Cash 1 Blog

Financial Tips & Guides
How to save money on school clothes

Are You Ready for School?

Updated on April 20, 2021

 Personal Finance

It’s hard to believe we’re already in the second half of summer and the kids will be heading back to school in a few weeks. By now you’ve probably taken a look at your children and noticed their pants are beginning to look like capris. We’re still waiting for the day when clothes that grow with your child will be invented, but until then, a new wardrobe is probably on your back-to-school ‘to do’ list.

Kids grow up too fast, sometimes too fast for your budget. Kids also don’t want to go to school wearing last year’s stuff, or hand-me-downs; we’ve all got a horror story in our past about wearing an older sibling or cousin’s old duds to school and getting teased for it. Sadly, it’s also something of a time for dread not just in a child, but in a parent as well. We want to give our kids the best they can possibly have, and sometimes we just want to give them what they want, because that story about wearing old duds to school (bet you’ve thought of one already, haven’t you?) still sticks with us decades later.

At the same time we also want our kids to learn respect and responsibility. This helps them build good character, and helps lay in place a foundation for success in life. Of course, you have your own methods and traditions for teaching such qualities to your children, but if you will permit us, we’d like to suggest a teaching opportunity you might not have thought of before.

What if you let your child handle most of the new wardrobe purchasing duties with your supervision and guidance? Something like this could be a great opportunity to show your child how to make a budget, how to plan for the future, and how to make a dollar stretch as far as possible.

First, try some research yourself and find out what clothes typically cost. All the major retailers have websites where you can browse through clothing selections and get an idea of what to budget for a wardrobe for the new school year. Then when you’ve got an approximate figure, sit down with your child and inform them that they will get to choose their own clothes (with your approval on items that meet your standards), but they have to stay within the budget and this will be their school wardrobe for the year.

Studies have shown that when children are given responsibilities like this, they learn valuable skills such as budgeting, negotiating (they will be more likely to discuss with you why they want to get this item or that instead of complaining or arguing), bargain shopping, saving money and spending wisely. In addition, children are much less likely to turn their nose up about their own purchases, and are much more sympathetic to the necessity of a budget in these situations.

Now comes the question: do you find yourself short of cash for something like this? Come see us at CASH 1. Even if you have a little room on the credit card, consider that likelihood that a credit card will take much longer to pay off, and cost you more in the long run. If you’re in Las Vegas and Reno can take advantage of our easy Personal Loans at local branches. Either way, we can get you the loan you need in just a few minutes. And welcome back to school. Even you can apply for Title loans in Reno, NV.

Photograph of author Joseph Priebe

Joseph Priebe

Joseph Priebe takes pride in assisting audiences with his articles to help them make sound financial decisions.

With over ten years of experience writing financial content his goal at CASH 1 has always been creating engaging and easy-to-digest information for anyone searching for immediate or long-term monetary solutions.

When Joseph is not writing about personal finance, you can find him photographing the Southwest United States with his 4x5 Graflex Crown Graphic camera. He is based in Phoenix, Arizona.