GP: Back To School Clothing Tips and Tricks

I like saving money when I can but who doesn’t? Back to School is just around the corner and I have been happy about it but dreading it at the same time. Having all the kids home is driving me a bit batty and the money I am going to be spending on back to school is going to kill my pocket book!

Instead of buying back to school clothes for all my children, it would cost a small fortune; I have some tips to save money on clothing.

1.       Hand me downs- Now I know most people like to buy their kids new clothes for back to school. I but hand me downs are wonderful. There are a couple of different sites that I love to get used clothes from and often times they are in amazing condition.

ThredUp! I am addicted to it, I am not afraid to admit it. I have gotten a bad box once in my couple of months on there and I have purchase at least 10 boxes! 1 out of 10 isn’t bad. If you are a bit leery of the box send a message to the seller or comment on the box asking for pictures. This way you can be sure you are getting what you are wanting without having to be surprised.

Another site I love is Yardsellr, they don’t have a ton of there and some stuff is new and custom but if you look through you can find some of the cutest outfits at reasonable prices and there are pictures!

2.       Reuse and Embellish- I am the queen of doing this, my mother says I should do it for a living.  You know the wonderful applique t-shirts you find on Etsy?

I love them too but I don’t always love the price of them so I create them and save money in the process. Let me explain. I take my daughters t-shirts from “last year” and see what colors they are, make sure they are in good condition as well. I also look at her pants that she has for colors as well.

Then I head over to Etsy and begin my search. I search for appliques. Now you will come up with a bunch of already made t-shirts but that’s not what you want. You want the actual iron on appliques, now sew, or if you are a sewer, sew on ones work too. Browse around! They have a bunch of them and they are all different. Some of the cutest designs I find are from Big Black Dog Designs and From the Heart Creations. These are just a couple of my recent purchases from these sellers. Aren’t they adorable?

  

 

Now I will warn you, if you aren’t careful you can end up spending a small fortune on them. I have done that before. I spent about $20 for all the appliques and shipping. About the same as what I would have spent on 1 shirt or maybe an outfit. Be careful when you choose them as well. Not all sellers do a wonderful job on them like these two sellers. Always check the picture for signs of hanging threads and discolored fabric before buying from a seller. Once you get them in the mail, take the t-shirts and make sure they are washed and ironed. I know I hate ironing as well. They follow the directions and iron them on. Presto new outfit, unique, and easy to do without spending a fortune!

If you don’t have any good condition t-shirts head over to Wal-Mart or Old Navy and get some solid color ones for cheap. You can also do this with jeans as well! My daughter loves to embellish her jeans after I iron on the appliques and then she adds puffy paint. It gives them much more style and flair and its fun! 

The best part about this method is there are always a bunch of school parties for V-day, Halloween and Christmas. Just get a solid color shirt and a cute applique and you don't have to spend a bunch of money on an outfit just for one occasion. 

(Guest Post: Liz, writer on All In One Mom)