Budget children's clothing?

[The Wise One]

I decided to be charitable this Christmas season and chose a few "Angel Tree" ornaments from our tree at church. I'm supposed to purchase clothing for a 6 year old girl. I checked our local Wal-Mart and their selection was just sad so I checked Target and they had cute things but most were quite expensive! Having never bought children's clothing I'm not sure what a reasonable price is supposed to be. But I'm assuming $15 for a dress is not reasonable since that is what I pay and I'm an adult! So any tips from my fellow Disers? I want to get this little girl the most for my money.

 

[robinb]

Having never bought children's clothing I'm not sure what a reasonable price is supposed to be. But I'm assuming $15 for a dress is not reasonable since that is what I pay and I'm an adult! So any tips from my fellow Disers? I want to get this little girl the most for my money.

$15 for a dress is totally reasonable . I understand that you want to get the most for your money, but buying crappy cheap clothes for the little girl isn't right either. Gymboree is the Mall Gold Standard for the 1st grade set, but you don't have to spend that much. I shopped at Target & Kohls when my DD was that age. I have been shopping lately and there are tons of clearance racks at Kohls and JC Pennys (get a bunch of their buttons and enter them for a discount, I entered 6 of them and won 2 $10 off certificates).

 

[tiffjoy]

I decided to be charitable this Christmas season and chose a few "Angel Tree" ornaments from our tree at church. I'm supposed to purchase clothing for a 6 year old girl. I checked our local Wal-Mart and their selection was just sad so I checked Target and they had cute things but most were quite expensive! Having never bought children's clothing I'm not sure what a reasonable price is supposed to be. But I'm assuming $15 for a dress is not reasonable since that is what I pay and I'm an adult! So any tips from my fellow Disers? I want to get this little girl the most for my money.

I don't think that's expensive at all, and I'm not one to spend tons on my girl's clothes when they are outgrowing them every six months.

Check a few different places and find some items on special. Kohls, Carter's, Osh Kosh, Children's Place- all very affordable and often have specials on at least certain pieces.

 

[reneaterry]

We get an angel every year and always go to old navy on Black Friday. We also shop target, kohls, jcpenney this year and have found some great deals. $15 for a dress is very reasonable but you should be able to find some good deals this close to Christmas.

 

[sissy_ib]

I bought my Angel Tree clothes at Target. $15 is not unreasonable for a dress at all.

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

I haven't bought a dress in a long time, but Children's Place and Crazy 8 are both reasonable for children's clothing. Maybe you should look around online to get an idea of some prices before you set out so you know what to expect.

 

[cornflake]

I decided to be charitable this Christmas season and chose a few "Angel Tree" ornaments from our tree at church. I'm supposed to purchase clothing for a 6 year old girl. I checked our local Wal-Mart and their selection was just sad so I checked Target and they had cute things but most were quite expensive! Having never bought children's clothing I'm not sure what a reasonable price is supposed to be. But I'm assuming $15 for a dress is not reasonable since that is what I pay and I'm an adult! So any tips from my fellow Disers? I want to get this little girl the most for my money.

Agree $15 is very reasonable for a dress, even at Target.

Also agree it's not really right, imo either, to buy really junky clothing just because it's cheap. If you can't afford to get her some clothing, maybe you can exchange the ornament.

I'd try sales at some nicer stores though, if you still want to get her things.

 

[Patience]

$15 for a child's dress is completely reasonable. I buy most of my daughter's clothing (she's 5) at Gymboree, Crazy 8, Target, Children's Place, and occasionally from JC Penneys or Kohls. I also sometimes buy her Naartjie Kids. My daughter still wears a 4T or 5T so we do not shop at Justice but some 6 year olds may be big enough to shop there. I do not like Walmart clothing at all. If it were me, I would try to buy an angel tree child something nice from a popular children's store. You can find coupons for Gymboree, Crazy 8 and Children's Place with the latter two being the least expensive, but I would certainly not expect to pay less than $15 for an outfit. Honestly, again if it were me, I would provide a complete outfit, such as a dress with leggings or tights and a hair accessory or shirt and pants with cute socks and a hair accessory and I would also consider adding a sweater or jacket.

 

[The Wise One]

Oh no don't misunderstand me, I have no problem spending quite a bit of money on her, we have it to spend. I've just never ever bought children's clothing before (I'm only 24, we have no children of our own) so I just had no idea what children's clothing is supposed to cost. I intend to get her several outfits complete with a pair of shoes and accessories.

 

[tikistitch]

Crazy 8 and The Children's Place at our mall offer discounts if you say you're buying for an Angel and show the angel ornament as proof. At crazy 8 we received a 25% discount and it was 20% at The Children's Place.

$15 for a child's dress is very reasonable, especially for some of the adorable brands that Target has out there right now. The Trend D line is ADORABLE and so is the Harajuku Mini line. The fall line of both are on clearance at Target right now, and the winter/Christmas lines are on sale. You can save an additional 5% at Target if you link your debit/checking account to what is essentially a prepaid Target card. It links to your banking account and it gives you the full benefits of having a Target credit card without having to actually go on credit or make payments.

