Resale Shopping- Being a Mom with a Budget!

Let’s be realistic. In this day most people love a good bargain, right? I know I do! As a mom with two young, growing children, I love me a bargain on anything kid related! I have a few tips I try to stick to to help us save money.

Even though it’s an obvious statement, I love shopping for used deals when it comes to clothing. Hand-me-downs are obviously great and usually free but not everyone has in access to that. There are many retail chains that are kid’s resale along with places like your local good will store. If you’re looking for a resale shop in your area ask around to your other mom friends and check google. Craigslist can also be a great place for used kid items but it is harder to get clothes off sites like that.

My favorite way to shop for my kids is not just resale but clearance also. My kids have always had a stash of clothing for upcoming seasons. I find it’s the best way to get the biggest bang for my buck! I always shop upcoming season during the off season. You have to be conscious of sizing and try to think/estimate what size your child will be in during the upcoming time. I can usually score full wardrobes for my kids at a fraction of the prices doing it this way. Between hand-me-downs and shopping with this mindset I don’t think I’ve ever bought my kids a full priced anything! I also think it’s great to shop used/clearance because if your kids are anything like mine, paying $20+ for an outfit that’s going to get trashed playing outside is just not okay! Keep your eyes open for seasonal things like boots and shoes that can be extremely cheap to get them cleared out of retail stores. Baiting suits and holiday outfits are other steep discounted items.

Not only have I bought clothing this way, I’ve also bought many of my children’s gear this way. Strollers are a great thing to get used. You can often get more expensive strollers at a fraction of the cost. Resolve has a great stain remover for hard to remove kid stains. I’ve bought many strollers this way and washed them up with resolve and water with soap and they look almost brand new! Cribs can also be a great thing to find used. Trust me, your newborn won’t care if they’re sleeping in last year’s model! My daughter’s entire nursery set was 70% off at our local baby chain store and was one of the best clearance scores I found. Since you have 9+ months to purchase baby items, doing a little by little over the stretch of the pregnancy and buying resale or clearance is a great way to save money! Also keep in mind that you can get creative and refinish anything you buy. Things like carriers and bouncers meant for young babies are often used so little that they can look brand new for a smaller price. People will also sell older fabrics/prints for a lesser price since they aren’t what’s on the market now- again, who cares if the print is last years?

Don’t forget not only can you buy used products; you can sell your used items! A lot of resale shops will buy your used kid gear. Check with them on their buying policies as many want the clothing pre-washed, are very picky with stains and want them in pre-sorted containers. Most times, if you sell to a resale shop they will give you a higher return if you take an in-store credit rather than cash. Always call ahead to see how long it will take to get an answer about your products, what their return rates are (cash vs. in store credit) and what they are in the market for right now. If you want the most return on your items make sure they are in top condition and cleaned up. Replace any missing parts, because the few bucks it might costs you will yield a higher return.