It’s the time of year where kids are headed to school and I have decided that it’s also time to start Teaching My Teenager To Shop On A Budget For Back To School. With being a single mom, I am pretty transparent about our budgets with the kids. They know what we do and spend is always done on a budget. Thankfully, my kids are not new to thrift stores so when we were invited back to Goodwill for their back to school event, Kylie was excited to see what they had to meet her fashion needs for the upcoming school year! Thank you to Goodwill of the Olympics & Rainier Region for inviting us, sponsoring this post, and giving away a $50 gift card!!
Now, I remember Back to School shopping with my mom who hated to shop. I was limited on where we could go for clothes due to the fact there weren’t many options at our Air Force base in South Dakota, and thrift stores were extremely sparse. I love that there is so much variety here in the PNW for stores, but one of my favorites is still the thrift stores! Goodwill is one of my “go-to’s” because it’s so close to my house, and they have amazing deals every week!
Image from Sam Ortiz Photography
Every year, Goodwill gets together a group of fashionable students to share where they get their influence from, help moms know what their kids want, and show how much you can save shopping thrift!! I love how each of these kids has their own developed style to share with everyone! With Kylie going into 9th grade, she is in middle and high school so it’s a whole new world for her this year. I think she felt more assured about finding her own style after shopping with Whitney. Plus, we were on the hunt for the yellow tags to save even more since they were $.99!
Image from Sam Ortiz Photography
Now, when they get to this age, there is a lot of stepping back as a mom and letting them do their thing!! There are some things to consider when heading out to help your teenager pick out their school clothes.
Teaching Your Teenager To Shop On A Budget For Back To School:
- Make the budget clear as to how much there is to spend
- Go thru their clothes and accessories to make sure you have a list of what you need
- Write a list of the must-haves
- Allow them to go shopping on their own with friends, knowing mom approval will have to follow
- Watch what they are looking at before giving the mom suggestions
- Be ready for all of the mom suggestions to be shot down
- Look around for displays to help you see what current teenage trends are
- Know your child will be influenced by music, actors, shows, and Instagram!
Image from Sam Ortiz Photography
Now, I am blessed Kylie has my style sense in that we love to be comfortable and practical! However, if you have shopped in a mall lately, even those comfortable jeans are pushing $40 a pair at most of the stores!
Perks To Teaching Your Teenager To Shop On A Budget For Back To School At Thrift Stores:
- Clothes are already broken in
- New inventory every time you stop in
- Unique looks you won’t find at the mall
- Name-brand clothing for less
- Every style can be found in thrift stores
- Authentic vintage at a great price
This was Kylie’s haul from Goodwill. For what the jeans would have cost new, she scored great! 3 of our items were only $.99. She ended up coming in under her budget of $50. Now, on Fridays, the students wear PJs so she was able to get some new, comfortable items for those spirit days!
Image from Sam Ortiz Photography
Ways to Save While Shopping Back To School At Goodwill of the Olympics & Rainier Region:
- Email-> Sign up -> HERE for Goodwill’s email alerts!
- Denim Buy one get one free event-> Sale is Aug 19-Sept 1 (Print your coupon -> here)
- Watch the calendar page for discount announcements -> here
- Free books for teachers on Aug 24! (More information -> here)
Want to win a $50 Giftcard to Goodwill of the Olympics & Rainier Region?? Enter below!!
THIS GIFT CARD IS ONLY GOOD AT LOCATIONS LISTED -> HERE!! BE SURE TO CHECK LOCATIONS BEFORE ENTERING!
What are your tips for shopping back to school for teenagers?
Whitney says
So nice to see teenager embracing sustainable shopping. I always say I was “trained” to shop at Goodwill and find awesome pieces no one else had. Great post!