As we start a brand new year, money is tight for many. But of course, the kids do not stop growing and they love to wear the latest fashion. So looking around in the sales, charity shops and browsing online is a must to get the most for your money. I’ve put together a few tips on how to shop for clothes on a budget and style your wardrobes with affordable clothing for the whole family.
Shop the Sales
But only if you need something! It is very easy to get carried away and buy clothing items you don’t need when browsing through the endless sale rails.
If you do a lot of your clothes shopping online check the price history. Is the item really on sale? Is it really the best price? Some retailers can “trick” you into thinking it’s a bargain.
The biggest sales to keep an eye out for are the Black Friday events and Boxing Day sales.
Find Discount Codes
Many shops online have a standard 10% off code you can get if you sign up for their email newsletter. Always worth looking at this first before you check out your basket. Check more clothing promos at Temu.
Look on discount and coupon websites for your favourite clothing sites. Finding a peacocks promo code is always a winner for us. It’s one of our favourite places to shop for clothing for the whole family. It’s affordable fashion from many brands. They have a great range of kids’ clothing and shoes that are of great quality and the latest styles. My eldest is having a growth spurt at the moment and is already in a size 2 for shoes at 6 years old!
Look At The Type of Clothing You Buy
Buying clothing that is dry-cleaned only is not very economical. You have to pay to get it cleaned professionally. Not a smart move to be honest. Very costly in the long run.
Buy timeless items that will be used year after year. Staple classic items for your wardrobe include skinny jeans, plain t-shirts, and black boots. Neutral colours are also good to go for. They can be mixed and matched with many other pieces in your wardrobe. Creating a capsule wardrobe is very cost-effective in the long run.
Buy Used Clothing
Shop charity shops. My mum was an avid charity shopper and used to pick all kinds of clothing up for us when we were young. Including my most treasured pair of green frog wellies! It’s now something I do for my girls. They grow out of clothes so quickly makes total sense to pick up a few t-shirts for £1 each. I also love to give clothes back to charities once we’ve finished with them.
Last term our primary school was collecting clothes to raise money for the school. It’s a great idea to help promote recycling and also earn some money for the school.
Other places to shop for used clothing include eBay, Vinted and your local Facebook Marketplace.
Clothes Swapping and Hand-me Downs
Borrow clothes for special occasions. Yes, it’s as simple as that! Get your friends together and organise clothes-swapping groups.
Having an older sibling meant I always wore hand-me-downs. Then they were passed down to my younger sister! We get clothes passed down to my girls from family. Then my 6 year olds clothes get passed down to her 4 year old sister, and then onto their younger cousin. So we have a huge hand-me-down chain going on. It’s great for saving money!
Repurpose Clothes
Repurposing clothes is a great way to turn them into something else. You can turn a pair of old jeans into shorts for the Summer. My mum used to knit jumpers for us as kids, and when we grew out of them, she would rip them back and re-use the wool to knit bigger ones or use the wool to knit raggy dolls!
Use Cashback Sites
Ok, so using cashback sites isn’t technically helping you to find affordable clothing, however, it’s worth a mention when shopping online to claw back a few extra pennies.
Final Thoughts
If you are looking to find affordable clothing for the whole family, it is actually all around you. You just need to think outside the box! The ideas are endless! Here are a few more I just this minute thought of while writing this!
- Set a clothing budget, and sell old clothes to buy new ones.
- Only buy your current sizes – don’t buy smaller and think one day I will fit in that! Will that really happen soon?
- Look after your clothes and go by the washing instructions on the label – no shrinkage!
- Make/knit your own clothes – this isn’t the easy choice by far, but it could become a hobby!
This post is in conjunction with Love Discount Vouchers but all thoughts are my own.