Dress the Part!

The Key to back-to-school shopping is planning and prioritizing properly, before you grab some cash and go. Follow these simple tips:

Take Inventory of what you already have.

Get rid of all the clothes that are too small, worn out, or simply put, no longer used. Donate gently used clothing to charities or take them to a resale shop and get a few bucks to buy new clothes. This creates a clear view of what you actually need.

Create a list.

You have to make a plan and execute it, with your list, you can put together your shopping needs by the type of stores you need to visit and effectively accomplish your task efficiently. This will help you alleviate the problem of buying clothing you do not need.

Make a budget and stick to it.

This will give your teen an understanding of what you can buy (ignore the whining and pleading). With financial barriers in place, you can teach money management skills on how to shop smartly. If there is an expensive item that your child must have, compromise with them by suggestion they pay the extra expense from allowance or with their own earnings.

Sales, coupons and special promotions.

With the economy being in such a crunch, many businesses are offering many sales, coupons and special promotions. Sign up on websites for stores that you frequent, and you won’t be disappointed at some of the deals they offer for going back to school and in general.

Dress code.

Many schools enforce dress codes to discourage clothes that are too skimpy, sexual, or suggest gang membership. Girls should avoid spaghetti straps, low cut tanks and jeans. Boys should avoid “sagging” and colors that are associated with gangs.

Spread your shopping around.

Start early buying items periodically and during the first few weeks of school. It will help you with your budget and gives your student time to see what their peers are wearing. Therefore you can make necessary wardrobe adjustments during later shopping trips and gives you the opportunity to check out sales.

Look out for marketing strategies geared towards children.

Teens and tweens (ages 9-12) are a very lucrative group for retailers and advertisements. They are a target of a steadily increasing market for what fashion looks are cool. As a parent, don’t ignore them, listen to what they say and talk to your child about how media influences what we want and think we need.

Never the less, have fun shopping for school, think smart and cost efficient!! Use that time to bond with your child about what him/her are thinking or feeling, you may be surprised.