Shopping for baby clothes

Echo "turned" 6 months on the 25th and being that she is in the 50th percentile she seems to outgrow everything within two weeks of the age limit. That means it's time for clothes shopping!!!

I know it's expensive to keep buying a wardrobe for babies every 3-6 months, but isn't it so much fun too? I'm shopaholic, it's one of my favorite things to do, and I especially LOVE shopping for Echo.

I can be very frugal at times though too. When I was pregnant I shopped for clothes for her all the time, but all together I didn't spend a lot of money. Here are some good ways to save money and still shop for the baby clothes you love, including name brand.

Hit the trift stores. When most people think of thrift stores they think of old beat up clothes that even a bum might not wear, but if you know where to go you can find great deals on great clothes. I don't reccomend Goodwill, although this store seems to be a favorite of many. I've found that you don't save much if anything, and sometimes you end up paying more. Iknow in our area (WI) Goodwill buys things at rock bottom prices from Target at times. These items are usually in great condition, the packaging is usually the only thing damaged. The problem is this: I've seen items from Target for sale at Goodwill priced higher than the normal price at Target. When I relized this was a trend, not just a fluke one time occurance I stopped shopping there. I don't like being ripped off. I highly roccomend stores such as the Salvation Army. NOw this one can be hit or miss, but I usually find it's a hit. I know the one in Racine, WI has a HUGE selection of childrens clothes at great prices. While I was pregnant I went there right before school started (right now) and they had a sale where all childrens clothes were $0.48!!!!! I spend $40 and we got lots of clothes for the baby and my boyfriends 3 other kids (previous marriage). They had a lot of name brand, I believe everything I got for Echo was Carter's, Old Navy or Gap. Can't beat that.

Check the ads weekly!!! Even if you don't get the sunday paper go online, or just give in and purchase the paper, it will save you a ton in the long run. Every week some store or another is having a great sale. I find Shopko has some of the best sales on children's clothes. They have a return policy too that states if your child ruins an item before they outgrow it they will exchange it. Only problem with that is that A. you need the receipt and B. you have to exchange it for the same exact item and when they change their inventory every few months this can be a challenge. You could always spend 30 minutes arguing that point like I did and get a similar item exchange. K-mart has AWESOME deals on childrens clothes too. You can find outfits for $5, and I don't mean a t-shirt, full 2-3 piece outfits! $5.99 is thier regular price for a lot of things (I think the most expensive is maybe $14.99) but when you hit thier sales you may be paying only $3-$8 for outfits. While this is wonderful you have to watch out for the comfort of clothes at K-Mart. I bought things because they were cute only to relize later that the material is so itchy or pinchy that Echo can't wear it, so even at that phenominal price I was throwing money away. I would say K-Mart is better for toddlers and older children clothes. Target has adorable slothes for resonable prices, but their slection is less than par. Walmart for baby clothes I would say hands down is the worst. Don't get me wrong, I love my local Walmart, but the clothes aren't that cute and their size run HUGE. My 6 month old can still fit 2 onsies that are 0-3 months from Walmart.

Coupons, coupons, coupons. Now this tip may not work for older kids, but if you go to the Gerber website to print out coupons on their already decent priced clothing. I love gerber clothes, the onsies and the sleep and plays are the best! They are so comfy and so durable. They are pretty easy to get stains out of too, which is great with a six month old baby!

That's all the saving stratgies I can think of at the moment, but if any others pop in my head I'll be sure to update. Enjoy and happy shopping!