My next topic in my “ways to save money without using coupons” series is how to save money by buying ahead. What I mean by “buying ahead” is taking advantage of sales and clearance by buying things at a discount before you actually need them. There are a many different ways that you can do this in order to save money for your family.
Kids Clothes
As we all know, kids grow out of their clothes in a flash, so unfortunately kids clothing is something we have to keep spending money on over and over. But it doesn’t have to be so painful. Instead of waiting until spring to buy a new wardrobe of shorts, skirts, and short-sleeved tops at full price, buy them in the fall! That’s right…when you see seasonal clothing going on clearance each season, buy a few things in the next size up for your children and save them until the next year. This year as spring approaches I am happily unpacking bathing suits that I bought last year for $2-3 each, a cute Easter dress that I got for under $10, and all of the shorts and t-shirts my kids need…all purchased for about 75% off or more. I am happy to walk right by those racks of summer clothing that are selling for full price and go straight to the racks of coats, snow pants, and sweaters that are on clearance right now. I’ll pack those away for October! One word of caution…be careful about what you buy. Sometimes kids have freakish growth spurts and may not fit into the clothes you buy next year. Or you may find that your child’s tastes change as they get older and the little girl who used to wear whatever you bought for her will now only wear dresses (I speak from experience). Don’t overbuy or you may end up wasting money!
Holiday Items
As each holiday comes and goes, I enjoy scouring the post-holiday clearance sales. I just bought Valentines cards for my kids for next year for $.30/box! I will soon unearth a treasure trove of Easter Basket goodies that I got last year for 75-90% off as well. Why spend 5-10 times more on holiday items when you can buy them a year ahead?
Birthday Gifts
It’s so fun for kids to get invited to birthday parties for their friends. But many moms and dads lament the cost of buying birthday gifts for so many kids each year. Not me! I love bringing presents to birthday parties because I buy my gifts on clearance. Instead of spending $20 on a Barbie or a Lego set, I buy at Target’s two annual toy clearance sales (in January and July) and spend only $4-5 on each toy. Stocking my gift closet in this way also lets me avoid that last minute “I forgot to buy a gift!” panic right before the parties. Even if you can’t make it to Target’s big toy clearance, next time you find a toy marked down somewhere, consider buying 3-4 of them to save for future birthday parties.
By the way…this technique works for adult gifts as well. I like to have a stash of a few gifts that would be appropriate for a hostess gift or a birthday gift for a friend. I also buy Christmas gifts well in advance for my family members when I can.
So those are a few ways that I save money by buying things ahead of when I will need them at a discount. One that I didn’t mention is grocery stockpiling….that will be my post next week! How about you? Do you buy clothing or other items ahead to save money?