Kids clothes are the worst value in retail. The item gets discarded for reasons that have nothing to do with wear, and every parent pays for it anyway.

Kids clothes are the worst value in retail, because the item is discarded for reasons that have nothing to do with wear. Here is how we cut that cost by more than half.

Buy the sizes they will grow into, not the size they are

Kids under five grow fast and predictably. If your child is in a two, buy threes and fours when you see them cheap, and store them in a labeled bin. Buying off season at the end of a season is where the real discounts are, sometimes seventy percent off.

I keep two bins in the basement labeled with sizes. Anything that shows up cheap in the right size goes in, and I stop shopping entirely every August.

Where to buy

1. Buy nothing groups. These are the single best source. Parents give away bags of outgrown clothes because they want them out of the house. The quality is usually far better than a thrift store.
2. Consignment sales, twice a year. Usually held in spring and fall at churches and community centers. Go on the last day, when most items are half price.
3. Thrift stores in wealthier areas. Same store chain, very different donations. This one difference changed our results completely.
4. Hand me downs with a purpose. Set up a rotating swap with two or three families whose kids are slightly older. Everyone wins and nobody spends anything.

Buy shoes new. This is the one place to spend. Second hand shoes are molded to another child’s foot and they wear unevenly, which matters for kids who are still growing.

What is worth buying new

• Shoes and winter boots. See above.
• Winter coats that get handed down within the family, because a coat that fits badly is a coat that gets left at school.
• Anything they will wear every day. A favorite pair of pants worn three times a week is worth full price.
• Underwear and socks. Obvious, and cheap enough that it barely affects the budget.

One thing that helped more than any shopping strategy: I stopped buying a whole wardrobe at once. I buy two or three items when I see them at a good price, and the closet fills itself over a season. Nobody ends up in rags, and the total is a fraction of what it used to be.

The other thing is to let them pick. A five year old who chose a shirt will wear it until it falls apart. The one who did not will not wear it at all, and that shirt is the most expensive thing you own.