That sounds too good to be true, I can hear you thinking “ya, right.”   Seriously, there is no catch, it just takes some planning and organization.

I am not lying.  Here is how.

First you must know what size your child will be in the opposite season.  This is easier in older children.  I know my son will be a size 8 in the fall… he is in a size 7 now and growing straight up!  For babies and toddlers this can be challenging.

You must also know what it is that you are wanting to buy.  I know I ussually buy my son a few pairs of pants or jeans, several new shirts, a new jacket, and socks and undies for back to school. Those were the things I have been keeping my eyes peeled for.

I started stocking up on school clothes for Ezra in November.  That is when they put all of the fall school clothes on sale.  As the months go on, the racks fill up with more and more options.

Every chance I got, I would pick up a piece or two to tuck away in the closet.

Here is my stash so far.

The breakdown of the retail value is $252.66.  That is for 8 shirts and 4 pairs of pants.

Guess what I paid for all of this?  $99.93!  That is some serious savings.  It is $152.63 in savings to be exact or approximately 75%.  This makes my husband very happy.

When we decided that I would stay home, I didn’t want my children to suffer.  I still want them to look nice.  I still want to buy from Gymboree and The Gap.  This is a way I discovered I could still dress them well with out spending as much.

This little bundle of clothes for instance had great savings.

The Gray Courdoroys are from Gymboree.  Retail Price: $32.99.  They were on sale for $8.99, but they were having a 20% sale for the entire store, AND I had a 20% coupon to top it off!  That made these pants $5.75!  Wowsa!

The White Sweater is from Target.  Retail Price: $12.99.  It was on the clearance rack after Christmas for $6.00.

The Navy Courdoroys are from Gymboree.  Retail Price:$32.99.  They were on the sale rack for $20.99 and that day I had a coupon for 20% off.  This made them $16.79.

The Blue Shirt with the Moose on it is from Gymboree also.  Retail Price: $18.95.  It was on sale for $13.49.  It was the same day I bought the navy pants so I had a 20% off coupon.  This shirt was $10.79.

So, you get the picture.  Wait for it to hit the clearance rack, and if you can hit them with a coupon to top it off.  When I shop at Gymboree in particular I get extra discounts sometimes because they give you “Gymbucks” during certain times of the year for shopping with them.  They have six periods of the year that they will give out Gymbucks and you bet I am shopping during that time!

Remember that $99 total earlier.  That is not really what I paid either.  Wanna know why?  I also had $25 in Gymbucks that I used to pay for part of these items.  So, knocking of $25 makes my savings even more, but I didn’t want to factor that in since not everyone uses Gymbucks.  You can save 75% without them, even more with them!

Here is one more detail of a discount, this time from Target.

This shirt is from Target.  It is not anything special, just a basic everyday shirt.  For $2.98 it certainly made its way into my cart.  I figured even if it ended up being worn under sweaters and button down shirts, you couldn’t beat that price.

As you can see, I am pretty close to being finished with my back to school shopping, I only need to buy socks and undies and a nice fall jacket.  (I found a lovely Columbia Jacket at Sports Authority after Christmas for his winter coat for $23).

Here is a little cheat sheet to remember which time of year to look for certain items… and remember go a size up if you are shopping for the following year.

I hope this inspired you to get organized about shopping for your children.  I know this simple strategy has saved me hundreds, if not thousands of dollars.  My kids look great, and stylish, and I have a few extra bucks to take them to the movies.  Win, win.

So go take $100 and buy your kids school clothes while it is all on sale!

xoxo