Particularly during a recession, it can be hard to afford all of the things that you need to purchase for your children and yourself. You have to pay the bills first, then buy food. By the time you have done all of that, your funds aren't looking so good. There are things that you can do to save money on clothing, though. You just have to be on the lookout for excellent deals.

The steps provided below will help you to save a significant amount of money on clothing. They will help you to live a more frugal life, and you will still be able to have fun while shopping for what you need.

1. The first step in saving more money on clothing is to have a good attitude about shopping. You and your children may all have difficulty adjusting to this at first, but soon you will be having as much fun shopping as you have ever had.
2. Speak with your children about your lack of enough money to shop the way you are used to. Discuss the advantages not only for your family, but for the environment. Talk about reusing, recycling, and reducing what we use, as well as how it is important to live a greener lifestyle.
3. Remember to mention that, if your children would like to continue to do something fun (like going to the movies once a month) then this is an important step in being able to continue to do so.
4. Go through your children's clothing, and sell anything they do not need. Do the same for yourself. Put the money made by selling these items into a clothing change jar to be used for 'new' clothing purchases.
5. If you have items left over from the sale, maybe you can trade for clothing your children can use. If not, why not consider giving the clothing items on Freecycle. This would come in handy later, if you need to request clothing on Freecycle.
6. Make a list for each person of clothing items that will be needed over the next year, for all seasons. Each person in the family can have their own page in a notepad. Keep this list in your purse at all times, along with a pen.

Now I am going to discuss where you can purchase items in order to be able to stretch for clothing budget. It is very important that you consider each of these venues equally:

1. Freecycle is a great place to acquire clothing. You should offer something to everyone first (those leftover articles of clothing from your yard sale). Then you can post the sizes of clothing that you are looking for. Give this at least three of four days, and you will likely hear from at least a few people.
2. Yard sales are your next step. You can often fill bags of clothing for $1.00 to $2.00, especially for babies and young children.
3. Thrift shops are also great places, as are consignment shops. The Bangor area has a few viable options, including a Goodwill store. The clothing in these places is often of good quality.
4. Dollar stores offer great buys on some under clothes, as well as some seasonal items like scarves, hats and gloves. Old Town has a Family Dollar store where you can purchase other types of clothing at reasonable prices.
5. Clearance sales are also helpful when trying to stay within a clothing budget. You will want to be able to purchase end of season and other clearance clothing when you can.
6. Be sure to use these same tactics when you are in Bangor's surrounding areas as well. For instance, Brewer has a Goodwill store as well. Old Town has thrift shops with nice clothing.

Here are some closing tips for a frugal shopping experience:

1. Small stains mean nothing on children's clothing. The clothing can be 1) used as play clothes, or 2) fixed to look new again by adding a small decorative feature to the clothing.
2. You can often purchase adult size tee shirts at yard sales for .25 or less. These make great night shirts for young boys and girls.
3. Be sure to have a clothing storage system for hand-me-downs and 'new' purchases.
4. Add more pages for each person in your notepad. These pages will consist of lists of necessities for the next few sizes of clothing for each person.