Learn how to win when "Back to School" shopping
Clark Howard, WSB-TV consumer adviser
Are your kids going back to school wearing $50 jeans, or $4 ones?
Erin and Elizabeth Jones have back to school shopping down to a science.
"You have to look like a million bucks on a shoestring," said Elizabeth.
"I know," said Erin.
And they do it by shopping the Clark Howard way!
"We look for something that is in style," said Elizabeth. "We look at the styles they are, and then we go find it on clearance."
Hitting the clearance racks and comparison shopping will save you money no matter what or where you're buying. But I want you to start with the discount stores.
"Target, Walmart -- anything like that," explains Erin.
At WalMart we found girl's jeans for $9 dollars. At Target, they were 15 bucks. But Erin found an even better deal on her jeans!
"They were $4.25," she said.
"I am not a fan of malls," said Clark, "but right now you can find some great clearance sales there. Kristyal Williams saved big on these sandals.
"They are $3.95. That's good," said Kristyal.
That's 75% off! That's great!
We found the same huge savings on girls' jeans. These $50 Tommy Hilfilger jeans we bought off a Macy's clearance rack for only 17 bucks. These Gap jeans, regularly priced at $38, we got for $9.99!
You just have to look.
"The malls are being very competitive -- if you know to shop," said Elizabeth Jones. "If you go in there and pay full price, you're going to pay a fortune."
Elizabeth should know. She's a stay-at-home mom with five kids and only one income.
"I try to make sure that when they go to school, they don't look like, "Oh, she must have got that on sale.' I try to make them look very sharp. But I haven't spent a fortune doing it."
Okay parents, I know how tough this brand name battle is with your kids. So, how do you get your kids in to the brand name they just feel they have got to have, and keep your wallet from being destroyed? Look where you shop for the brand names.
Look at warehouse clubs. Look at discount stores -- you can save a bundle. And another thing, the quality of clothes available at stores like Target, and WalMart, have dramatically improved. Your kids might actually think they are styling to where they, and your wallet will style at the same time.
*Another idea: Give your kids an allowance for back to school spending. Give them the money and let them make the choices, and see the logical consequences of brand name versus off-brand name.
