Your little girl isn't so little anymore; she wants full control of what she will wear on her first day of sixth grade, but the only thing running through your mind is "she's going to wipe out my bank account if I let her."
Before you pop a blood vessel, there are ways to save money without her even realizing she's on a budget. Besides, if your daughter is a true fashionista, she'll love a great deal when she figures out she can spend less and buy more.
There are 5 key essentials in every girl's back-to-school shopping list: apparel, jeans, shoes, undergarments and school supplies. It sounds a little generic, but I will give you a breakdown of where to go for the best deals this shopping season.
1. Target Apparel
One store: TARGET. I am not sure when it happened, but Target stores have turned into one of the best places to find deals for clothes. They are on trend for the seasons and offer the same styles you see at stores like Delia's and Macy's for much less. They are currently offering a back to school sale for girls where you can get $5 tops and $10 bottoms.
If your girl is a Disney fanatic, she will also enjoy the clothing line D-signed. Target exclusively carries the brand, and has guest designers like former Wizard's of Waverly Place star Selena Gomez.
2. Distract Her with Clothes, Buy the Undergarments
While you're at Target, let her pick out some socks, underwear, tanks and any other basic she may need. It's the cheapest you'll find and she'll be too in awe of the clothes to care about how much you're spending on undergarments.
3. Shoes!
Famous Footwear has great bogo sales on quality brands. If you are shopping for more than one child, take advantages of the bogo sales stores like Payless and Famous Footwear offer.
4. Shop Last Minute for School Supplies
I know last minute shopping is frowned upon, but wait until the back to school sales are over. Places like Target, Walmart, Office Max, etc. will mark down all the products when the shopping season is over.
However, I would suggest looking online for backpacks and buying them early. Sites like eBay usually have wholesalers looking to get rid of their product, so it's worth checking out.
5. Justice for Jeans
Saved this one for last because it will be your biggest headache.
Jeans are the most frustrating article of clothing to shop for, especially when your young one is hitting growth spurts like no other. Since she will be growing out of them quickly, I would stay away from buying trendy jeans. Girls may love the paint splatter jeans at the moment, but she'll get tired of them before you know it.
Instead, go for staples girls love like skinny jeans and jeggings. Jeggings (leggings that look like jeans) are popular among young girls because they're soft, stretchy, comfortable and in style. For the best deal on jeans, I would recommend a store I used to work for, Justice for Girls.
Justice has half sizes for their staple denim, which gives girls who need a size 10 length, but a size 14 in the waist, a better fit. The cost of the denim ranges from $25-$50, however shop while they are having a sale or sign up for their email alerts. They send 40 percent off coupons frequently, and have many sale events. If you're concerned about spending too much on jeans, the coupons will save you money.
Remember she'll wear them a lot, so consider jeans an investment.
