Finding Spring Wardrobe Bargains!

These are from Skylars Candy Clips on Etsy, Easter Bunny is putting one of these in Myah's basket!

With the economy the way it is I know we are all getting creative with our purchases. Trying to stretch our dollar as far as we can. I have always been a pretty thrifty shopper and I use LOTS of restraint when it comes to buying clothing for Myah. It just so happens that Myah has outgrown just about everything she owns right down to her little ruffle socks. So I have had to put "buying clothes for our naked daughter" into our budget this spring. I have had some "should be illegal because it is so much" fun scouring the local children's stores for budget friendly purchases. Here are the fruits of my labor! I am very lucky to have a nice outlet mall near me. I can find very good deals at the G*ap Kids outlet if I wait long enough. I loved this collection last spring at the G*ap, usually the following year Ga*p Outlet will have what was in their mall stores this time last year, I purchased the sunflower dress last year and it still fits her ( I buy things big so I can hopefully squeeze out 2 seasons of wear) so I was able to build a wardrobe off of things she already has. I love buying clothing in a collection because I can really mix and match and come up with several different outfits. This madras plaid collection at G*ap was also a favorite of mine last year, I have a hard time buying thing the first time around when I know that next year it will be at least half the price at the outlet. I love this dress and plaid shorts, I found a matching hat too, she can wear the shorts with so many different colors of t shirts, I love finding pieces like that.

Lord have mercy, a Gymboree outlet just opened up at my outlet. I have gone to the one in Birch Run but now having one just 15 mintues away made my heart stop and I turned my car around so fast I left tire marks in the parking lot. I purchased the cute little cropped pants for $9 and paired them with the cutest little $6 shirt from Old Na*vy, I love buying hair accessories at the outlet too, such a savings! I have literally been in the Gymb*oree outlet and had the ladies mark stuff down to a dollar while I was there, now that is fun!

WalM*art has really stepped up their game lately, I have always had good luck finding cheap and adorable clothes there. (Tar*get too!)This season I could have bought everything! These sweet cotton dresses were $6 a piece! The shirt was $4 and the shoes were $10. I also bought a few rolls of polka dot ribbon so I can tie ribbons in her hair to match. I love all things polka dots! I also purchased a cute sweat suit for her but she was wearing it when I took these pictures.

Old N*avy has the cutest things right now and such good prices. I have found things for myselft there as well. Myah has outgrown just about everything she owns so we even needed a new rain coat and rain boots. I feel in love with this navy blue and white pattern. And the best bargain is their flip flops, right now they are 2 pair for $5! I bought her 6 pairs! And a good tip is to look in the boys section if they don't have the right colors you are looking for, of course I wanted pink and lime green but in the boys dept. I picked up navy, brown, red and orange! Same shoes as the girls!
*sorry these pics are so gloomy and dark, it was a very rainy day here!*

I also have picked up some great play clothes for her at mom to mom sales and resale stores. I found some really cute gingham shorts, and some super cute tops. I don't like to pay alot of money for Myah's clothes, for one, she outgrows everything so quickly, secondly, I want her to play like a 3 year old and not worry about her getting her clothes dirty, and lastly, I am cheap and like to get the most bang for my buck, especially in this economy! My goal this year is to learn to sew and make some things for her. I have seen some really cute things this year already on clearance so it is a good time to shop. Myah is a northern girl so we have to have a revolving wardrobe, clothes for all seasons, I try to find pieces that are good to layer and that she can wear all year long. I always invest in a good coat/jacket because she wears them every day, same with shoes, a few good pairs of basic black and brown in the winter and white and pink in the summer and we are good to go. I like to air dry her clothes as well, I find that with buying the cheaper brands it helps keep their colors bright. I also found a product called Color Catcher that I throw into the washing machine and it helps catch the colors so they don't bleed onto your other clothes. It is wonderful especially for items that are striped with white. A fun item to purchase now is big girl panties now that Myah is completely potty trained, yippee! I make sure to go through my kids clothing every so many months and weed out those things that they have outgrown, and give them away, this way I know what to keep my eye out for while shopping and it also keeps me from being impulsive and buying a cute dress because I know she has some in her closet that she hasn't even wore yet. It pays to shop early too, I find that up north here it is hard to find summer clothes during the summer, they are putting the fall/winter stuff out, so I find most of the spring/summer items early in the year, then I am not desperate and paying big bucks later on. I love to make alot of Myah's hair accessories, it is so much cheaper to buy some alligator clips at Sally Bea*uty supply and hot glue some cute ribbon, flowers and rhinestones to them than to buy them at boutiques. I do find some really good deals on Etsy though. Actually the Easter Bunny is bringing some really cute items that I found from Sklyar Candy Clips, she has good prices and I love the felt monogrammed pieces. She is really good to work with, tell her I sent ya! And of course you know that Matilda Jane has been a staple in Myah's wardrobe since we brought her home, I love Denise and am so glad that she has gotten so "huge". I don't buy alot of her pieces but usually will get one or two pieces a year, these clothes grow with Myah, the pants can become cropped and the dresses can become shirts while she grows, they are very generously cut and Myah needs that. My sister is having a trunk show on Monday if you are interested let me know.

Well, that is Myah's spring/summer wardrobe in a nutshell, now if only the weather would cooperate!

I bought the brown one on top and also ordered a monogrammed one for her! Love them!