Planning a Back to School Wardrobe

ByJanel
135 Comments

Are your kids excited for back to school? Yesterday, we hit the stores getting ready for my three older boys to head back to school as the school year starts in early August here. We are now officially in the final countdown. The are so many exciting things that come with that first day of school for your kids – like reconnecting with friends, meeting their new teacher, and checking out the classroom.

Before school starts, we as parents help our children get all their needed school supplies, lunch and snack supplies, and of course their back to school wardrobe.聽You can let your children get involved in the process to ramp up their excitement and let them have some say in their choices.

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Start with a List – Before you ever hit the stores, write out a list and evaluate what your child already has in their wardrobe. Do they really need new school shoes if they just got a pair last month? Or how about a new backpack if last year’s backpack is still in great condition? Figure out what items you will need to replenish or purchase in a size up and stick to the list.

Set a Budget – Consider your finances and what you can reasonably afford and set a budget to cover their back to school wardrobe needs. If you have a limited budget to work with, look for pieces that will work in different ways to create a variety of outfits and looks. Even if you could splurge, decide instead to set a reasonable budget which will help your child realize there are limits and let them help in making those tough choices.

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Let them Have a Say – Don’t blindly shop for your children just picking out the lowest cost items available. Instead, really let your kids get involved in the decisions and pick out styles they like. This will ensure all the clothes get use instead of getting shoved to the back of the dresser drawer. You are still the parent and get to veto clothes that you don’t find appropriate, but giving them some say will聽make the process fun for them.

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Negotiation is Key – If you can’t agree on the necessities or dislike their style preferences, use negotiation to keep everyone happy. If you really hate that one shirt they picked, you can state that one wouldn’t be appropriate, but the other two they also grabbed you’d be happy to add to their wardrobe. If your child has picked out three pairs of similar looking blue jeans, ask them to choose two to help you stay within budget.

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Accessorize – Once you’ve met the basic needs, let your child pick out a few fun accessories to round-out their wardrobe. That could include jewelry, a watch, belt, hats, scarves, footwear, glasses or anything else they may need. Of course, if your child needs a new backpack, that should be at the top of the list. Let them pick out items that really fit their personality and style so they won’t be afraid to be the unique individual they are!

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My boys are all decked out in their style picks ready for the first day of school! That first day of school outfit is always an extra important decision for your children. They want to wear something that will look “cool” and help them to fit in while still standing out from the crowd.

What are your tips for planning a back to school wardrobe?


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135 Comments

  3. I like the vehicle pick up. It saves me a lot of time.Thank you for the chance 馃檪

  4. Vehicle pick up would be great, I shop mostly for my nephews and nieces but that’s still a lot of children’s clothes and items to buy.

  9. In vehicle returns and exchanges would be perfect for any easy fix when we change our mind about a color or size.

  11. I like the Cross Format pick up. I would be nice to shop at both stores and not have to run around town looking for something that they fell in love with. Thank you!

  12. I really like the pick up service! You dont even have to get out the car anymore it really saves a lot of time!

  17. I like the in vehicle pick up so I don’t need to take out my grandchild from the car seat and put her back.

  20. The reserve it service would be great for us since we’re always in a hurry and on the run somewhere. I go just pick it up, easy peasy.

  23. I am really liking the exchange and return in 5 that would save a lot of time when back to school shopping and grabbing the wrong size

  24. My kids are so different when it comes to clothes. My daughter could care less of what she is wearng and my son definetly needs to have his say in the wordrobe choice

  27. I would love the Reserve It service by Sears, reserving clothes online to try on is great!

  36. The in vehicle pick up is awesome. That would definitely make my life a lot easier.

  37. These are great tips! Allowing the kids to have a say so in what is bought is always important! The Reserve It Service sounds great! I have to have my kids try on their clothes before buying them.

  39. My biggest tip for back to school shopping is definitely the list! We go through all the clothes before we even start and make a list of what is NEEDED. then allow 1-2 wants. But needs always come first.
    Man, I love that vehicle pick up idea from Sears! That would save me a TON of time with 3 kids in tow and being 8 months pregnant- I don’t move very quickly lately.

