Hellobee

Earlier this week I received this email from Gap titled “10 Pieces, SO MANY Outfits.” I am a sucker for this type of advertising. I see a guide like that and I think, “Easy, stylish and no-thought needed to put it all together.” If I had a girl, my immediate reaction probably would have been to purchase all the pieces because of the simple yet fun the idea of mixing and matching. Although I love styling my son, I admit that if I had ways to do it without having to think about it, I probably would. Not only that, but it is cost-effective to know you can buy 10 pieces and create 20+ outfits. It’s resourceful.

I was disappointed Gap didn’t send out an email with the same premise but for boys. So I took that as a challenge! It was a little harder than I imagined to pull all these pieces together, and Gap didn’t have all the pieces I needed so I did pull from a few other brands. A main goal was to keep the cost around the same as it would be for the girls’ items, or lower.

In my guide I have 11 items, and the shoes are more expensive. Without any sale or discounts, the total cost for the 11 pieces in the guide is more than that for the girls. However, I will share some tips on how to find the items cheaper. Without further ado – the Mix & Match guide for Boys:

navy blazer | chambray | military jacket | gray cardigan | gray sweatshirt | striped tee

 jeans | neon jeans | sea glass jeans | converse | black boots

Every top can be paired with each pair of pants, and many can be layered. The chambray looks great under the gray sweatshirt paired with the sea glass or neon jeans. For really cool days, even adding either of the jackets would work. For warmer fall days, pair just the striped tee or chambray with any of the jeans and converse shoes. I love that these 11 pieces easily create 20+ outfits, and adding the jackets makes it nearly 30 outfits. Fall and winter is truly about layering, especially in a state like Minnesota where the weather can be so fickle and have a variance of up to 40 degrees within 24 hours.

As for the budget: the cost for the girls’ items featured in the Gap ad is $221.60 not including the pink purse and the first pair of shoes (I couldn’t find them on the website), and that is for 8 pieces. I counted about 20 possible outfits including the shoes. In addition since Gap often has sales of 30-35%, it’s possible to get the 8 pieces for much less.

The total cost for all 11 items in the boys’ guide is $290.10. However that includes an extra three pieces than the girls’ guide so the cost per item is lower. Now, I would never pay nearly $300 for only 11 items for my son. If you include a 35% Gap coupon that brings it down to $104.45 for the Gap items, and with the items not from Gap (both jackets and both shoes) we’re still at $129.41.

To save even more, here are my tips:

• Always, always, always shop Gap/Children’s Place/Carters/any other baby store with a coupon
• As you are on e-mail lists longer, you start to notice what is a good sale and what is a dime a dozen. For instance: Gap usually has some type of online sale at any given time. 20% off your online purchase is standard. 35% off your purchase is a very good sale, and still happens about 6x a year so it’s worth holding out for. The most I have ever seen is 40% off your purchase, but there is usually a minimum order amount. If you are willing to stock up, it’s worth it; especially considering orders over $50 earn free shipping.
• Locate the nearest Gap Baby outlet, sign up for their emails and check out their sales/clearance. Do the same for other outlets. The Children’s Place outlet has some of the best sales/coupons I’ve ever seen in baby retail. I have perused racks of season-end clearance and found tops for $2-$3 each and pants $5 each.
• Items like the gray cardigan are often carried by stores like Target and H&M for less than $10. I got J a gray cardigan last winter from H&M for $7.95.
• The same with the chambray: H&M usually carries a chambray shirt for $12.95, and I’ve seen them at Old Navy for less than $10.
• Locate the nearest Converse outlet: I bought J a pair of shoes on clearance at the Converse outlet for $15. In addition they have great black Friday sales. Old Navy also has great converse lookalikes for $14.
• I never pay full price for shoes from See Kai Run/Pediped or Stride Rite. Local baby shoe retailers often carry these shoes at lower prices. Or if you are on SKR/Pediped’s email list, they often send out notifications of sales such as BOGO 50% with free shipping over $30. Shoes are one of the only areas where I will pay $20-$30 a pair because quality shoes are important for the development of baby/toddler feet.
• Check out Plastic Jungle or similar gift card sites where you can purchase gift cards at up to 50% off. If you purchase a $20 Gap gift card for $10, that’s already a savings of 50% and then you can also use a coupon to save even more. Some sample sale sites such as Plum District, Living Social and Groupon also have those types of sales, however usually on lesser known brands/retailers.
• Check out local consignment and thrift stores to find gently use kids clothing. I personally like Once Upon a Child because they only accept nice clothing whereas thrift stores accept nearly everything. I also shop seasonal consignment sales such as JBF.

How do you keep costs low while shopping for kids/baby clothes?