In 2025, it feels like nearly everything is more expensive than it’s ever been before … and the costs just keep on rising. And, well, our kids just won’t stop growing. While the costs of most basic school supplies like folders, pencils, and notebooks aren’t too pricey, kids’ clothing in particular is.

These days it seems like unless there’s a major sale happening, the graphic tees we used to pay $5 for are closer to $10 and those sweats that would run us $10 are nearing $20. Now, recently imposed tariffs are also starting to have an impact at the register as well.

As parents, it can be frustrating to say the least. We’re already spending so much on things such as food, gas, housing, and utilities, the knowledge that our back-to-school costs are likely to be higher than ever is overwhelming.

According to Scripps News, parents are expected to spend an average of $600 per child on back-to-school shopping this year. That’s no small sum for families already juggling increased costs of living, especially if they have more than one child or older children whose shoes and clothes cost a whole lot more than when they were younger. And U.S. News & World Report says that 85% of parents in the US are concerned with the impact tariffs will have on their back-to-school spending.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like costs are going to go down any time soon, and to be honest, many of us are not thrilled with the overconsumption trend and the behaviors and practices of a lot of the major budget-friendly retailers lately anyway. So as we prepare to send our own kids back to school in a few weeks, we’ve been thinking about how we can both save money and use our hard-earned cash more mindfully.

We’ve come up with five ways parents can save money on kids’ clothes this back-to-school-season. Keep reading to see our tips.

Clothing Swaps

Have friends with kids in the same age range as yours? Try organizing a clothing swap. Set a date, decide on a location (can be someone’s home or a rented space that everyone pitches in for) and have everyone interested bring their kids’ gently worn clothing and shoes for everyone else to “shop.” Of course, there’s no charge because everyone can take home as little or as much as they like. You could even get super-organized and have people bring in and set up their donations by size a day or two ahead.

If you don’t know enough people with kids, you could try organizing through a school group like the PTA or a sports team you’re involved in. Or look out for these types events on Facebook and Facebook Marketplace, and simply sign up to participate.

Back-To-School Sales

The old stand-by. Yes, we’re recommending something nearly everyone already knows about, but we want to propose handling these annual sales a bit differently than you might usually. Instead of attempting to buy entire new wardrobes during the back-to-school sales, stick to only the basics.

These sales will offer a percentage off of clothing, but they’re often not the best deals of the year. However, for items like shoes, socks, and underwear that don’t often drop too much lower at the end of a season because they’re worn all year, the back-to-school sales will often offer the deepest discounts.

Brands like Nike and Adidas are both offering 20% off select items (including some already discounted items), and the Under Armour back-to-school sale is up to 25% off. And don’t forget to check athletic stores like Kid’s Foot Locker and Dick’s Sporting Goods, which usually offer back-to-school discounts as well. Tip: we always find the best selection — even on sale items — shopping these stores online.

Consignment Stores

When you have younger kids, it’s always worth making a trip to your closest kids’ consignment shop to take a look. Oftentimes these stores will have a large selection of gently used items at steep discounts. Sometimes, you’ll even find never-worn clothes or shoes with tags still on them.

Once Upon a Child is a national chain with lots of locations, but there are also stand-alone consignment shops that specialize in children’s clothing in many towns and cities. If you can’t find any near you, try Goodwill or look for a local Salvation Army thrift store. Alternatively, there are some online kids’ consignment shops that ship nationally, like Bounce MKT, and ThredUp has kids’ clothes as well.

Clearance Racks

Chances are, your kids go back to school in August or early September. In most of the country, the weather is still quite warm this time of year. So instead of shopping for cool-weather clothes, hit up the clearance racks of summer clothes.

You can buy a few things in their current size to get them through the first month or two of school and buy clothing a size or two bigger that they’ll be able to wear the last couple months of the school year when they’ll inevitably have outgrown everything they wore this year. At popular stores such as Old Navy, Target, Gap, Kohl’s, H&M, and others, you’ll often find these end-of-season clearance items for a few bucks apiece.

Tax Holiday Shopping

Although they can be inconsistent, many states have tax holidays on essential goods and school supplies in the summertime. If you live in a state where clothing and shoes are taxed, shopping during these days can save quite a bit, especially when combined with other savings from regular sales.

Dates vary, and depending on individual state budgets, tax holidays may be paused from one year to the next, but it’s a good thing to look into before picking up your back-to-school haul. You can check the tax holiday schedule on the Federation of Tax Administrators website.

The post 5 Ways To Save on Kids’ Clothes Before They Go Back to School appeared first on Mom.com.

As I was searching for birthday cakes for my upcoming teen daughters’ birthdays, my sister let me in on a little secret birthday hack she has been using:

You can get ridiculously cute custom cakes and cupcakes from Walmart for only $15. I honestly didn’t believe her until I tried it myself — I ordered a custom cake for my daughters and was able to choose the frosting color, piping design, filling, and cake flavors, and even with some custom add-ons, I spent less than $20.

