Is it just me, or do kids seem to grow out of their clothes at the most inappropriate times? One day, everything fits them; the next, their trousers look like they’ve fallen out with their ankles, and everything is too small. Including shoes!

But what do you do when you need to buy more clothes? It can get costly to replace everything all at once, yet you want to purchase quality clothes that will last – especially if you have active kids. But with the cost of living crisis and incomes squeezed, finding the spare cash can be difficult.

Replacing kids clothes

Recently, we had to replace all of E’s jeans as he has grown out of them. Luckily, growth spurts seem to slow as they age, but the last thing you want is for your kids to wear clothes too small for them when they have a growth spurt.

I wanted to share some ways to save money on kids’ clothes when they outgrow their current size.

How to save money on kid’s clothes

Hand me downs

Of course, this only works if they have an older sibling who is a similar size and shape, but this is one of the best ways of saving money on buying new clothes, even if the kids disagree. If there is a difference in height or age, this can be done by putting items into storage, such as vacuum-sealed bags and putting them away. And if they’re not needed, you can sell or donate them in the future.

Shop second hand

Preloved or vintage clothing seems to be all the rage, and these days, there is absolutely no issue with shopping for second-hand clothes; whether you head to a charity shop or use online sites to source your items, you are never too far away from being able to purchase a whole new wardrobe for a fraction of the cost of a new one. We have done this before, and it is an excellent way of saving some money or getting your kids that coveted item or label for less than brand new.

Discount vouchers

Who doesn’t love a good discount code? We frequently use vouchers or discount schemes to help us save money. Being able to use a discount voucher is a great way of being able to save money on more significant purchases. There are various ways to do this. The best way is to find a voucher site with all current discount codes in the same place. So if you are looking for a House of Fraser Discount Code, for example, you will find all the available ones to use together on one website.

Alternatively, signing up for emails for your favourite retailers will alert you of any codes they have running for you to use.

Shop out of season

A good old tried and true way of saving money. Shopping as the stores start to change over their seasonal wear is a great way to save money. If your kids aren’t too fussed or aren’t old enough to be bothered by certain trends, you can buy winter clothes in the Spring and next year’s summer clothes at the end of the previous season, taking advantage of reduced prices. This is most prominent in the January sales, where many retailers reduce all Christmas stock to make way for incoming new stock.

Loyalty cards

While not every store will have a good loyalty programme, significant supermarkets, for example, have loyalty schemes allowing you to collect points on your shopping to turn into vouchers once you hit a minimum threshold. If you regularly accumulate points, you can swap your coupons to reduce the cost of buying new kids’ clothes and save yourself some money on this expense. Another option is to use your loyalty card in-store when shopping, as many offer discount vouchers and codes with your receipt, which you can use later for discounts. While you might not always use them in the given time frame, using your loyalty card when you shop with them will increase the likelihood of getting offers and discounts.

Do you have any other ideas for saving money on kids’ clothes? I would love to hear them if you do.

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