Clothing Money Saving Tips, Ideas and Advice to Reduce Your Clothing Budget

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CLOTHING, JEWELRY & TOYS - Page 2

When To Shop

When you shop for clothes, jewelry and toys can often result in considerable savings.

1. Since in most markets clothing is seasonal, end-of-season sales can provide some great prices for clothing. While the selection may be somewhat limited, if you determine when stores in your area hold end-of-season sales, and make sure to shop at the start of the sale, both selection and pricing should be good. However, if you wait until near the end of seasonal sales, pricing may be excellent. Make sure to take advantage of end-of-season sales to buy for kids a year ahead of time.

2. Holiday sales, both pre and post holiday, can provide some great values on clothing, jewelry and toys. It used to be that prices did not decline until after the holiday was concluded. However, within the last several years, most retailers have held great sales before the holiday to increase overall sales. Pre-Christmas sales are the most dramatic example of this trend. But most all holidays have now become occasions for retailers to hold great sales for various types of merchandise. However, if pre-holiday sales are slow , great pricing can be found immediately before and after the holiday.

3. Back-to-school school sales have gotten more popular over the past several years. Lately, many states have suspended sales tax on many back-to-school items, usually during several days in July or August, to help families save on school costs. Try to take advantage of both the savings offered by stores to attract business and the tax savings.

4. When shopping at discount stores or even other stores, ask them when new merchandise generally arrives. Make a point to visit stores on that day or the next day to find the best merchandise at the best prices. Some people believe the best prices can be found on Thursday evenings six-to-eight weeks after an item arrives in stores, when stores are motivated to move old merchandise.

Where To Shop

There is no shortage of places where clothing, jewelry and toys can be purchased. In larger communities, it is almost limitless. Even in smaller communities, shopping alternatives have increased considerably over the years, particularly when taking into account the greater ease of transportation. And when you consider shopping alternatives online, there are plenty of places to shop and save.

1. Retail outlets are the primary place people shop for clothing, jewelry and toys. But not all retail outlets are the same, especially when shopping on a budget. Make sure to shop where you can get what you need, at a price you can afford.

a. For the most part, avoid shopping at high-end department stores and malls for clothing and toys. They are most always way over priced, even when items are on sale. And most of the clothing and toy items can be found at other, less expensive stores. So get rid of the high-end department store and shopping mall habit. The one exception can be jewelry. Sometimes, department stores and mall-based jewelers can have sales with reasonable jewelry prices.

b. For nice, brand-name clothing, jewelry and even sometimes toys, often the best pricing is at outlet stores, particularly when items are becoming out of season. Outlet stores used to be primarily for brand-name items that had defects, or items that did not sell well. For the most part, this is no longer the case. Brand-name outlet stores now carry first rate merchandise, at prices significantly lower than offered by high-end department stores and mall specialty shops. If you are looking for brand-name merchandise, make sure to find a good outlet mall. But if you do have access to old-style outlet stores that carry items with small defects, etc. check them out for some real bargains that you might be able to find. And don’t forget to visit the outlet’s Information Center to see if they have any coupons or unadvertised specials for stores at the outlet mall. You can search 275 outlet centers and 12,800 factory stores by location, store name, category and brand name at OutletBound.com.

c. Brand-name clothing and jewelry can also be found at other quality stores that carry mostly surplus merchandise. Selection can be limited, but prices can be very attractive. If you like to look, and have some patience, these are great stores to buy fine clothing at very good prices. They include stores like Marshall’s, T.J.Maxx, Burlington Coat Factory, Ross and others. Judicious use of these stores can provide a nice wardrobe on a relatively small budget.

d. Walmart, Target and other discount department stores sell clothing, jewelry and toys at everyday low prices. Over the past several years their clothing lines have improved considerably, they offer name-brand jewelry and they offer most any type of toy (both brand-name and off-brands) that you could want. These stores should be a staple for all the basics, and for anyone trying to stretch their budget.

e. Warehouse stores like Costco, Sam’s Club and BJ’s can be a source of clothes, jewelry and some toys. Selection is limited, but pricing can be very good especially on jewelry. So look around if you have a membership and see if you can save.

f. Local, independent stores, can sometimes have good merchandise at reasonable prices. But often, they do not have the purchasing power to offer truly competitive pricing with large chains like Walmart. However, they may have what you want at a reasonable price and supporting local business can be a good thing to do.

g. It can often be hit and miss, but the severe discount and surplus stores like Big Lots, Family Dollar Stores, etc. can have some great deals. Visit them on a regular basis and see what you can find.

h. And for toys, use your local 99 cent store. Most younger kids just like a new toy. It does not have to be fancy or pricey. So shop for toys where you can save the most.