I was amazed that I had never realized how great Walmart’s custom cake bakery section could be. I did some digging and found some of their other ready-to-go birthday cakes that all cost less than $15.

Disclaimer: The birthday cakes may differ by location, of course, and the $15 price is for a 6-inch cake, which is designed to serve up to 12 people.

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Having kids is expensive, so if parents can cut costs, they’ll likely do it. But is it possible to be a cheapskate extreme?

There are always ways to be frugal when it comes to spending money on your kids, whether it’s looking for hand-me-downs, joining a Buy Nothing group, or shopping at a thrift store.

But is there such a thing as being too frugal?

Some have called a mom who used donated breast milk to feed her toddler and old T-shirts as diapers a cheapskate extreme who has gone a little too far.

The post ‘Cheapskate Extreme’ Mom Shocks People With Her Extreme Money Saving Hacks appeared first on Mom.com.

One night, while eating a bowl of ice cream perched on top of my very pregnant belly, I told my husband, “I think our next house should be smaller.”

As one might suspect, he gasped a bit, thinking I was on a fresh pregnancy rant. Who has a baby coming and asks for a smaller house?

The post We Had Another Baby and Chose to Downsize Our House appeared first on Mom.com.

In the wake of COVID-19 and the pandemic, inflation has made the cost of living skyrocket, and now more than ever, families need to take steps to invest in their future and prepare as much as possible, especially if they have little ones to provide for.

Speaking to a financial representative can go a long way toward answering any money questions you may have, including: “Do I have a 401K and if so, how much should go in it?” or “What is a Roth IRA, and do I need one?” or “How much should I be putting in savings every month if I feel like I have nothing left over to save?” or “I need to make a budget? That means spending less money, right? Doesn’t sound fun.”

The post Your Family’s Cost of Living May Be More Manageable Than You Thought, Here’s Why appeared first on Mom.com.

We got married young, when my husband was fresh out college. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in finance and accounting, and then proceeded to study for his CPA exam. As someone who tends to be more creative, discussing money with my now-CPA husband is one of the conversations I dread most. (And FYI, we’ve been married over 18 years, so that’s a lot of money talk.)

No family I know enjoys talking about the B-word. However, budgeting is necessary to keep your family financially afloat, if not thriving. Being married to a CPA has some perks — such as understanding how to budget and why. Perhaps you’re not hitched to a CPA or are a CPA yourself, but that doesn’t mean you can’t become more financially savvy and make better decisions for your family.

Here are some of the ways we budget for our family expenses:

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During the recession of the early 2010s, my husband lost his job of 10 years due to budget cuts. At the time, we had a 5-year-old, and I was pregnant with our second child. I had been a stay-at-home mom since our first son was born, partially because childcare was so expensive where we lived. After my husband was laid off, I tried to find part-time, weekend work, but after the baby was born, that became increasingly difficult.

It took one very long year for my husband to find a new job. During that time, he collected unemployment and worked as a substitute teacher when work was available. For the first time in our lives, we applied for government assistance, including Medicaid, SNAP (food stamps) and WIC. My husband and I are both college-educated, with master’s degrees. This was not a reality we ever expected.

The experience was humbling, to say the least. And while I was never more stressed than I was that year, it taught me a few things…

The post My Husband Being Jobless for a Year Was So Hard As a Parent, But It Taught Me a Lot appeared first on Mom.com.

My kids like to eat — meals, snacks, dessert — you name it. We have a preschooler, two tweens, and a teen, and my older three eat adult-size portions. With a big family, it’s not out of the ordinary for our grocery bills to rival our monthly mortgage.

The post 8 Ways Our Family Is Saving on Groceries This Summer appeared first on Mom.com.

When we first learned we were expecting a mini-us, one of the first things my husband and I wondered was how much money we should save before having a baby.

Formula, diapers, pediatrician visits, childcare, and clothes all add up, not to mention putting aside money for a college fund. We even joked that our kid better get a college scholarship when she’s 18.

There might not be one magic number of how much money you need to save before having a baby because that amount differs among families and couples. Some families will be comfortable with a larger nest egg, while others will take a learn-as-you-go approach. There is no right or wrong way.

However, finding ways to save money is essential as parents, so here are some financial steps we took to make sure we gave our newest family member the best start — and future — possible.

More from Mom.com: My Husband Is a CPA, and This Is How We Budget for Our Family Expenses

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My name is Helen Mayer and we are launching Otter in Santa Clarita, the Greater Los Angeles area, and San Francisco to match families who need childcare with stay-at-home parents who get paid to take care of kids in their community.

The post I Believe Stay-at-Home Moms Should Be Paid — and I’ve Made That a Reality appeared first on Mom.com.