Now, I have been bargain shopping for clothing forever compliments of my dad’s frugal nature. But, I have really taken it to heart since having the boys and seeing how expensive it can be to cloth a family of six. While I will shop sales at some of my favorite stores for a few things for them, I find the best ‘bargains’ come from the gently used marketplace.
It always amazes me both how quickly they can outgrow something as well as how fast holes can appear in pants! With some pants at the discount stores retailing at $15 on up, it doesn’t take long for that money to go poof and have me left with poorly dressed boys.
On Labor Day, I made my trek to Value Village to see what clothing items I could buy for the family that would help stretch our budget. They offer 50% off all clothing and shoes on the major American holidays which attracts a BIG crowd, including me.
D was the boy in most need of clothing and he’s a difficult one for finding pants that fit just right. Since Value Village only offers a store credit/swap for purchases, I really do NOT want to buy things without them trying it on. Jackets and tops or things for the toddler are the exception. But, pants for anyone and practically anything for me, it has got to be tried on before it is bought. Thankfully, they had a new ticket system in place to lessen any confusion when waiting in the long line for a fitting room. D and I shared the ticket and just swapped the room when he was done.
Overall, I think we did a stellar job at finding things that they needed at a fantastic price. Sadly, none of the pants or skirts I tried on fit well. But, I’ll keep looking at sales and have my fingers crossed for when Veteran’s Day roles around.
Check out our finds:
I picked up 2 dressier tops for me. I’m not sure if you can see the price tag or not, but the original price for the purple paisley was $9.99 and the black with flowers was $5.99. After the 50% off, I got both for $8.
J made out with the most which was perfect as he’s the one that needs a LOT of clothing. He’s reached 4T and that’s the start of where I had seriously purged clothing before moving to Alaska. I only wish I’d grabbed the winter coat they’d had there even if D thought the colors weren’t the best. He was over the moon about the Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Spongebob pjs, though. I’ve tucked away the SpongeBob windbreaker for Spring as it’s a 5/6 and a little too big for now. 
D was able to find a few items. He has a real affinity for hoodies right now and the price was right here. The big ‘score’ for him, though, was a boy’s suit (jacket and pants) in pretty much perfect condition. The price tag was $9.99 and we paid $5. Now to find a dress shirt for him to wear and he’s set for special occasions and Christmas Mass. A few more casual pants would have been nice, but we’ll make due with this for now.
R wasn’t with me, but I took a chance on a few things for him. Thankfully, they fit well and he loves them.
While the primary focus of our trip was clothing, we spied 2 items in the game section that just couldn’t be passed up for $1.99 each. The boys have loved Wits & Wagers Family Edition and D was quite excited to see this one was ‘grown up’ with poker chips for placing wagers. Place & Trace is something we had years ago for D and had sold long before I knew J was joining our family. D remembered playing with it as a preschooler while his big brothers did school work with me. I’m hoping it’s one activity J will enjoy and give me some quiet time for school.
Grand Total out of pocket…. $62.23!
Does your family second hand shop to save? If so, what items do you typically buy?
This post has been submitted for inclusion in The Christian Home, Issue 80 hosted here.
Yep, we love gently used clothing too. Hand-me-downs are best, and they often have a history too (latest story: ‘this one’s from the mayor’s wife’!)
Used clothing saves a pile of money and allows us to dress in quality that we would otherwise not be able to afford.
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My mom shared that one active community member donated his deceased wife’s clothing to a resale shop and heard it was bought up quite quickly. No great wonder given she paid a fortune for her clothing and this place was selling it at a mere fraction of the cost. That suit I got D during that recent trip would retail for at least $60 at the store if not far more. So, I know we got a great bargain on that one.
Great job! I need to get better at thrift shopping especially on sale days.
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I wish I hadn’t been on a time crunch for this one. I didn’t have enough time to look at all the women’s clothing and didn’t even touch the men’s department. But, the finds I did have were perfect and gave me a great price (especially for Alaska!)
good finds.
I’ve found that Ross and Marshall’s have cheap clothes already and they’re new – often times cheaper than the thriftshop… same for walmart and target.
Thrift prices are competing with the stores now, so I rather just get something new for around the same price.
I love catching a thrift shop sale though. The ones here only do a 25% off sale, and 50% at Salvation Army but that store always looks like a mob hit it, even before the sale lol so you never really find anything.
You can find some great high quality items at the thrift shop because they are usually priced higher and most people who thrift seem to be keen on a certain price point, so if something is slightly higher, they’ll leave it, however it’s a better piece or a Brand of some kind.
Keep thrifting! I love thrift SCORES!
Thanks for the wonderful comment. I totally agree that some pricing at thrift stores rivals the sale prices at the stores. That’s why I usually go for the big sale days only. And, I try to pick up more of my stuff at Kohl’s on sale. We don’t have Ross or Marshall’s up here, or I’d shop there, too.