Second Hand Clothes for Boys

I have no trouble finding good used clothing for my nearly 2 year old daughter, but find it nearly impossible to find suitable used clothing at yard sales, consignment stores, or thrift stores for my two boys, ages 8 and 12. Now that my 12 year old is bigger, I occasionally find small men's clothing for him. The very few things I find for my 8 year old are so ratty. The queen of tightwaddery seems to clothe all of her children with yard sale finds, but I can't. What am I doing wrong? How can I find good used clothing and shoes for my boys?
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
A.G.

I have 3 boys including my stepson, ages 10, 14, &17. I find that I do the best when I go to a yardsale not looking for anything in particular. In other words, buy what is nice at each one and don't go looking for a specific item. Many times I have purchased boys clothing at yardsales and have had to "pack it away" because it fits none of them at the time. I have bought it simply because it was a nice item that I knew they would eventually wear. Don't rule out sizes that may not fit right now, they can always grow into it. Yes, look through the men's stuff for your oldest child especially tshirts. Kids like to wear them so big anyway, I've gotten some really good deals.

A lot of people do sell "junk". Maybe only attend yard sales in some better areas. I do agree, boys are harder to find things for than girls, I think it's because they are tougher overall on their clothes. Don't give up, this is a great way to save hundreds of dollars.
--Laura

I too have an 8 year old boy and an 11 year old girl. I try to buy most of their clothing at yard sales, church rummage sales and thrift shops. I have found great deals at two places that are throughout most of the US and have similar counterparts that are as well. America's Thrift Stores and Goodwill Stores are HUGE multi-department stores that are usually warehouse feeling inside, but sell donated clothes, shoes, books, toys, furniture, appliances, etc. They have every size. I got my son a church jacket for $4.88, a winter jacket (nearly new) for $6.48, a dress for myself for $2.88, some great hardcover books, a bed frame/headboard and footboard for a queen size bed for $15, jumpers, shirts, dresses and jeans for my girls from $1.48-$4.88. The prices are great! Now the selection is typical. With four children and I can always find something for someone, but not always just what I need. I go there about once a month.
Good Luck!
Loren in GA

I hesitate to suggest this, but.....for the twelve-year-old, have you looked into small female clothes? I know it sounds silly, but a polo shirt is a polo shirt, etc... I know this sounds kind of out there, but, for example, I ONLY wear Men's Levis, because they do fit me well. And it's entirely possible that the converse COULD be true (male in female clothing). Shirts with anything other than a feminine pattern (especially plain sweaters, sweatshirts, polo shirts and Tshirts) also are pretty much unisex, and not too difficult to find. A denim jacket is pretty much a denim jacket, etc.
--Marie B

I asked a friend of mine with two boys how she clothes them for less. She said she doesn't bother with consignment stores, as she finds the prices are about one half or one third less than prices you can find at warehouse type stores. Her boys are 3 years apart, and she feels it pays to buy the older one, a little better quality of clothing, for things like sweaters and shirts in darker colours so that they can be passed on to the younger one. For this she makes a list of items the elder one needs and then hunts for sales. She also has organized clothing swaps for children under 14 years. She calls on neighbours and friends and asks for their help to get the word out, or invite a couple of their friends. They meet at their house with boxes of clothing & shoes to sell or swap. At the end they share their ideas on where in their area they like to shop, and where the best sales are. You can also do this for your own clothing, and it really is a lot of fun. I am tall and have gotten many tips on finding pants that fit, and what time of year the best sales are on. If your area has a "buy and sell" newspaper look up clothing, and you'll see individuals selling just the clothing or items for certain age groups. You may also find factory sales in the paper. I've found one for sweatshirts that is excellent.
--DA

If need be, go ahead and buy a few things new. Try to choose items that can be mixed and matched with other new or 'experienced' items, so that the wardrobe can be varied without buying a lot of coordinated ensembles. As with any purchase, pick clothing that will last, whether for handing down or for resale.

Now here's the biggie: teach your children to change their clothes! The concept of "If it's good enough for school it's good enough for play" results in a lot of ruined clothing, and unnecessary laundry. Use 'experienced' clothing for play.
--George C

I have the same problems for my long-limbed, thin 6 year old. I always take my measuring tape with me and measure the inseam at least, of any pants that I think are possiblities for him. This keeps me from coming home with pants that are too short for him. I've even been known to check out the girls' section at a large thrift store I frequent. There are many "generic" clothes out there that work for both boys and girls such as warmups and jeans. I've never had any trouble finding shirts for him and even found some almost new underwear at a bag-a-bargain sale at my church. I find good socks at the thrift store in somewhat "odd" colors, but my son loves bright colored socks so that works out for us. They're brand new, just not worn because someone didn't like the color.

Remember too that pants can be hemmed if too long or sometimes the hem can be let down if they're too short.

Shoes are harder for older children because they are generally worn out when ending up at yard sales and thrift stores, but I just keep looking. I found a pair of Goosebump sneakers at Goodwill for $2 that had hardly been worn. Kids like different things and some just won't wear what their parents think is great. I bought my son Star Wars shoes when the movie first made its return, but my son wasn't impressed. He hated them at first and is only now beginning to like them after he saw all the media hype.

