So once again, I just love Lori over at Moms by Heart. Please check out her Blog if you haven't already. So any way she just posted her "find of the year" it's a site called Plastic Jungle, where you can go to by other peoples unwanted gift cards at a discount off the face value. (good idea)
But this will/would take some planning ahead. not like we can wait till the end of summer to start shopping for school clothes this way, so...
I have copies Lori's post about dressing her kids on a dime, some VERY good why didn't I think of that ideas here, plus if you got the gift cards discounted at plastic jungle, yep this could work...anyways here it is, Happy reading...
I have posted about this in the past, but with back-to-school season approaching I thought it would be a good time to share this information again. Having 5 kiddos in this economy, I've had to get a bit creative in order to keep them looking nice. Following these steps, you'll be able to get name brand new (or like new) clothing for the same budget you'd expect for thrift store shopping.
SHOES AND JEANS - I love the Sears KidVantage program. If your child wears out his/her shirts, jeans or shoes before they're outgrown, you can take them back to be replaced FREE! Just save your receipt and bring in the old stuff. Then find items of comparable prices in the same size!
Every two months I visit Sears with all the jeans and shoes in hand for replacements. And when they wear out, you can replace the replacements!!! And yes, you can even replace the replacements' replacements...on and on, for as long as the sizes stay the same. We all know what kids shoes and jeans look like after two months so this program has really saved us some bucks.
I should mention that you're also able to use this program for shirts, but I've found that my kids don't tend to wear shirts out like they do shoes and jeans. Since Sears prices can be high, I ordinarily opt to buy them elsewhere.
BUY NAME BRANDS ON SALE - watch for in-store and online clearance sales that can be matched with coupons or coupon codes at Gymboree, The Children’s Place, Old Navy and Gap Kids. Since these are sought after name brands, when the kids outgrow them you can resell them on eBay and recoup much of your cost, especially if you get them on clearance to begin with! For older kids, American Eagle, Abecrombie, and Hollister are also easily resold.
FOR TEENS - My oldest is 15 and is extremely picky about what he wears. I do my best to find him the clothing he prefers, so long as our budget stays intact. Since most of you are serious couponers, you can probably understand how much I relish the challenge of finding "the popular brands" without spending more.
I have the best success on ebay. So far this season, I have purchased 13 tees and hoodies for school from Hollister, Abecrombie and American Eagle at an average of $7.30 per shirt SHIPPED. These are new with tags or in like-new condition. Since he's growing so fast, I expect at least half of these shirts will be outgrown before they are "old looking" and I can resell them on ebay next season, recouping at least half of what I paid for them! That's less than $4 a shirt, y'all!
EVERYTHING ELSE - I use the same techniques I learned with couponing to maximize our savings on everything else. It's all about matching sales with coupons or coupon codes to get the very best deals. You'll be amazed at the prices you'll pay! I'm talking jaw-droppingly cheap folks.
A FEW WORDS OF ADVICE:
On Sears KidVantage - no matter what the cashier tells you, save your receipt! There are certain items of clothing you can return without a receipt and some employees don't know which is which. So to avoid hassle, it's best to have it on hand. Also, be sure they give you the original receipt after your exchange, as the replacement receipt is not suppose to be used for a second exchange later on (but it can be, with managers approval). If you ever have any problems with an exchange, ask for a manager and explain the situation. I have never left Sears unhappy!
On Ebay - my rule of thumb is to choose sellers with a rating of 99% positive feedback or higher and at least 50 transactions under their belt. I use to be an ebay power seller and have lots of experience buying and selling. Following this rule, I've always received my merchandise in the condition stated and have always been happy!
SHOES AND JEANS - I love the Sears KidVantage program. If your child wears out his/her shirts, jeans or shoes before they're outgrown, you can take them back to be replaced FREE! Just save your receipt and bring in the old stuff. Then find items of comparable prices in the same size!
Every two months I visit Sears with all the jeans and shoes in hand for replacements. And when they wear out, you can replace the replacements!!! And yes, you can even replace the replacements' replacements...on and on, for as long as the sizes stay the same. We all know what kids shoes and jeans look like after two months so this program has really saved us some bucks.
I should mention that you're also able to use this program for shirts, but I've found that my kids don't tend to wear shirts out like they do shoes and jeans. Since Sears prices can be high, I ordinarily opt to buy them elsewhere.
BUY NAME BRANDS ON SALE - watch for in-store and online clearance sales that can be matched with coupons or coupon codes at Gymboree, The Children’s Place, Old Navy and Gap Kids. Since these are sought after name brands, when the kids outgrow them you can resell them on eBay and recoup much of your cost, especially if you get them on clearance to begin with! For older kids, American Eagle, Abecrombie, and Hollister are also easily resold.
FOR TEENS - My oldest is 15 and is extremely picky about what he wears. I do my best to find him the clothing he prefers, so long as our budget stays intact. Since most of you are serious couponers, you can probably understand how much I relish the challenge of finding "the popular brands" without spending more.
I have the best success on ebay. So far this season, I have purchased 13 tees and hoodies for school from Hollister, Abecrombie and American Eagle at an average of $7.30 per shirt SHIPPED. These are new with tags or in like-new condition. Since he's growing so fast, I expect at least half of these shirts will be outgrown before they are "old looking" and I can resell them on ebay next season, recouping at least half of what I paid for them! That's less than $4 a shirt, y'all!
EVERYTHING ELSE - I use the same techniques I learned with couponing to maximize our savings on everything else. It's all about matching sales with coupons or coupon codes to get the very best deals. You'll be amazed at the prices you'll pay! I'm talking jaw-droppingly cheap folks.
A FEW WORDS OF ADVICE:
On Sears KidVantage - no matter what the cashier tells you, save your receipt! There are certain items of clothing you can return without a receipt and some employees don't know which is which. So to avoid hassle, it's best to have it on hand. Also, be sure they give you the original receipt after your exchange, as the replacement receipt is not suppose to be used for a second exchange later on (but it can be, with managers approval). If you ever have any problems with an exchange, ask for a manager and explain the situation. I have never left Sears unhappy!
On Ebay - my rule of thumb is to choose sellers with a rating of 99% positive feedback or higher and at least 50 transactions under their belt. I use to be an ebay power seller and have lots of experience buying and selling. Following this rule, I've always received my merchandise in the condition stated and have always been happy!
Read more: http://www.momsbyheart.net/2009/07/how-i-keep-5-kids-well-dressed-on-dime.html#ixzz0og5PnXif
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