by Amelia Anderson

Created on: January 26, 2009   Last Updated: April 07, 2012

We all know the hassles of shopping for our children, especially if they are old enough to have an opinion about what they wear. We also know that the pricier items like GAP and Gymboree tend to last longer than Wal-mart or Target clothing. But, if you have more than one child to buy for, the price tag always takes over. Here are some of my experiences and ideas that I have used to put our three kids in name-brand clothing for less than Wal-mart prices.

If your child has a favorite store, go to the website and register your Email address with them. Some will ask you the gender, age, and birthday. If they ask for the birthday, they usually send you an extra coupon as a "gift". Once you register the information, you will begin to get coupons, updates, sales information through your email address and possibly through the mail. Most of these coupons will work at the "outlet" store as well. The outlet versions of your child's favorite store usually carry there own line or last years clothing that didn't sell at a fraction of the cost...and when you add on a coupon that saves you 20-30% off, that adds up to more savings.

You must watch the calendar. Most stores have MAJOR clearance/sales twice a year. That is the time to shop, shop, shop. If you can buy for next year as well, that will also save money. But, you also have to save your coupons! For instance, we were in my daughter's favorite store school shopping. The jeans were marked down to $19.99 (originally $40 and up) and the tops were marked down to $9.99(originally $20 and up). The "sale" allowed us to take an additional 60% off clearance items. Then, I had my coupon that was sent to my email for an additional 30% off! We ended up saving over $800 dollars that day and she got name brand jeans for around $6.00, tops for around $4.00, and dresses for $7.00! Like I said before, less than wal-mart and they last so much longer. They even hold up better through washes that they can be passed down and still look like new!

If you know the sale is getting ready to start, some stores will allow you to "shop" early. This means you grab everything you want, they hold it for you, and you come back when the sale starts and get those items at the sale price. That way you don't have to deal with the crowds or over picked items.

If you don't have time or have stores near you, there are other options. Thrift stores, consignment shops, and goodwill always have name brand items. It is time consuming because you have to look through every item to check sizes and condition of the clothing but usually you can find some really great items. Some areas have "Freecycle" or Mom groups through Yahoo that you can find people giving clothing away or wanting to trade their smaller clothing for larger ones.

For a lot of people, eBay is a great place to shop and sell. You can find name brand items for a fraction of the cost. Most of the items are the current lines in the stores. When your child has outgrown the clothing you can offer it to others on eBay as "gently used" and make a little money to buy more clothing.

You can have name-brand clothing at very low prices if you save your coupons and watch the sales closely. My kids love coming home with the latest fashions, and I love knowing what I paid for them!

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