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Thrifted Back-To-School Clothes

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Thrifted Back to School Clothing

Here is my annual reminder that you CAN shop differently this season! You can buy your kids thrifted back-to-school clothes which is good for the environment and your budget!

Thrifted Back to School Clothes
The Spirited Mini is beautiful indeed and I’m teaching her to make beautiful choices by buying thrifted back-to-school clothes.

Why buy thrifted back-to-school clothes?

Fall (or “Fall” in Houston) feels like a time for new beginnings, doesn’t it? It’s the perfect opportunity to make the switch to slow fashion and instead of buying new fast fashion clothing for your kids, get them thrifted back-to-school clothes. This is NOT about money and getting the lowest price. Fast fashion clothes for kids can be very cheap and tempting, but when we see clothing in regular retail stores that is so inexpensive, we must ask ourselves: who is paying the cost that I’m not? Unless I am 100% sure of the ethics and sustainability of a brand, I’d rather pay more than the back-to-school sale price and get my kids slow fashion clothing.  Imagine your kids making those clothes… That should help you to make the switch to thrifted.

Thrifted Back-to-School Clothes
As funny as he thinks this shirt is, the truth is that fast fashion is EVERYONE’s problem. The global garment industry is simply not sustainable so we will have to make different choices sooner or later. I choose sooner.

Thrifted Clothes for Back-to-School

Just like with any second hand item, only thrift clothes that are in excellent condition. You do not have to settle for drab, worn out, out-of-style clothing for you or for your kids! You might have to make more than one stop to find what you need, but is that inconvenience worth it to ensure you are not adding to the global devastation of the fast fashion industry? I think so.

Hollie McNish poetry

Here’s what I did this year, just like in years past:

  1. went through my kids’ clothing, coats, and shoes with them to determine what they’ve outgrown and what they need
  2. donated or passed on anything in good condition that the kids have outgrown
  3. made a list of what they need
  4. went thrift shopping 

I ended up having to make two stops at Goodwill in order to find enough sport shorts for my boys. I chose Goodwill because it was closest to me and I knew it would have a decent selection for kids. You could also look at Poshmark, Swap.com and Thred Up for kids’ second hand clothing. In Houston (all of Texas??), this weekend is the Tax Free Weekend and as far as I know, thrift stores are included, so if you haven’t shopped yet for back-to-school clothing, now is a good time to go. A word about thrifted shoes: you can thrift shoes but, in my experience, it’s hard to find running shoes in good condition for kids at the thrift store. My kids have not outgrown their latest runners so we just didn’t buy any for Fall. We will wait till they outgrow or wear out the ones they have, then replace them – and if we can’t find shoes second hand, I will make the best choice I can in terms of an ethical, sustainable shoe brand. It’s about progress, not perfection.

The Thrifted Back-to-School Clothes Slide Show

Okay, it’s not a slide show. But here are the clothes my kids picked out for school:

Thrifted Back-to-School Clothes
My oldest son is in middle school and doesn’t really care what he wears or what others think of what he wears which is AWESOME. He likes funky tees to wear with the sport shorts he sports every dang day minus about 2 days in February. (Houston is hot y’all.)
Thrifted Back to School Clothes
He was running low on tees and we had to look in the men’s section. MY BABY IS GROWING UP!
Thrifted Back-to-School Clothes
This is from some video game.
Thrifted Back-to-School Clothes
My son also wants justice in every disputable manner with his siblings, but that’s another matter.
Thrifted Back-to-School Clothes
He passed on this which broke my little science-nerd heart. I suppose it was a bit big on him.
Thrifted Back-to-School Clothes
He found one button-up top for “dressy” occasions when one can’t wear a t-shirt. It’s rare, but it happens.
Thrifted Back-to-School Clothes
My middle son with the totally natural smile didn’t really need anything besides pajama pants and a couple pairs of shorts which we got (but didn’t photograph). He doesn’t mind wearing hand-me-downs from his bro. But the kid is sporty and so nabbed this Texans tee.
Thrifted Back-to-School Clothes
My Spirited Mini also didn’t need much but likes to have “new” pieces – I have no idea where she gets that from! She did need some longer shorts to abide by the school dress code and her tees were getting a bit small. Who could pass up this mustard floral print?!! I wish I had one just like it!
Thrifted Back-to-School Clothes
Love these floral shorts in new condition!
Thrifted Back-to-School Clothes
She also needed some dresses without spaghetti straps as per the school dress code. I cannot say no to thrifted dresses!!!!
Thrifted Back-to-School Clothes
Such a cute style!! Again, wish I had one!
Thrifted Back-to-School Clothes
Last but not least, a Buc-ees tee to wear for jammies. It’s a Texas thing!

Like I mentioned above, I also got the boys some sport shorts and pajama pants. One advantage of living in Texas is that there’s basically one season so our clothes can be worn year-round with a few long-sleeve/pants days here and there. BUT before we moved, I thrifted their winter clothing too.

I hope this inspires you to look to second hand stores to get thrifted back-to-school clothes for your kids! And you *might* just find something for you too!

xoxo Nicole

Thrifted Back-to-School Clothes
It jumped in my cart! Was meant to be!

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Thrifted Back-to-School Clothing

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