5 Reasons to Skip the School Clothes Shopping Spree

Shopping for back-to-school clothes sounds like a fun way to get ready for the new school year, but it can also be stressful and expensive. This time of year is already difficult because of higher gas and cooling costs. Between shopping for school supplies, getting the kids back on schedule and adjusting to a new teacher, August is a busy time for parents.

Give yourself a break and rethink the traditional school clothes shopping spree this year. Shopping for fewer clothes during the back-to-school rush helps avoid these five problems.

1. Big Back-to-School Bill

Shopping for school supplies and clothing can cost a small fortune. Focus primarily on school supplies now because they typically go on sale once a year. Rebates and manufacturer coupons are also available for supplies right now.

Buy clothing essentials and add more as stores run sales and clearance on clothes throughout the year.

Shorts and specialty uniforms are the exception to this rule. Here in Texas, retailers clear or reduce their stock of shorts long before the weather cools. Stores stock an expansive selection of uniforms at this time of year, but specialty sizes may be difficult to find later when stores remove the back-to-school displays.

2. Twin Wardrobes

Even students who do not wear uniforms turn into a sea of duplicates at the beginning of the school year because everyone is shopping at the same neighborhood stores in August.

Gradeschoolers may think it is funny to have a twin, but tweens and teens can be particularly sensitive about having a doppelganger and quit wearing certain clothes.

3. Wear and Tear Timing

Buying an entire wardrobe at once also means everything will wear out at the same time, or an ill-timed growth spurt will leave your child with nothing to wear. Buy core pieces and add new clothes as you find them on sale.

Adding a few pieces here and there will refresh your child's wardrobe without breaking the bank.

4. Trendy Styles

Shopping for a lot of school clothes at once adds pressure to choose from what is available even if it is not what you need or want. Buying clothes a bit at a time allows you to be selective, instead of choosing from the trendy fashions that will be out of style before the fall semester is over.

5. Crowded Stores

Shopping during the summer rush can mean crowded stores, messy dressing rooms and long lines, making it difficult to shop. Enjoy shorter shopping trips by buying the basics instead of a large wardrobe.