If you have young children you probably know that clothes shopping is a constant endeavor. You only need to turn your head before they outgrow the clothes that you just bought for them. Not only can this be frustrating for you and your children, but those growth spurts can mean big bucks over the course of a year. With school coming up, here are some money saving strategies that can help you balance your clothing costs, while at the same time helping families in need.
Shop at Thrift Stores
Especially if you have younger children, shopping at thrift stores is a great way to save money on clothing. You wouldn’t be alone in choosing to shop used rather than new. Each year American households purchase at least 10 pounds of pre-owned clothing. Just like you, many parents who deal with quickly growing children donate gently used clothing to thrift stores. Because of this it is very possible that you will be able to find clothing to meet your children’s needs. If you have teenagers, it might be a little harder to get them to go along with buying used clothing. But like most everything about teens, they have to feel like they found it out themselves. Luckily, vintage clothing is a huge trend in the media, and depending on the store, thrift stores have clothing that your teen won’t be able to find at any big box. Eventually they will come around if you give them enough space to make their own fashion statement.
Donate Gently Used Clothing
If you are going to shop at thrift stores for savings, it’s only fair to help the system with your own charitable donations. When your children have outgrown their clothes it is tempting to either store them or throw them away. By storing them you are just contributing to clutter in your home and by throwing them away you are contributing to cluttering the environment. Americans throw away about 68 pounds of textiles every year and that contributes to about 5% of landfill waste. About 90% of these discarded clothes could still be used or recycled. Just imagine if all these unwanted clothes were donated to those in need.
This school year, save money while also keeping in mind those who are in need. When you donate gently used clothing it can have have an all around impact. 12 million people a year are helped by donations. Donating clothes is actually easier than ever. There are several charities that will pick up donations from your home.
