What if your children were literally “wearing out” your entire budget?
Providing a wardrobe for children can be very expensive. However, it’s possible to start building a wardrobe for your children on a tight budget.
Don’t believe it can be done? Keep reading to discover how to start!
1. The Mix and Match
The goal of this wardrobe exercise is to have a selection that is small but flexible. Some parents refer to this as creating a “capsule wardrobe” for their children.
When we say “flexible,” we mean that you can mix and match most (or all) of the clothing. Instead of having one short that goes well with one pair of jeans, your children have multiple versions of different clothing that will look good together.
It’s easier said than done, but the best way to get this “capsule” effect is to focus on a handful of colors and styles. This opens up many mix and match possibilities without creating a closet overflowing with clothes.
2. Narrowing Things Down
Many people think that getting clothes on a budget means shopping at tons of different stores. However, this often ends up being more trouble than it’s worth!
As we all know, clothes from different retailers have different fits and sizes. The more places you shop, the more headaches you’ll have over finding the right size.
Price can also be a barrier. If you are used to picking up $8 shirts from Target, then you’ll get some “sticker shock” when you go into that new and fancy boutique.
Our advice? Keep things simple by narrowing it down to 2-3 reliable stores. You gain the benefits of price and variety while also ensuring that everything fits as intended.
3. Set Favorites Aside
For the children, the worst part of going to a capsule wardrobe is tossing old clothing out. To make this part easier, we recommend setting their favorite clothing aside and keeping it.
First, this helps with the adjustment period of the new wardrobe. Second, it helps children feel empowered because they can build a new wardrobe around their favorite colors and styles.
Finally, seeing all their favorite clothing at a glance can help provide you with inspiration and ideas when it comes to building an all-new wardrobe on a budget!
4. Finding Deals
Earlier, we mentioned the wisdom of narrowing your clothes shopping to a small handful of stores. However, you should still embrace deals when you can.
For example, your chosen stores likely offer special coupons and deals online. Gather these up before you go shopping to chip away at your overall clothing cost.
You can also take advantage of various cash back programs. Such incentives may be available through certain debit or credit cards as well as assorted money-saving apps.
Of course, you can also mix and match (quite appropriately) these two options. Use the in-store coupons and then get cash back on whatever amount you spend!
5. Material Girls (and Boys)
Clothing can vary wildly in price. This is due to many factors, including the fact that certain materials are going to cost more than others.
To keep your capsule child wardrobe under budget, we recommend finding a material that works for your children without breaking the bank. And our vote for best material is cotton.
Cotton is comfortable to wear and it also stretches around the body. Considering how fast children grow, cotton is a great option to make their clothing last longer!
And cotton is also very affordable and easy to pair up with other clothes. You can mix and match without wasting your scratch!
6. Timing Is Everything
Earlier, we recommended holding onto your child’s favorite clothes. You should donate the rest…but don’t do so right away.
It’s not uncommon that a child will end up missing one of the items you planned to donate. It might be one of their favorites and neither of you knew it until you planned to get rid of the thing!
You can sidestep this issue by holding onto that donation box for about a month. If your child isn’t seriously missing any items by the time the month is up, it should be safe to donate.
7. Thrift and Consignment
In addition to those 2-3 reliable retail stores, we recommend you keep an eye on local thrift and consignment shops. You can sometimes find barely-used clothing for a fraction of its retail price!
You don’t have to go thrifting “blind,” either. Instead, we recommend shopping with certain items in mind that will help complete your child’s capsule wardrobe.
In fact, reliable collections may serve as inspiration for the finishing touches to their dream wardrobe.
8. Budget in Mind
Speaking of not going in blind, you’ll want to create a budget for clothes shopping. And it’s important that you stick to your guns to avoid spending too much!
Many parents end up buying clothing on impulse. But all those items that are just “too cute” add up, both in terms of cost and wardrobe space!
Once again, we recommend keeping things nice and simple. Limit the number of shirts you buy, for example, and set a hard limit for how much you are willing to pay for each item.
9. Get the Family Involved
Here’s some free parenting advice: the capsule wardrobe process will go much easier if you involve your children from the very beginning.
This comes down to how you “sell” the idea. If you make a unilateral decision, children may feel excluded and even punished by this process.
If you pitch things like a chance to build their dream wardrobe from the ground up, though, your child may be positively excited to get started!
Building a Wardrobe On a Budget: The Bottom Line
Now you can start building a wardrobe on a budget for your children. But do you know where to find inspiration for their latest outfits and looks?
We provide fashion news and inspiration for you every single week. To see how we can help with your capsule wardrobe, check out our outfit ideas today!
