School Clothes Shopping on a Budget in Athens, Ohio
Following are some suggestions of places you can look to save money and do this year's school clothes shopping on a budget.
Yard Sales. Check the Athens News1 for yard sales all summer long. The Athens News offers free ads for yard sales, so there should be no shortage of listings. Check for more listings online. Many sellers will offer the option of driving directions as well.
To get the most out of your yard sale school clothes shopping, try to hit several sales in the same general area, even if what you want isn't in the listing. Sellers won't necessarily list everything they are offering due to the cost of longer ads.
If you don't have a lot of time to spend part of a day searching yard sales, plan to hit the ones you can along your daily routes. An extra 15 minutes can really pay off. By searching the paper or online frequently, you will have more options of sales convenient for you.
Thrift Shops/Consignment Shops. I've been to two thrift shops in Athens: New to You Thrift Shoppe located at 90 Columbus Road, Athens, Ohio, and Goodwill at the Athens Mall on East State Street in Athens, Ohio. I have also passed a small consignment shop on Union Hill just west of Athens on SR 56 and a thrift/consignment shop in Nelsonville on US 33.
You can find some good school clothes on a budget at thrift shops. Always check your items carefully before purchasing. Look for stains and tears, and check any zippers. Many of these shops accept large volumes of donations and don't have the time or manpower to check all items carefully. Also be aware of each shop's return policy if they have one. Be sure to check these shops often over the summer because stock can change frequently.
Walmart. Being the only large volume discount store in the Athens, Ohio area means that many people will be buying the same school clothes (some kids don't want to wear exactly what everyone else has). But you should still check it out because you can find decent buys and some good clearance.
Other Clothing Stores. It doesn't hurt to check out the clearance racks at the more expensive stores. Sometimes these stores will really mark down their older stock.
Shop Online.
With the limited selection of stores in town for school clothes shopping on a budget, you may find it more economical to shop online. You can shop from the convenience of your home without having to drive to Lancaster, Jackson or Parkersburg.
eBay. eBay2 can be a great place to shop for school clothes on a budget. You will need to spend some time going through listings, but you can narrow your search by size or even type of clothing. If you look carefully, you can find sellers that will combine shipping on multiple listings and even some sellers that offer free shipping. Most sellers accept Paypal for payment, so you will need a credit card or checking account. However, some sellers still accept money orders. Check each listing to see what form of payment the seller accepts.
Target. Although Target is generally more expensive than Walmart, you can find some great sales and clearance at Target.com3. You will need a credit card or a Target gift card. Hint: There are retailers, grocery stores and some gas stations that sell various gift cards to other establishments. If you can get a Target gift card here in town, you can use it online at Target.com. Bonus: Using your gift card online even covers shipping charges. Also, Target.com often offers free shipping after a certain dollar amount is reached.
Kmart. Remember Kmart? Well you can still shop online. At Kmart.com4 you can get the ame great deals and clearance that you used to get when Kmart was in town. I have not seen Kmart gift cards available, but you can pay for your school clothes shopping with a credit card. Kmart.com also accepts Paypal, but you will need a credit card or a checking account.
Many online retailers also accept coupon codes. You can search the internet by typing in the name of the store and free coupon codes. Even more savings for you when doing your school clothes shopping on a budget!
1 Athens News; The Athens News; athensnews.com
2 eBay; eBay; www.ebay.com
3 Target; Target; www.target.com
4 Kmart; Kmart; www.kmart.com
Published by Jolynne M Hudnell
Jolynne is a part-time freelance writer and independently-published poet. Jolynne has knowledge and experience in a variety of topics. Jolynne enjoys singing and writing poetry. Her book of poetry an... View profile
- Back to School Clothes Shopping It's almost back to school time! Here are some tips for saving money as you shop for back to school clothes and some tips for teaching your kids money management skills while you shop.
- 5 Secrets to Saving Money Back-to-School Clothes Shopping Shopping on a budget can be fun. Know the secrets and know how much you want to spend.
- A Tight Wad's Guide to School Clothes Shopping Garage Sale time is here. To be sure that I don't overspend, I try to stick to a few techniques and rules. My best tip is not to just buy "junk and stuff". I buy what I need. What is on your list of things to buy?
-
Back to School
I took my granddaughter clothes shopping for school. As her mom lost her job and dad is losing 8 hours a week it didn't look as if they were going to be able to do much for her...
-
Back to School Bargain Shopping Tips
Back to school shopping doesn't have to break the bank if you use the tips described here.
- Your Guide to the Nightlife in Athens, Ohio
- Vacation in Haunted Ohio
- 5 Tips to Help You Save on Back to School Shopping
- Back to School Clothes Shopping
- Back-to-School Clothes Shopping at Goodwill and Salvation Army
- How to Make Back-to-School Clothes Shopping More Enjoyable
- Ways to Save Money on Back to School Clothes
|
|
5 Comments
Post a CommentGreat ideas for shopping - especially the internet coupon codes!
Good article. There are some great thrift stores here as well.
Important information in todays economy.
Great article :)
Don't forget Re-Use Industries on Columbus Rd. In Athens! They often, especially this time of year, have an over-donation of clothing items that they simply do not have the space to sell, so they put them in a free box near the front of the store for anyone to take. Some need minor repair, such as a re-sewn button, but most are perfectly good clothing items they just don't have the space for!
The shop in Nelsonville is "This and That" and it has recently moved from right off of 33 to Chestnut Street...basically right behind where they WERE located.