short got cut off about mid-thigh for summer shorts. Stretched out, faded t-shirts became bathing suit cover-ups or more often, the softest pajamas you could dream in. We were run-around, get-messy, play-hard kids so my parents got every dime out of our clothes. We were also on a tight budget so my mother would mend or patch anything that still had some good life in it.

Remember the little boy for whom I was a nanny? In the spring his mother would cut off those sweatpants and put a tidy (and very simple) hem around the bottom to make them into shorts. Then he was able to wear them just about anywhere without looking grungy.

End of the Line

At the end of their wearable lives, most of our clothes ended up cut into rags. But I have seem some beautiful crafts made with clothing scraps as well, such as memory quilts and rag rugs. What ideas do you have for clothes at the end of their wearability? We’d love to hear your ideas!

How do you extend the life of your kids clothes?

Read more at ColoradoParent.wordpress.com.

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