One of the questions I get asked most often is how my kids are dressed so stinking cute. And while often times this question has me scratching my head as to what they mean (after all I am home with them the majority of the time wearing grimy mismatched play clothes) the truth is that I do dress them pretty well when we are out in public and NOT running through sprinklers, jumping in mud puddles or bringing slimy things we've name "Frank" home.
And the selfish side of me wants to not tell you how I dress them so cutely. I mean, you can just imagine that we pay full retail, right? But that is not truthful and to keep all of my tricks up my sleeve just isn't nice so I thought I should share them with you.
Would you like to know?
Well I have scads of secrets but the one I am sharing with you is one of my favorites...
GYMBOREE!!!!
I love Gymboree. And I have to tell you the thing they have me addicted with is all of the cute girl clothes that they offer. The boy clothes throughout the year I could basically take them or leave them (except for Christmas and Easter!!!) but the Girls clothes are what make me drool when I think of our Angel in matching dress, tights, shoes, and hair accessories!
Now, Gymboree if you have ever heard of it then you know it is expensive. And can get expensive really really quickly if you don't watch yourself. My trick is to have a plan, Stan. This has taken me years to perfect so it would be hard for me to tell you what to buy and when to buy them and how to do it in just one blog post.
Most importantly: Watch for sales. Saturday I went during the sale of everything being $12.99 or under. I went in also with a 20% coupon I scored from a Parents Magazine. Which by the way the magazine, I didn't pay for. I watch websites like Money Saving Mom and Baby Savers for links and info about when you can snag free magazine subscriptions.
At Gymboree you can use a coupon with a sale so that makes for even more amazing deals! The last trick I have up my sleeve is my trusty Gymboree Credit Card which saves me an additional 5% off purchases. Paying it off every month I know what I spend and it's a free savings. Woohoo!
I'd like to show you how this works.
Check out all of this stuff I bought!!! I only spent $50.57 plus tax!
Tighty whiteys for our little prince!
Preemie winter outfit which will be a Christmas gift for Emma for her American Girl Bitty Baby (they fit perfectly!!!)
Accessories are a girls best friend!!!
I scored 3 Birthday shirts!!!
So here's how I do it...
Owl Curly Clips, Full price... $6.00
Marked down to .99 and with Coupon and Discount I got them for $.75
Striped Tights, Full price...$14.95
Marked down to $1.99 and with Coupon and Discount I got them for $1.51
St. Pats Underwear, Full price...$5.95
Marked down to $1.99 and with Coupon and Discount I got them for $1.51
St. Pats Underwear, Full price...$5.95
Marked down to $1.99 and with Coupon and Discount I got them for $1.51
Camo Underwear, Full price...$5.95
Marked down to $1.99 and with Coupon and Discount I got them for $1.51
Flower Headband, Full price $8.00
Marked down to $1.99 and with Coupon and Discount I got them for $1.52
Blue Satin Headband, Full price $8.00
Marked down to $1.99 and with Coupon and Discount I got them for $1.51
Owl Hair Clip, Full price $6.00
Marked down to $.99 and with Coupon and Discount I got them for $.75
Cuffed Boys Jean, Full price $32.95
Marked down to $7.99 and with Coupon and Discount I got them for $6.07
Birthday Boy Long Sleeved Shirt, Full price $18.95
Marked down to $3.99 and with Coupon and Discount I got them for $2.43
Ombre boys tee, Full price $16.95
Marked down to $6.49 and with Coupon and Discount I got them for $4.93
Dotted Infant Onepiece, Full price $34.95
Marked down to $6.99 and with Coupon and Discount I got them for $5.31
Rhinestone Flare Jeans, Full price $32.95
Marked down to $6.99 and with Coupon and Discount I got them for $5.32
Zebra Dress, Full price $34.95
Marked down to $12.99 and with Coupon and Discount I got them for $9.87
2 Birthday Girl Shirts, Full price each $24.95
Each Marked down to $3.99 and with Coupon and Discount I got them each for $3.03
Yellow Flower Pony Tail Holder, Full price $6.00
Marked down to $.99 and with Coupon and Discount I got them for $.75
Pink Socks, Full price $4.25
Marked down to $.99 and with Coupon and Discount I got them for $.77
If I had paid full retail my total would have been $286.70! That's a savings of over 82% y'all!
Unbelievable, right???
And You'll notice I spent JUST over $50.00, by 57 cents to be exact (before tax). Which is on purpose. I get as close to $50.00 as I can. For every $50 you spend, you earn Gymbucks. What are Gymbucks you ask? They are certificates you earn that you come back later to use. It's $25.00 off of a $50.00 purchase. Gymboree almost always has either earning time or redeeming time going on throughout the year. I spent $50 and earned a $25.00 gymbucks to use starting the 18th. If you spend as close to $50 as you can that makes your gymbuck basically a 50% off coupon friends! So I am super excited that I'll get to go back in two weeks for more shopping!
Now...
If you're really paying attention to this post and not just skimming you'll probably be wondering by now why I bought all of this...does she really need 2 birthday girl shirts???
And the answer is absolutely not. I don't even need one because I already have one for Em. But here's the answer...come close.
Closer.
Closer.
I'll whisper it...
I sell the stuff on Ebay.
Amazing, right? I've actually been doing it for years! When I stayed home I had to figure out a way to still dress our kids in super duper cute clothes without stretching our budget past the brink of no return. Selling items on ebay has been our solution. The secret is I will buy maybe one thing for each child (in this trip I got Emma the dress, Cal a tee and the jeans, and I got the infant outfit as a Christmas gift) and I will sell the rest on ebay. By doing this I usually make enough to pay for everything I've bought. And if it's a little under it's okay because when the kids are done with the clothes I can turn around and sell their USED Gymboree clothes for often more than I paid for them new. Weird, wild stuff going on, right?
A tip if you go into Gymboree and really can't spend the money is to look at the accessories. A lot of times I can pair an accessory of theirs with a non-Gymboree outfit or just a solid shirt and make a super cute outfit...it is all about accessorizing after all, right??? And there are always adorable hair bows or headbands on super clearance!!!
I am definitely not about to write a tutorial for you on how to sell on ebay or anything because it would stink and would fall and crash and die a horrible death but if you do have any specific questions feel free to ask away...I'll try my best to sound like i know what I am talking about :)
So there you have it...my secret's out on why I love Gymboree so much (because you can save a ton and sell it too!!! ) and how I get my kids to look so adorable on the cheap. Hope this inspires you to save money on your little one's duds :)
Happy Shopping!!!
