Going back to school shopping for clothes early on can land you great deals before the start of the new academic year. Learn how you can save with these mom hacks. Whether or not you have a list of items at hand, you will want to think of everyday clothing pieces that will fit your budget.

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When Should I Buy Back To School Clothes?

Skimming through clothing items from the previous academic year can help decide what should be on your back to school shopping list. The best time to shop for school clothes is before summer break.

While most parents are focused on summer gear, you can get a head start on your list with the essentials.

Target offers polo shirts for kids throughout the year. If your child has a uniform, then you might want to hop on the deals.

How Much Should You Spend On Back To School Shopping?

Setting a budget aside when shopping for clothes can help you plan ahead. How much you decide to spend depends on your child’s needs.

If this is your first time planning for back to school season, then you might want to focus on clothes and shoes until you receive your supplies list.

Back to school supplies like a pencil sharpener, paint, and a notebook laid on a table.

What Is A Reasonable Budget For Back To School Shopping For Clothes?

Your back to school shopping budget should be based on two things: 1) needs and 2) wants. Put the bigger portion of your budget towards what is needed and leave some cash for wants.

Trendy styles might be popular today. However, you may want to focus on durability instead. You can opt for trust-worthy brands like Art Class, Cat & Jack, and Stride Rite.

If you are planning to buy clothes for multiple children, then create a budget that can be divided equally per child based on their needs.

How Many Outfits Should A Child Have For Back To School?

The rule of thumb for school clothes per child is enough clothing items for 3-5 days. Choose between 2 to 3 bottoms, 2-3 long-sleeve tops, and 2-3 short-sleeve tops.

This will make it easy for your child to interchange tops and bottoms based on weather conditions and activities throughout the week.

In terms of buying shoes, you can opt for dress shoes and comfortable sneakers. One pair of each is great for the beginning of the year since your child will wear down and outgrow their shoes.

Kids gathered together with their back to school clothes ready for the new academic year.

Where Can I Buy School Clothes Online?

One of the best places for back-to-school clothes shopping is ordering products online. Not only is it delivered to your door, but you get exactly what you’ve ordered.

Sometimes while shopping at a store, you are limited to what is available. This means you might settle for whatever you can get your hands on at that moment.

With online shopping, you have the option to plan ahead and save money through price comparison.

There are various choices for you to decide where to go back to school shopping for clothes.

For starters, Amazon has a wide variety of shoes and sneakers for this academic year. Just make sure you know your kids’ sizes before you buy shoes for kids.

Kids shoes as part of the back to school shopping for clothes list.

Dark sneakers are a good idea for kids to wear for school. Not only do they look like dress shoes, but they are also comfortable for gym class.

There are various options when choosing shoes for kids on Amazon.

Kids are constantly outgrowing their clothes, and it’s no surprise to see many of the same items being added to your shopping list every year.

When shopping for kids in general, it is no secret that quality is more important than quantity. You should always think about the material of the clothes you buy along with the price. Here is a list of items you can score right now from Target to help you plan ahead on back to school shopping for clothes:

Choose comfort instead of looks when purchasing kid’s shoes.

Some of the most stylish shoes are not always the most comfortable. Those cool character sneakers are the WORST you can buy a child. Not only are they made with poor materials, but they don’t last much.

Neutral colored socks are always a hit.

Colorful socks may look cool, but they do not match every outfit. Sticking to neutral colors helps your child understand what it means to properly dress for any given occasion.

Look for easy-to-iron school pants.

When you find a good pair of khakis for the kids, then you snag more in different colors. I always get two for the kids this way they have an extra pair in case they stain the other ones. It happens every year, so I plan ahead.

BONUS TIP: See if you can find pants that have an adjustable waist. This way you won’t need to buy belts for the kids.

Grab white undershirts for the kids.

Doubling up on shirts is always a good idea, more so when it comes to regulating your child’s body temperature. We have done this since our firstborn. Now we do the same for our daughter using girls’ undershirts.

White tank tops are great to wear under the school polo shirts and their button-down dress shirts.

Stock up on school polo shirts.

Good quality polo shirts go up in price when the school year starts. The best thing to do is to keep an eye on sales for multiple packs.

What Is A Good Outfit For The First Day Of School?

A cute outfit for the first day of school would be anything that’s comfortable and stylish. A look that will give others the right impression. Something that is clean, easy to throw on, and works for both class and recess.

The kids love running around throughout the front yard and sometimes they head to the back just to get a breather. Comfort is important for them and it makes playing outdoors easier for them to enjoy the time outside.

Preparing for a new school year sounds like a bad nightmare for parents who just got over the carline madness. Here are a handful of back-to-school essentials you can count on to help you get through the new year.

Aside from answering what back-to-school-supplies do I need, you will have to ask yourself what you already have that works. Focusing on what are the essentials for school can help you do just that.

Share in a comment below!

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19 responses to “Back To School Shopping For Clothes: How Much Should You Spend?”

  1. My son loves khaki shorts and even though he’s homeschooled, he wears khaki shorts and a t-shirt every day. That’s his preferred uniform. I recently found his favorite style of khaki shorts on sale, so I bought a bunch of pairs for “next school year”. It really does make a big difference when you shop for clothes. I’ll start shopping for supplies as soon as the sales hit and I’ll just buy the loss leaders each week if possible.

  2. We don’t really buy back to school clothing for my teenager since he doesn’t wear a uniform. He just had a growth spurt earlier in the spring so we did some then. When my children were younger we usually ended up waiting until just before school started. I wish I would have thought about shopping at the end of the school year.

  3. We don’t have uniforms here, so I don’t have to worry about getting very specific clothes. But I love going shopping in the off-season and finding deals. My mom hates shopping so much that she always sent my sister and me with my aunt every summer to find our school clothes.

  4. I always procrastinate back to school shopping til a couple of weeks before….and then its usually online. I’m interested to see how this school year plays out

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