  41. I wish I had a say in what clothes I could wear when it was back to school time. We had uniforms, so it was a given what we’d wear.

  45. Setting a budget is so important for back to school shopping. We have been collecting things all summer. I will have two kids in college starting in September.

  51. What dapper young men you have there, they’re more stylish than most of the adult men I know! Canyon River is such a wonderful brand, I’ll have to remember they have a selection of clothing for young men.

  54. I think it’s important for kids to get the chance to pick out there own things that they like, and to be able to love it too! Great post!

  55. I love shopping online, or at least seeing whats available or on sale before I hit the store. My kids are super young, so my tip is to shop while they sleep – that way I don’t get held up !

  58. I love the idea of making a list before going shopping. This is something I do with groceries, but never thought about it for school wardrobe shopping. I’ll definitely put that into action.

  60. We just finished back to school shopping. I love the tips you gave especially the one where they get to have a say. I think kids should have a say in what they have to wear as long as it is school friendly.

  61. I really like the Reserve It service by Sears That will make it so much easier.

  62. The Reserve It service would definitely make things easier! Thanks for the chance!

  63. In like the in vehicle pickup, it a great idea to have your items taken to your car.

  64. The In-Vehicle Pickup, Return and Exchange would save me a lot of time and energy!

  66. These are great tips! I get guilted into buying backpacks even when they are in great shape. I like the free shipping or the vehicle service.

  67. I like the Reserve It Service! This would cut down on the time in the store! My kids get bored shopping very quickly!

  68. I love Shop Your Way Rewards. It’s awesome that you can get rewards from both stores and earn points to use as money. Plus I have received Surprise points in the past and that is the best! It’s awesome to go to the register and find out you are getting an unexpected discount!

  70. I prefer to go to the store and do my shopping myself. So the two services described would not be for me.

  74. I like the reserve it service because I can save time in the store & try on clothes as soon as I get to the store.

  79. I love the reserve feature. It would save so much time going in and just trying on clothes that I’ve already picked out for them. Thanks for letting me know about this. Thank you!

  81. saves me a lot of time & convenience by ordering online & having the option to pick-up in-store

  86. Just wanted you to k now I ewnenjoy your blog but I have extreme difficulty in it loading refreshing and copying and pasting more so than any other blog I visit

  89. Which of the Sears services would help make your back to school shopping easier?

    i dont have kids,im not a kid,but the reserve it could come in handy for other things..thanks

  91. It would help me by getting free shipping and not having to shop in person to avoid all the people .

  96. I like the Reserve it Service.
    No worrying about out of stock.
    thank you

  101. The delivery between Kmart and Sears is fantastic. Item sent to your local store waiting for pckup. Sanes gas and delivery charges.

  103. I love that you can order online and arrange for free store pickup. I didn’t know that you could even do in-vehicle pickup — what a wonderful service for those with small children!

  113. The Reserve It service would really make my back to school shopping experience better.

  116. Definitely the In-Vehicle pick-up, which would save us the hassle of finding parking and waiting in long lines!

  117. Me, what feature would I like best? Vehicle pickup. I hate hate hate shopping. Really hate it. I would love to just let them pick online and go fetch it. How nice.

  122. I think the Reserve It feature would be great. That way you’re not going to the store for something they don’t have.

  123. I love the Reserve It feature! That way you don’t have to worry about it being out of stock before you can see it in the store!

  126. I LOVE the idea of reserve it. Shop online and then go try on? That sounds like a dream come true for ME and the kids!

  128. Love that they have the vehicle pick up service. How much easier could it be to shop.

  132. The Reserve It service by Sears would make back to school shopping for my grandkids so much easier.

  133. I like the Reserve It Service Sears offers. I know my kids would want to try them on before I purchase anything, so being able to save time and (pretty much) go straight to the dressing rooms would make life easier.

  134. The Reserve It service by Sears sounds like the best for helping with back to school shopping. I Just head online and reserve my favorite styles then head in-store to have the items held aside for me to pick up! This saves a lot of time!!!

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