Like Amy (Tightwad Gazette guru) I buy things in advance when I find something good like shoes. I have a box in my attic just for shoes my kids will someday grow into. Hope that helps.
--W.G.

I have always bought all of our clothes at garage sales. We have 2 boys and 2 girls, now young adults. Finding boys' clothes in good condition was a challenge. But I always went to the Saturday morning subdivision sales that had 40, more or less, homes participating and that way you usually found 1 home with the size you needed. Be there when the doors open and try other subdivisions on future weeks. Usually 5 or 6 Saturday mornings of subdivision garage saling equipped me with everything our family of 6 needed for the next year!
Keep trying!
--Janet

I have an 11-year-old and I have a terrible time finding yard sale clothes for him, or thrift store clothes for that matter.

What I do is wait until the end of the season and hit the clearance racks. I buy one to two sizes larger than he's wearing at the time. With fashions the way they are, baggy isn't necessarily a bad thing.

I also wait for sales and rebates. I just bought him three pairs of sweat pants at K-Mart. The sweats were $4.99 with a $1.00 rebate on each pair. Granted, that's a lot more than the 50 cents I spent for an entire sweat outfit for my 2-year-old at a yard sale last week, but it's still cheaper than new jeans.

I'm not sure what part of the country you're in, but in Tucson, AZ, where I am, the yard sales last a long time due to the weather, plus we have swap meets. I hit a lot of sales and I find that the more I hit, the more I find. Of course, I run other errands and plan my route very carefully to avoid back-tracking, but I hit 20 or more yard-sales on "yard-sale" day. I am usually very lucky with shirts, but still have a problem w/ pants.

Another suggestion is to find a friend or co-worker who has a child a touch older than yours and tell them you're willing to swap a loaf of home-baked bread or some other service for their childrens outgrown (but still in good condition) clothes. I use bartering for many things, that way I don't have an actual cash outlay. Good Luck!
--T

I too have an eight year old, only mine is a girl. I have found that as the kids get older and their growth rate slows down, they wear their clothes longer and are therefore more likely to wear them out, which makes for a shortage of those sizes over 6X! I've had to reosrt to a patchwork philosophy. This includes: regular stops at thrift stores and garage sales. You can't do this effectively on a hit and miss basis. I also make special note of the sale days of the thrift stores and take a tape measure with me for measuring items that have lost their tags. I also have put the word out to everyone I know that I am interested in size 8 or larger clothing! I never dress my daughter from yard sales in our elementary school's area ( to avoid possible recognition at school by the previous owner!). I also encourage grandparents, godparents, and aunts and uncles to consider clothing at gift-giving occasions. This patchwork of sources, plus some sewing by me, has worked so far!! Good luck!
--Shirley

I too had problems finding clothes for my son. Not only was he HARD on his clothes, but he was also extra TALL..

I can share a couple ideas for her to try. First, she should visit her sons classroom. Take note of all the boys in the grade who match her sons sizes, and then go to those childrens parents to see if they'd be interested in letting you purchase used items from them...

Also scout members of your own family. Begin a "round robin" clothing exchange with cousins, uncles, and so forth. In our family there's an adorable leather sleeved letter-jacket in an extra small size thats been worn by at least 7 kids at various times!! Take advantage of the older kids in your family!! (Your neighbors and co-workers families as well!)

Please be aware that MOST boys are just miserably tough on their jeans. I gave up entirely on getting used jeans for my son, but was able to save enough on shorts, shirts, coats, etc. for him so that I COULD afford to get him nice jeans that FIT while they were on sale. Today that child is 20 yrs old, and wears a 30 waist 38 inch inseam so he still saves 'most' of his clothing money for new jeans and gets 'used and abused' for the rest of this wardrobe.

Hope these suggestions help. As a last resort I'd suggest she learn how to sew and make the boys their jeans or kahkis for a couple years until they grow big enough to fit the mens sizes....
Good luck!
Kim L
Spirit Lake, IA

You can find quality boy's clothing at yard sales by going to your post office and asking them which is the most affluent zip code neighborhood in your county or neighboring countys. get out a map (the one in the front of the telephone book is also useful...and use a compass to map out those zip code neighborhoods...or... go to the library and look through the local small newspapers, they will list garage sales, etc.
--BJM

I have found it useful to go to thrift shops such as Goodwill, Volunteers of America and Salvation Army (check for listings in your area) - it's hit or miss but I have found these places to be life (and money) savers. They even have tag sales - each piece of clothing is marked by a colored tag, and depending on certain days, some colors may be half-price off. Not only that, you know that the money you use to purchase items from there goes to a good cause.
Hope this is of help to you.
--W.

Boys will be boys! Whoever coined that phrase knew what they were talking about. Boys usually wear out their clothes before they outgrow them. I have found that the only way to find "good" used clothes for boys is to shop often. Even in regular stores. Stop in often and look for their clearance sales or buy one get one free. Oct. and Nov. seem to be a good time for this, as "start of school" sales are over. Then again in Jan. when Christmas sales end and inventorys are well on their way. Making it known at thrift stores that you have several children is often a door to hand-me-downs. Some thrift stores are overloaded with clothes and weekly weed out clothes for the garbage man. Ask if you could dispose of them for them, then pick out what you can use and either pass them on or send them to a Salvation army or another thrift store. Happy shopping.
--Dale

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