How to Get Children’s Clothes for Free

You may have read recently that the cost of raising a child from birth to age 18 is now over $245,000 according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  Yikes!  That is enough to scare anyone.  And if you’re like me and have more than one child, it can seem downright impossible.

One major expense for most families is clothing.  And for good reason.  Have you been into a Baby Gap recently?  Or even a Target?  A pair of jeans for my fifteen month old (that he will likely wear for less than four months if he keeps growing at the rate he is now….) costs nearly as much as a pair of my jeans!

What is a frugal mother to do?

I would love to outfit my adorable children in brand new coordinating outfits from The Children’s Place.  But, the truth is that is just not in our budget right now.  However, my children are always well-clothed and (in my completely unbiased opinion 🙂 ) look pretty cute. Over the past six years I have learned several methods for finding great bargains on kids’ clothes.  And the best bargain of all?  Free.

Here are four tips for getting children’s clothes for free:

Accept Hand-Me-Downs

We have been blessed with members of our church family who regularly give us their hand-me-down clothing.  When we first arrived at our new church with a three-month-old, a family with a son a year older asked if we would like to have a few items of clothing.  I swallowed my pride and said that we would love to.  I cannot even count the number of boxes of clothing they gave to us over the next four years.  Once the word got out that we took hand-me-downs, other families offered their items.  Before we knew it we had nearly an entire wardrobe for our son!

Now that I am in the position to be giving clothes away after our youngest outgrows them, I feel extremely happy to be able to bless other families in the way that we were.  I smile whenever I see outfits that both of my boys have worn on the babies of our extended family and church family.

Borrow From a Friend

This is similar to accepting hand-me-downs, but with an obvious twist.  When you borrow clothes, you only use them for a short period of time and then return them to the original owner.

This has worked out wonderfully for us.  A dear friend of mine (whose son is our godson) and I borrow clothing from each other frequently.  When her son needs a bigger size, I look in the boxes in my basement to see if we have any for her.  Likewise, when my youngest needs clothing, she lets me borrow items for him.

We use a fabric permanent marker and mark our initials in the tags of any items of clothing that we let the other borrow.  This helps us know which outfits we need to return.  Borrowing clothing is especially helpful for those big ticket items like winter coats or boots.

Visit Consignment Shops

Another effective method for obtaining free clothing is to frequent consignment shops.  Our local Kid to Kid store is wonderful!  They give store credit immediately for any item that they accept.  Granted, they do not accept all of the items that I bring in, but I can generally get between $10 and $20 of store credit each time.  Then I shop their sales to find what I need.

Just last week I brought in 15 small items and was given $20 store credit. Next I found two pairs of shorts for my five-year-old son and two shirts for my daughter.  My total was $14, which I had enough store credit to cover.  Free clothes!  Score!  Plus I have more credit for another trip.

Many towns have seasonal consignment sales.  You can bring in your items (make sure you follow the sale’s guidelines for labelling, pricing, etc.), buy what you need on the last day when prices are generally marked way down, and still make a profit.

Organize a Clothing Swap Party

Finally, I really enjoy a good clothing swap party.  It works like this:  Invite several people with children to the party.  You could invite all of the moms in your church, your play group, your neighborhood, etc.  Each mom will bring a certain number of items.  Then, lay all of the clothes out and let people look through them and select what they would like.  Any clothes left over at the end can be donated to charity.

Everyone gets new (to them) kids clothing, cleans out their closets or basement storage, and enjoys a fun hour with friends.  That’s a win!

If  you implement a few frugal practices, such as finding inexpensive or free children’s clothing, raising a child doesn’t have to break the bank.

What tips do you have for finding inexpensive children’s clothing?

(Linked to Frugal Friday, Thrifty Thursday, Share the Wealth.)