Three Ways Buying Consignment Can Pay You

I am the mom of four energetic children who LOVE to play hard. (Three of which are rough and tough boys) It pains me to buy them brand new clothes when I know they will, well like I said, play hard in them and that those clothes will never look the same. I would be lying if I said I never bought new clothes for my children because I do, but I try really hard to find the best deals and most of the time I find myself in our local children’s consignment clothing store.

I love going into our local Kid to Kid store and scoring some awesome deals on name brand clothes! And I come home as the hero in my children’s eyes because of all the awesome new-to-them clothes they received.

We all know and understand that buying second hand will save you money, but I want to share with you three specific ways that buying second hand clothing can put money back in your pocket.

1: Shopping Consignment Allows You To Be Able To Put Money Into Other Budget Categories

If you create a budget every month like my husband and I do, you understand that you have to match what you need to spend for the month to the income that is coming in. It is like putting a jigsaw puzzle together and making all the pieces fit in the right places. This can be daunting if you feel like you don’t have enough coming in to match your expenses for the month.

Buying from a consignment store or sale can give you a “raise”, allowing you to add money to other areas of your budget that might be in need. I want to give you an example of what this looks like.

During my last Kid to Kid shopping trip I found a Ralph Lauren button-up, collared shirt for my son. (please ignore the wrinkles) 

I purchased it for $8. I looked online to see what the same shirt would cost me at Dillard’s brand new and it would cost me $30. So instead of buying the shirt for $30 I purchased it for $8 saving me $22!! Can we all say Woohoo?!

This allows me to put $22 into another area of my budget that needs a “raise”.

(My total for 28 items this trip was $105 with tax!)

Buying second hand I am not only saving money, I am increasing what I can spend in other areas.
This is very basic information and not life shattering, but it is a mindset that motivates me and helps my budget. (And it helps my feelings when my children soak their clothes with stains or rip their clothes, because I only paid a few dollars for them. My average price per item is $4.25)

2: The More You Shop The More You Save

This statement sounds backwards. How can you save more if you are shopping more and thus spending more money?!

Let me explain this one. When I shop at our local Kid to Kid store I receive a stamp on my punch card for every $10 I spend. After I fill up my punch card I receive 20% off my next purchase. In my last shopping visit I had a full card in which I saved $24!! AND I received a $5 store credit and a 25% off coupon all because I shopped that day.

Another way this statement is true is that I signed up for our Kid to Kid text message deals. They send me a text message when they are having a sale or when they are featuring a certain type of clothing (like Halloween costumes, swimsuits, etc). When I receive these messages if I will go shop then, I not only get the normal low price but I also get the special text code they send to save me even more money on my purchase.

With both of these special deals, I am again giving myself and my budget a “raise” allowing me to put money in some other needy category.

3. Trading Clothes For Clothes Or Cash

Another way to pay yourself for buying second hand is taking clothes that your children have outgrown to your local consignment store. Our local Kid to Kid will give you store credit or pay you cash for the clothes that your bring in.
Now you are REALLY giving your budget a “raise” because you are getting “FREE” clothes.

If you use store credit you really are just swapping an outgrown size for the right size. If you are trading in for cash, you can decide if you want to use it to purchase more clothes or put that cash into another budget area. Either way, you are freeing up some strain on your budget.

Buying second hand clothing may not be something that you feel comfortable doing and that is okay. I do hope that these tips might encourage those of you who want to incorporate this money saving habit into your life.

Give yourself a “raise” and stretch that budget!

If you are trying to live frugally and stretch your budget in other areas you will love this new book coming out by Erin Odom (The Humbled Homemaker) called “You Can Stay Home With Your Kids”!!!  It is available for presale on Amazon right now and comes out in April. (Click here to read more)

Her book shares 100 tips and tricks to living frugally. She discusses how to become a pro at buying items second hand. She gives some great tips and ideas on where to shop, how to shop, and what to look for when buying second hand. The tips she provides are very helpful and practical. Go check it out. . . .you won’t be disappointed!!

Check out my full review here.