Ballin' On A Budget: Streetwear Find At Walmart!

Our kids don't ever have to worry about getting teased, "your mom dresses you funny".  I think the proof is in the pictures.  

Came across this super cute Garanimals crewneck at Walmart for $3.88!  The character is cute, colors are awesome and it reminds me of overpriced hipster/streetwear brands but for a fraction of the price.  Not sure what baby sizes it started at but we did see 12 months to 5T.  Duke is slim and fit in the 5T nicely.  

Get it for your little hypebeast!


Disclosure:  This is not a compensated post.

Ballin' on a Budget: Summer Swag

My teens are always shocked at the stuff we find thrifting and the super low prices... especially since we have found popular streetwear brands like Supreme and Obey.  Now there's an all around fascination and love for the sport in our family.

It's especially exciting for me because Ty is around the same age my brother got into thrifting and would drag me out shopping with him.  It was so fun!  I still remember finding a pair of vintage Levi's for a quarter and vintage Candie's heels for .90!   Those were the days!  Before it got so popular.  Before eBay.  Before consignment/boutique shops.

Ty (the 15 year old) wanted to go thrift shopping this weekend and was on the hunt for Hawaiian shirts and Bill Cosby sweaters for "Summer Swag".  He found 5 Hawaiian shirts and 2 Bill Cosby sweaters for a grand total of $17!

1.  Crooks & Castles beanie $9.99 - jackthreads.com
2. "Bill Cosby" sweater (actually vintage Sears) $3.98 - thrift store
3. Suede Vans (New!) $12 - thrift store

Do you have a budget for your kids Back-to-School shopping?  Do you still shop for them or you let them shop on their own?  Do you think your kids would like "used" clothes?

Ballin' on a Budget.

My husband Chris and I are bargain hunters. Most of the kids clothes were bought on sale, thrifted or found gently used on eBay. We splurge on the good stuff too, don't get me wrong.

A couple weeks ago I got a good look at Duke's Vans that we bought at the beginning of the school year and noticed they were so beat up. We asked him if he wanted a new pair of Vans but of course, he wanted a pair of Jordans just like his Daddy. Chris was all for it but I wondered if he would really allow our 6 year old to go to school in a pair of $65 sneakers. It was also in the back of my head that these Jordans were $65! It was hard to swallow but Duke deserved 'em and the Vans had put in a lot of work during the past 5 months.

Here are some of our tips for ballin' on a budget:

• Shop eBay or Amazon - most items have FREE Shipping and NO Tax. This is our go-to places when shopping for items we can't find in our area or for items that are hard to find.
• Check out your local Thrift Stores once or twice a week! Good thrift stores replenish their stock daily and most people believe in recycling, reusing and repurposing so there are some amazing things to be found!
• Discount Department Stores like Marshalls, TJ Maxx and Ross are great for finding brands names at up to 50% off!

What Duke wore:

Hoodie is Paul Frank - $3.95 at a local thrift store.

Chicago Bulls t-shirt is Old Navy - $3.50 on eBay.

Jeans are Levi's - $12.99 new at Marshalls.

Sneakers are Jordan 3 Retro (Black Cement) - $65 new on eBay. (We went to a local sneaker shop and these were priced at $69 before tax. $65 with free shipping and no tax was a steal!)

There is no reason for your kids to look crappy and for you to break the bank! Hope these tips bring out the smart shopper in you!

Duke's First Day of Kindergarten

*moved from my old blog*

duke is wearing a paul frank hoodie ($12.99 from tj maxx), lego batman t-shirt ($7 from walmart), H & M denim shorts ($9.99 from H&M) & vans ($23.99 from WSS) - the only thing new are his vans.

that's our boy!  this day was harder for C & i than it was for him.  i'm proud of us though, we didn't cry when he waved bye to us.  in fact, it's like he didn't even want us there - i took out my camera to take pictures of him while waiting with his classmates and he gave me a look and kept waving me off.  it was funny. duke was in a private preschool 2 whole days a week for a year so he is somewhat used to school life.  he's a really picky eater so we packed him a lunch but when we picked him up he told us he ate the cafeteria lunch of nachos, a banana and milk - he was so proud and so were we!!!  this is a huge step! we had a set of rules & reminders that we kept going over with him:

• don't say "crap"
• listen to your teacher
• make sure you eat at lunch because there's no snack time like in preschool
• if you take off your hoodie, put it in your backpack
• don't forget your lunch bag - put it in your backpack
• talk to your classmates, don't do all the talking yourself
• listen to your teacher!

it is going to take some getting used to for all of us.  from what he told us, he likes his teacher and he had a good day... & so did we, C & i had a nice lunch out together.  enjoy parenting & teach your kids to enjoy their little lives! r

disclosure: duke's back to school outfit was purchased entirely with our own money.