While dresses are adorable to buy for a 6 year old, not all girls are dressy and she may not ever wear skirts/dresses or even like them. If you're looking to go for more of a versatile gift, I would go with a nice pair of dark denim that could be worn to school and for dressier occasions, the dark denim will last through more washes and could potentially look just as dressy as a cute dress. I would get a couple of long sleeved shirts, or a hoodie/sweater, and definitely a jacket. Target generally has a selection on clearance right about now, as late winter and spring lines start to make their way out. Depending on how cold winter is in your area, a hat and gloves and scarf set might be wonderful to add on too. Socks and panties are always good ideas too, sometimes these essentials are few and far between for families.

 

[foreUT]

Just wanted to say that it is wonderful of you to start early in life, OP, giving to others. I am sure your gifts will be much appreciated.

 

[tikistitch]

Oh! I also forgot, if you have a Disney Store outlet near you (or maybe the actual Disney Stores have this sale going on too) PJ pals were 50% off and they had a ton of clearance dresses/pant outfits that were about $7.99-$19.99 and were an additional 20% off. The only issue with buying those is that you never can be sure who a favorite character is.

Wherever you decide to pick up the things, good luck! I've been buying angel gifts for the past 5 years, since I was about your age. It's so confusing at first but after a couple years of picking up things you'll figure out the places in your area that give discounts and sell cute/quality pieces.

 

[needtoplan]

These comments bother me- just because you are trying to get more for your money doe not mean that you are being cheap. BTW, just because something costs more does not make it better quality- I find qualities with children's clothes is relative. I have a 4 year old son. I have shopped at Children's Place, Gymboree, Old Navy, Kohl's, Target, Walmart, and Kmart among other places

I find Kohl's, Old Navy, and even Target sometimes poorly made and still expensive. Do some looking around - you still have some time.
My personal favorite for children's clothes (not grown up clothes, but Children's) is K-mart. They have really cute sets at extremely reasonable prices with nice sales. If you have a Burlington Coat Factory nearby they also have a nice selection of children's clothes.
Don't buy into the hype about certain brands. I have found good clothes at the so-called cheap stores, and I have found crappy clothes at the so-called expensive stores.
Good luck and thanks for helping a little girl.

 

[stacy347]

OP, I thought you were very clear in your statement that you wanted to get the most for your money for this little girl. Doesn't sound like you are looking for the cheap way out at all, just the best deals you can find.

As far as good deals on clothes, I agree with some of the previous posters that Target usually has some good clearance this time of year. It is worth a look. Even my teen girls say that the D-signed collection is pretty cool ~ they comment on it all the time.

I would also suggest Justice if you are looking for something really cute. I only say this because they always have a 40% printable coupon available online (their regular prices are crazy). I got some killer deals with these coupons when my girls were still into the clothes there. Some of the clothes were not what I considered age-appropriate, but there is plenty to pick from.

Good luck shopping, and I'm sure that little girl is going to be very happy with your gift!

 

[momof3ds]

$15 for a dress at Target is completely reasonable.

 

[preschoolmom]

I find cute things at Target, Walmart, Old Navy, Kohls and Justice.

Old Navy is probably my go to favorite for jeans and graphic t's - and they have great sales as well.

Kohls - if you're a Kohls shopper, you probably know all the tricks already (coupons, etc.).

Walmart does have cute things as fill in pieces. My girls have a cute sweater from there this year - and had an ADORABLE lined sweater hoodie from there last season (it looked just like the one I wanted from the Gap - but was half the price - and held up beautifully).

I agree with the previous poster that said you can find nice pieces at any of these stores - it isn't so much about the brand.

What a nice thing for you to do! Merry Christmas!

 

[uk_wildcat]

My sons' school usually adopts families at Christmas and I find great deals for girls at Macy's. Their clearance racks can be great and it seems they have a better selection for girls than boys. You could also try places like TJ Maxx and Marshalls. They have a good selection of name brand items for less.

 

[okeydokey]

When my kids were that age, most of their clothes came from Target and The Children's Place. Both are reasonable to begin with, but there are always sales racks that have great deals. If you have a Children's Place Outlet near you, this is a great store to get clothes.

It is very nice of you to do this. Have fun shopping.

 

[4HppyCamprs]

I decided to be charitable this Christmas season and chose a few "Angel Tree" ornaments from our tree at church. I'm supposed to purchase clothing for a 6 year old girl. I checked our local Wal-Mart and their selection was just sad so I checked Target and they had cute things but most were quite expensive! Having never bought children's clothing I'm not sure what a reasonable price is supposed to be. But I'm assuming $15 for a dress is not reasonable since that is what I pay and I'm an adult! So any tips from my fellow Disers? I want to get this little girl the most for my money.

We also do Angel Tree children every year and this year I purchased my little boy clothes from Target. Each piece was about 15.00 Shirts/Pants. I bought stuff I would buy my little guys.

It is very very nice that you are doing this. I was a angel tree recipient when I was a child and it really can make a child's Christmas.

 

[scrapquitler]

I decided to be charitable this Christmas season and chose a few "Angel Tree" ornaments from our tree at church. I'm supposed to purchase clothing for a 6 year old girl. I checked our local Wal-Mart and their selection was just sad so I checked Target and they had cute things but most were quite expensive! Having never bought children's clothing I'm not sure what a reasonable price is supposed to be. But I'm assuming $15 for a dress is not reasonable since that is what I pay and I'm an adult! So any tips from my fellow Disers? I want to get this little girl the most for my money.

Target prices are resonable. Yes, kids clothes have less fabric, but it is just as much work to produce them.

I buy my kids clothes at Target, Walmart, JC Penney, Old Navy and THe Children's Place.