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For soon-to-be parents, pregnancy often feels like the best time of their lives. For the woman, there is great anticipation for the arrival of her bouncing baby, and for her husband, there is the promise of the feeling of being a dad. Both share in the excitement that mounts as her stomach grows and look forward to sharing the journey of parenthood with their child. Neither is really worried about kids clothing and other future concerns.

For all parents, babies are a promise of joy and love. However, there is some naivet that comes with the excitement. Until their child is born, many don’t really consider just what raising their son or daughter will cost. The additional expenses take many by surprise and their lack of knowledge in being able to handle them only makes the situation worse.

Clothes are one of the most noteworthy of all the new costs there are to cover. Even before they’re in regular clothes, children have to wear diapers, which add up very quickly. Then consider having to buy all types of clothing later on, and things can easily be overwhelming. If you feel unprepared, here are some tips to save money on clothes.

Above all, you need to set a budget. This is determined by such things as how much money you make, how much you can afford to set aside specifically for clothes, and how many kids you have. Of course, there are other things to consider as well, and the unexpected can happen any time, so in addition to everything else, always be prepared.

One big way to save money depends on where you shop. Discount clothing stores can offer items at a 45% to 75% discount and usually specialize in items just as nice as the ones in regular stores. The clothes found at second-hand clothing stores aren’t always of the same quality, but they’re usually in good shape and the stores are easy to find. Follow their example in your family and have older kids give clothes to younger ones.

If you want to shop in department stores, though, there are other things you can do. Closeout sales usually have things from struggling factories or overstocked items that they now offer very cheap. Other such discounts aren’t always shown in ads, but often apply to items sold in bulk.

Shopping sales will teach you that timing is key. Likewise, some online retailers will offer coupons limited to a certain time period. Certain times of year bring savings on all sorts of items at all stores. The months of September, November, and December are the ones you should mark off in your calendar as the best times to shop for kids clothes.

Lastly, as difficult as it might be, you really need to ignore your kids’ pressure to buy them what’s in style. The latest clothes are more expensive and the cost just isn’t worth it. Just like the styles before them, these fads will be gone in a few months and those clothes you spent so much on will be cast aside in favour of whatever things are next to be popular.