How to Dress Your Children on a Budget: Back-to-School Shopping for Second-Hand Clothes

I just bought both my two children entirely new wardrobes for fall for less than $100.00 total. They will both be outfitted very well in jeans, dress pants, dresses, long-sleeved t-shirts, and pajamas (more than 70 individual pieces) for less than $1.50 for each item. How did I do it? By shopping frugally and buying second-hand items.

Buying and selling used clothing is nothing new. My parents shopped at garage sales and sold things at garage sales when we were growing up, and we were often blessed with hand-me-down items from families with children similar in age to our own. That same concept has grown and developed into full-fledged businesses specializing in second-hand stores for children's items, including clothing, and thrived online as well.

To shop frugally, you will need to pay attention to several details. For instance, look carefully at the available pictures to determine the quality of the clothing available. Read the item description carefully so that you know exactly what you are buying. Perhaps most importantly, determine the cost of shipping the items before you bid or buy. Shipping costs may be inflated when you buy online or may be more than the items themselves, so your total cost must take into account all shipping and handling fees.

If you are a budget-conscious shopper doing back to school shopping or shopping for your babies or toddlers, there are several places to look. The modern day version of the garage sale can be found in places like ebay.com or on hyenacart.com at Spot's Corner or in a number of second-hand online clothing stores housed on hyenacart.com.

You may also prefer to shop locally. A number of second-hand or resale stores have thrived under the current economic conditions, including Once Upon a Child in Perrysburg, Ohio. These shops offer clean used clothes in good condition and may even offer specials during back-to-school shopping time. Often these stores feature brand name or designer items for a fraction of the cost that you would pay to buy them in retail stores.

An additional benefit to shopping locally is that you can often pack up your own used items and sell them at the same resale shop you plan to purchase from. The shops use varying formulas to determine how much they will pay for your clothes, but generally you can expect to get about 50 percent of the amount for which they plan to resell the items.

Shopping frugally for children's clothes is a great way to save money and set it aside for other things, like your kids' college educations. Clothes only last a season or two, but the money you save can go a long way toward building your children's futures.