Whoa! Before you send me a message about how snobby or silly that sounds that my kids only wear name-brand clothing, let me explain.
Target + Walmart
Until just a few years ago, Target and Walmart were my go to stores to buy my kids their clothes and shoes. I chose these stores because they usually have great sales and I thought I was saving money shopping at these stores and avoiding the trendy, name brands. I also told myself I refused to buy clothes and shoes that my kids would inevitably destroy in a couple of months.
But my daughter wore holes in her leggings within days! I kid you not! And if you know her, you can attest to the fact that she constantly wears leggings with holes in the knees.
My two boys would absolutely destroy Target brand shoes. I found myself having to buy several pairs at a time because they would come home one day with holes in the soles of their shoes and not be able to wear them any longer. I always had to have shoes on hand to replace their shoes.
But then something changed!
The Fun of Thrifting
My family moved here to Ventura County just about two years ago. Our friends, who have lived in the area all their lives, took us out on a fun “let us introduce you to Ventura County” day trip. And one of the places we went to was Main Street in Downtown Ventura. Our friends are avid thrifters and love the hunt of old and new amazing deals at Goodwills and Thrift Stores.
And this afternoon of searching and hunting for treasures at the thrift stores started my family on a new path of buying clothes.
All The Name-Brand Clothing
Since I love a good deal, especially for my children, I headed right to the kids clothing section. Right away I found in perfect condition jeans and shirts and shoes that I would NEVER buy at the regular store. My kids love Vans and I found shirts and shoes that were 90% or higher discounted. I am talking about T-shirts for .99 cents and jeans for $1.99. Please remember that these are the type of clothes I normally could not nor would not buy at regular price. But the deals were too good and I came home with a bag full of name-brand clothing.
The clothes were washed.
They were put in drawers.
My kids wore them over and over and over again. And OVER AGAIN!
And to my surprise, although all the clothes were gently used, they held up better than all the clothes I had ever bought at Target and Walmart! They withstood the active and crazy life of my kids (and my kids are VERY active!)
A Thrifty Change
After several other successful thrifting trips and great finds on kids’ clothing, I decided to stop buying from other stores and now spend a majority of my budget for kids’ clothing at thrift stores. Yes, they are gently used and that might be a problem for some people. But the pricing is too good and the quality too high.
I found myself replacing clothing and shoes less often and allowing my kids to enjoy brands they usually could not wear. And this has led to a new joy of thrifting with my kids. They now love to rummage through the clothing at thrift stores and find pieces of clothing they know they are getting a great deal on. Just ask my middle son about his all time favorite Vans sweatshirt. It was his first solo find and he is addicted now!
Snotty or Thrifty
So, if on any given day you see one of my kids dressed from head to toe in Vans attire. A trendy Vans T-shirt accompanying a Vans hat and Vans shoes; be assured that the entire outfit cost me mere dollars. I am proud of the savings I have found but even more I have found that many of these “name-brand” clothes actually hold up better and allow my children to wear them longer than the bargain clothes I thought I was getting.
Yep, my kids wear name brand clothes and it didn’t cost me a fortune!
