How To Shop For Kids Back to School Clothes Without Breaking The Bank

How To Shop For Kids: Back to School Clothes Without Breaking The Bank. Read our 5 practical tips about how to save money when buying new clothes for families. This post has been sponsored by Boscov’s. All opinions are our own.

In New York, our kids don’t go back to school until September. But, many of our friends have already started sending their children back. It’s a wacky time frame, to say the least. Many families have already started their back to school routines even though us North Easters’ are still in summer vacation mode.

In my home, I am busily preparing my back to school shopping list. And, I’m not talking about school supplies this time. I’m talking about clothes. My kids have very sensitive skin and it’s important that I know exactly what they like to wear and where I can find it or else I spend many hours crying into my cup of tea.

But, I also don’t have a million dollars to buy them everything their hearts desire, so I stick to a plan. This keeps me sane and my children realistic.

How To Shop For Kids: Back to School Clothes Without Breaking The Bank.

1.) Take inventory of their clothing before you go shopping.

I have been called a “Mean Mommy” more than once during this semi-annual process. The kids have to spend one morning trying on everything in their closet and in their drawers. I’m not kidding. I’m kind of a loon about it. But once we’re done, I have a complete inventory of what fits and where the holes are…literally and figuratively.

2.) Set a budget.

Once I know who needs what, I set a budget and stick to it. Okay, that’s a bit of a lie. Let’s say, I try really, really hard not to go over it. Fair, enough? The budget isn’t always broken out fairly either. This year, my son has outgrown everything and since he’s going to middle school, I have to spend a good chunk of change on his wardrobe. My daughter, on the other hand, hasn’t grown an inch, so she’s not getting as much this fall. Sometimes, that’s just the way the cookie crumbles.

3.) Focus on the essentials first.

Do they have underwear? How about clean socks? My kids love to run around the yard in socks to keep the mosquitos from biting their feet. This means that their socks are NASTY at the end of the summer. So, socks always get bought first! Anything that is a name brand “want” goes on the wait-and-see list. Those name brand basketball sneakers aren’t going to help anyone if they’re going to school naked, right?

4.) Focus on mix and match items.

If my kids like a certain tee shirt, I buy it in every color. Same goes for shorts or skirts. It just keeps life easy when everything matches…or matches “well enough” if you’re my kids.

5.) Keep trends to a minimum.

I don’t care who says the 80’s are coming back. I hated them growing up and I have no intention of helping them make a comeback again. Trends come and go – every, single, season. I prefer the “Jackie O.” approach and stick with the classics.

With these tips in mind, we sent one of our Mom bloggers, Jenn, over to her local Boscov’s to check out their Back-to-School merchandise and see how well she could update her children’s wardrobes with a $250 stipend. After her shopping trip, we asked her for some feedback about how her trip went.

Back To School Shopping At Boscov’s

1.) Boscov’s has many name brands that kids “must have” these days.

“My son will only wear sports apparel and it must be comfortable! While I am not thrilled that he is becoming “label conscious,” I was happy to see that Boscov’s had great sales on well-known brands for him to choose from. He happily picked up several long sleeve shirts from Nike and Adidas. The girls were also able to get sweatshirts and other apparel from Nike, Adidas, and New Balance. And speaking of sports, we found a Penn State backpack that my son loves. As you would expect of any 7-year-old boy, he was way more excited about that than any clothes!”

2.) Boscov’s has lots of styles to choose from.

“Our kids all have completely different styles. This makes shopping together in one store a challenge. Boscov’s has a good selection of all different styles. To be honest, my kids did need to look through the racks a bit to find items they loved, but that’s to be expected when shopping in a large department store! Overall, they were each able to find things they loved in a variety of styles ranging from sporty to casual to dressy. One of the kids even found a brand new pair of Sperry shoes!”

3.) Convenience and prices.

“Boscov’s was convenient for us to shop at because it is only 10 minutes from our house. That is great news when you take four kids out for back to school shopping! However, if you don’t have a Boscov’s location near you, you can get it online! Practically everything was on sale. They even had some clearance items in the kids’ sizes as well. This was a huge score for Mom because I hate buying anything unless it is on sale!”

Do you have a Boscov’s location near you? If so, make sure you stop by their Back to School Event on August 26, 2017. Join them for a day full of fun as they kick off the Back to School season with make-and-take craft activities, games, snacks, and prizes!