6 Ways to Save Money on Back to School Uniforms

A lot of us buy uniforms.  I personally like them.  The regular clothes the kids wear gets less wear and tear since its not getting beat up on the playground.  

But how can we save? 

Here are OUR favorite ways to save when you need to buy school uniforms ~ we’d LOVE to hear yours too so make sure you give us your thoughts!

Buy at the end of the school year

Last May we were a couple weeks shy of the end of the school year and I was in Queens Creek on business. I always love to stop into stores outside of my area because sometimes that allows me to find deals I can’t find at my OWN stores….

Well to my JOY I found a screaming deal on pants and polo shirts for my daughter.  Paying way less then what I did during the Back To School sales.  Naturally I scooped them up and I’ve been ready for this school year since before last one wrapped up.

Scour your Thrift Shop

My son is harder to shop for but that doesn’t mean its going to cost me more.  At 12 years of age he’s already 5’8 and a bit husky.  I was out and about scouring the city for deals and ran into a Goodwill.  I got him 3 pairs of great looking shorts for half price.   Thrift shops are a frugal mamas best friend.  We have quite a few to choose from in the Valley.  Make sure to follow their page on Facebook to know of any special sales approaching ~ Goodwill often has 50% OFF on Saturdays… and Savers has promotions frequently too.

Schoola & thredUp

Too busy to go to the actual thirft shops?  Have you tried Schoola or thredUp? Both are GREAT places to look for secondhand clothing …

If you haven’t tried them Schoola, new customers can get $15 off their first order.   AND, if you haven’t yet created a custom collection, you can still get $10 in store credit when you do.  (The $10 Custom Collection Credit is Limited to one $10 credit per person; if you already have a collection you’ll see the $10 credit at check out when logged in.) ..Check out Custom Collections.   Sometimes you can even score FREE shipping and additional savings codes.

thredUp is also an alternative, score name brands for up to 90% OFF – shipping is a per item offer (but is VERY low).  We personally use BOTH regularly, we don’t shop in the traditional stores like Target so both of these shops online are a regular opportunity for us to get clothes for all 4 kids.

Stalk the Back to School Sales

We are always posting Back to School offers from Old Navy, The Children’s Place & more ~ make sure you keep an eye out. But ALSO look for sales in your local store (Walmart) too!

Don’t be Picky

One year I bought my daughter a polo dress at Target and one at the Gap (on Sale) but the price difference of normal pricing is about twice as much at the Gap.  Well let me tell you that polo dress shrank and faded way quicker than my old faithful Target brand. 

I am NOT too proud to leave the name brands for special occasions and will shop at Target, Walmart, Old Navy and Thrift Stores for clothes that will get markers, food, milk and glue on them.  

Hold a Uniform Swap

If you have friends, neighbors or your kids friends have older/younger siblings having a small uniform clothing swap.  This can save you AND them lots in the way of uniform expense. 

Make it fun, have refreshments heck maybe bake some cupcakes and ask them to bring in the uniforms in good condition that their kids won’t be wearing. 

Any left over uniforms can be donated in all your names to the school nurse.  She keeps a stash of clothing to help those students that spill food on themselves or puke.   I know my OWN kids have come home wearing something from the nurses office on many occasions.