Part 3: The Production

Making a movie is a lot of work compared to the one hour and fifty five minutes it takes to watch it. Hundreds of hours and months of time go into planning and preparing the costumes before filming even begins. Regardless of big budgets or small, a good shopper makes the most of her time and funds she’s given. Most moms, when it comes to shopping for their kids, want to do the same. Allow me to show you how to save money, reduce the stress, utilize your time and feel confident about every purchase you make. Follow these few tips and you will soon be shopping like any stylist and both you and your kids will love the results!

During production, time is money. It is no cliché. When you’re closing down busy streets, using one-of-a-kind equipment, paying hundreds of extras to wait and incurring thousands of hours of overtime, a production can only survive if it knows where to spend money and where to save. Here are some useful tips you can implement into your own mini-production by making back to school shopping a blockbuster, instead of a horror show.

“ Super Smart Shop ’n Save”

Super Shopping means getting what you need all at one time. The idea is to purchase all of your items in one excursion in order to save time, energy, and, most importantly, money. Armed with your list, you know what you need, the right styles and where to get them, so without any wasted time (or anything else), you can actually super shop everything you need. Normally you might vacillate over purchases, put things on hold, and wander around contemplating or feeling unsure about the amount you have spent. Super shopping allows you make purchases confidently because you have done your homework. Doing it all at once lets you mix and match items you have purchased in other stores along with keeping a running tally in your mind of how much you have spent. This prevents trickle shopping, which is where you buy a bit here and there over a period of time. Small amounts spent trickle shopping quickly add up and are hard to keep track of.  This can lead to over-spending and not always remembering what you bought and still need to purchase.

Smart Shopping is about picking multi-purpose items so they can be used transitionally from one season to the next. Cargo pants that become shorts, jackets with removable sleeves, fleece liners, detachable hoods and layered items will last longer if they can be worn more than one way.

Make sure you are reading the labels for fabrics that last, don’t need special washing procedures and are conducive to kids at play.
Properties of cotton:
1)    It is soft and comfortable.
2)    It wrinkles easily.
3)     It absorbs perspiration quickly.
4)     It has good colour retention and is good to print on.
5)     Cotton is also strong and durable.

Properties of wool:
1)    It is hard wearing and absorbs moisture.
2)    It does not burn over a flame but smoulders instead.
3)    It is lightweight and versatile.
4)    Wool does not wrinkle easily.
5)    It is resistant to dirt and wear and tear.

Properties of nylon:
1)    It is strong and elastic.
2)    It is easy to launder.
3)    It dries quickly.
4)    It retains its shape.
5)    It is resilient and responsive to heat setting.

Properties of polyester:
1)    It is resists wrinkling.
2)    It is easy to launder.
3)    It dries quickly.
4)    It is resistant to stretching and shrinking.

When items don’t last, look ratty after one wearing, or get destroyed in the wash, it just wastes your time and money. Knowing what lasts or what your kids like to wear next to their skin will make a garment a favorite and worth purchasing.

Taking garments you already own with you so you can match and co-ordinate with new items is a real must. Blacks, navys, pinks and purples are never the same and if you have an odd color that never gets worn because you have nothing to go with it, having it on hand will increase the chances of finding something to match.

If you do lean towards unique colors and specific designs for your kids, do yourself a favor and purchase the coordinating pieces. Too often just buying a top or bottom in something distinctive leaves it unworn because nothing from any other stores goes with it. Designers usually plan their collections with many pieces in the same or matching color; stores will then buy the most popular items from that collection. If you like just one piece and get nothing to go with it, put it back.  It’s not a smart buy.

Never purchase anything on sale that you wouldn’t buy at full price. Don’t let the discounts fog your focus and have you buying things you don’t need or like. When I shopped for a movie there was usually a big budget, so looking at the price tag became unimportant. That made deciding to purchase the garment based on the right style, color, size, and material. Today I use those same principles with my own shopping. Although I don’t have an unlimited budget, I look at the price last, first asking, “Do I like this?  Is it my style? What is it made of?  How does it fit?  Will I wear it?  Only then do I ask: How much does it cost?  This way you will never feel any buyer’s remorse once you get your purchases home.

Saving is the most fun part of shopping for me. I love getting a great deal at a great price and shopping for your kids is no exception. At the top of my “Ways To Save” list are end of season sales. I recently bought two t-shirts for my son, regularly priced $38.00, for $2.94 each and a $54.00 swim suit for $9.89. They were leftover summer stock, so I bought them a size larger to use next year. Plan your shopping near the sales so you can get great things for next year at an even better discount. Keep in mind what your child likes and dislikes in clothing, because no matter how cheap it is, it isn’t cheap enough if it never gets worn. I like to stick to things I know they will need and avoid anything too outrageous, as kids and styles change so quickly. A classic white shirt, summer dress, swim wear, sleepers, sweater and coats are pieces you know you will use so buying in advance can only save you time and money next year.

If you have a favorite store, get to know when they do their mark downs. GAP, for example, frequently mark down once new stock arrives. Within a very short time it is no longer full price, but now on sale and easily affordable.

Take advantage of scratch n’ saves, two-for-ones, or any kind of in-store special. Major department stores love to have big sales on almost every weekend. Watch the flyers, listen to the radio and get there early for the best selection. If you watch, you will be amazed at how easily you can save major amounts on promotional days.

More and more, stores are doing price adjustments for items that have gone on sale. In fact, many stores will do price adjustment up to 10 days after a purchase. Keep your receipt and check back to see if there has been a mark down. My best price adjustment was $83.00 just one day after my purchase. It may feel odd asking for an adjustment, but I like to think it becomes more dollars to spend.

Saving money does not mean having to scrimp on every purchase. I always spend more money on my kids’ jeans, coats, shoes and underwear. Reason is, they wear them often and they need to last. What use is it to buy cheap underwear that falls apart and contorts out of shape? I just end up throwing them away and buying more. Buy quality and it lasts. Shoes are important for healthy growing feet, and coats, obviously, to fight the elements. Spend the money on good pieces that you know will get a lot of wear, spend the money and then get the “cheap and cheerful” (common wardrobe term) for the fly-by-night fashions you know they will soon tire of.

It may seem like a lot of effort to put into a day of shopping, but all of us have felt the exhaustion and strain from a day at the mall with no success. Knowing what you want and going directly for it is a very simple and fundamental metaphysical law. I’m just applying it to shopping so you ideally have more fun with your kids doing what you really enjoy and more cash to do it with.

Follow up tomorrow for Part Four: The Wrap Party and see how it all wraps up.

JB