Shopping for back to school clothes can feel like it will break the bank, but it doesn’t have to! With proper budgeting and planning before you go clothing shopping, you can make the most out of the money you do have to spend. Thrifting and purchasing clothes secondhand can be a great way to not only find a bargain, but help you save money to spend on other areas of your life.

Benefits of Purchasing Back to School Clothes Secondhand

Helps the environment. Choosing to purchase back to school clothes from a thrift store or resale shop helps to keep those clothing items out of the landfill. Instead of spending resources in order to dispose of these clothing items, the item can be reused by being added to your wardrobe. Giving a new home to a previously loved clothing item helps the environment.

Saves you money. Brand new clothing items can do some serious damage to your pockets. Instead of breaking the bank, you can save a bit of cash shopping secondhand for your child’s back to school needs.

Where to Shop

In order to find the best back to school clothing deals, head to:

●      Consignment shops

●      Thrift shops

●      Garage sales

●      Resale shops

Buying Back to School Clothes Secondhand The Smart Way

Buy what you need. It can be tempting to purchase what your child wants, rather than what they need when it comes to back to school clothes. However, purchasing more than what you intended can mean that you blow your budget before you know it! Instead, go into the thrift or resale shop with a plan. Make a list of what you need, but do not completely cut yourself off from their wants. You can allot some money weekly or monthly to spend on items of your choosing, depending on your budget constraints.

Buy for yourself. When you are out shopping for back to school clothes, your mind might start to wander and you might think about what others in your family might like from the shop too. Due to the prices being much lower at secondhand shops, you might stock up for friends and family. However, this can really eat into your budget and leave you with not much left to spend. Instead, focus on only what your child does need.

Buy for now. Low prices can make it pretty tempting to not only buy that shirt your child needs for the upcoming week, but also purchase a dress you’d like to wear to a wedding next year or a hat for your trip to the beach in a few weeks. But, thinking about all these scenarios when you are shopping can cause you to lose sight of your budget. Instead, concentrate on what your child needs for the near future.

When to Buy New

There may be instances where purchasing back to school clothes brand new is your only route. This is especially true if you are not able to find what you are looking for or suspect you will not be able to find it. In general, secondhand and resale shops may offer many different types of clothing options to choose from. But, the ones you visit may not have what you are needing. If this is the case, instead of spending gas money to search through more thrift shops, you might want to purchase the item new from a store or website you know will have what you are looking for. If you still don’t want to purchase the item new, try speaking with the secondhand store workers. They may be able to give you an idea of how often they have that item in stock or if there are any surrounding shops that may have it. 

These helpful financial podcasts can help you discover more ways to save money.

Of course, buying only what your child needs to stay within your budget is not always ideal. There are some situations that may arise that can make putting away money to spend on your clothing, as well as the clothing of your family, challenging. Back to school clothes shopping can require the need for extra money, which you might not have. If you are needing money quickly, same day loans might be the option for you. With Spotloan, you can apply for online loans in about ten minutes.

Check out the Spotloan blog for more ways to become financially savvy!