This post is brought to you by Jessika Cullett, a reader, writer, and mother…this is the first of what I hope is many posts sent in from the loyal audience of So Over This. I want you as the reader to feel empowered and enthusiastic about telling us your story! If you want your story presented to thousands of people, send it on in 
I’m a mother of a 2, and 4 year old girl, as well as an almost 6 year old boy. I now work at a University but for many years I worked at a name brand children’s retail store. Nothing makes me cringe more than the “declined” pop-up of an unsuccessful attempt to use a credit card. I’ve heard every excuse under the sun. I just know I have a trillion dollars in there I have no idea why it’s not going thru it must be YOUR SYSTEM…. Ummm… NO. Or how about this excuse,well my husband, boyfriend, neighbors best friends dog must have used my credit card and not told me. No. What it really must be is that you are living beyond your means and your kid doesn’t NEED you to buy them FOUR outfits for $95.62. Store associates can tell, you aren’t kidding them with your excuses and you just don’t look cool holding up the line using 5 different credit cards and $10 in cash to pay for your transaction.
All this, for what? To keep up with the Jones’? To make yourself feel good? So your kid can be the coolest one on the block? Let me guess it’s because your kid’s need clothes (that’s the excuse I’ve heard from TONS of people even friends and co-workers that have shared their credit card misfortunes with me)…. But not clothes that are making you broke, being broke and living beyond your means doesn’t impress anyone! To me this just doesn’t make sense. Trust me I feel you. I like nice clothes too. I buy mostly name brands for my kids because they just last longer and hold up better, they aren’t falling apart after one use. I get it. But I will tell you I happily clothed BOTH of my kids for under $250 for an ENTIRE years worth of clothing last year, and that was including coats and jackets, Spring, Summer, Winter, Fall…. And then I turned around and sold all that stuff for more than what I bought it for. How you might ask? Smart shopping.
Yardsales, second-hand shops, Ebay, and clearance are my best friend. Last year I bought my son a coat and snowsuit together on clearance at the end of the year for $5. BRAND NEW. No, I’m not kidding you. And guess what? Not a single person knows that I didn’t pay $100 for it. People aren’t looking at my son saying OMG that only cost $5, your Mom didn’t pay full price! So in the end I bought two. Because let’s face it my son can’t keep anything clean for longer than 10 minutes. But next year when it doesn’t fit anymore I’ll be able to turn around and sell it for at LEAST what I paid and probably more.
I love Gymboree, I can’t deny it but their price tags are something I cannot deal with. So I shop clearance (extreme clearance I have found things for $2, you can too) and Ebay, second-hand and yardsales. I recently bought my daughter a full outfit secondhand for $2, shirt, jacket, pants. Yardsales are great for finding your favorite name brands. Most people mark their kids clothes between .25-$3 you can find a complete wardrobe for a season for $20 or less if you shop smart. Plus don’t be afraid to ask for a deal. If I’m at a yardsale and I like a bunch of items I ask, “hey will you take X amount for all these?”. Usually they say yes or they will bargain with you.
Ask around to see what the best second-hand stores are in your area, chances are somebody you know already knows which ones are good and which aren’t. One of the stores in my town sells kids clothing for $1. Doesn’t matter what it is, what brand or if it’s a complete outfit or not its $1. Every few months they have a buy one get one free sale. Can’t beat that!
Don’t be tempted to make yourself broke buy the last most expensive fashions. Firstly, your children don’t care. Lastly, nobody will be impressed when you can’t pay your bills. Happy shopping!