For many kids, pants means jeans. The lowest-priced jeans we found for both boys and girls were Walmart's Faded Glory brand, at $9.92 for girls and $10.92 for boys.
The cheap kids jeans come in light and dark washes and many different fits, including skinny, flare, boot cut, and loose. Some are also frayed or embellished. Kmart Basic Edition jeans cost $9.99 for girls and $14.99 for boys. Old Navy kids jeans are $19.50 for one pair or two pairs for $30. Sears' Canyon River Blues jeans are priced as low as $17.99 for boys and $16.98 for girls. Regardless of price, no store came close to the selection of cheap kids jeans found at JC Penney ($26.99 for girls and $20.99 for boys), which seems to have every style, fit, and wash imaginable for both genders.
Looking beyond cheap kids jeans, we found plenty of shorts, gym shorts, and dress pants (khakis and slacks) for boys and shorts, skirts, and dresses for girls (both everyday dresses and fancy dresses).
We saw a wide range of prices for boys, with gym shorts generally the cheapest, followed by shorts and dress pants, which have about the same price point. The cheapest gym shorts we saw were Target's Cherokee brand, for a mere $3.99, and Walmart's Starter brand gym shorts for $4. JC Penney has the most expensive gym shorts: $19.99 for a brand called Simply for Sports. The cheapest jean and khaki shorts we saw were Kmart's Basic Edition brand for $5.98, and the most expensive were Union Bay brand at Kohl's for $34. As far as dress pants go, Target's Cherokee brand costs only $7.99, followed closely by Walmart's Faded Glory dress pants for $8.92. Both stores boast huge selections. Kohl's offers an even larger selection of dress pants for boys, starting at $32, while the most expensive dress pants we found were JC Penney's Arizona brand for $36.99.
For girls, shorts and skirts tend to be cheaper than dresses, although prices vary depending on how fancy a dress is. The lace, silk, and other embellishment that make some dresses more suitable for church, weddings, concerts, and holidays also make them more expensive than cotton or sweater dresses that are more for day-to-day wear. We found fancier dresses only at Kohl's, JC Penney, and Sears. JC Penney offers a decent selection for the lowest prices, starting at $24.99. In casual dresses Kmart's Basic Edition is cheapest, at $9.99, followed by Walmart's Faded Glory, at $13.50. Walmart has the cheapest shorts and skirts, at around $6 for the Faded Glory brand. Old Navy charges $6.50 for shorts but $16.94 for skirts, while Basic Edition shorts and skirts are both $6.99 at Kmart. Although Kohl's seems a bit pricey for dress clothes -- $32 for boys pants, $26 for Sonoma skirts, and $48 for My Michelle dresses -- shoppers we talked to find it the best option for high quality and a large selection.
One word -- uniforms. JC Penney has every imaginable uniform item your child would need for low prices that happen to be compatible with high quality. In fact, selection is good in most categories at this venerable department store, although prices can creep up on you. As for quality, the Arizona brand ranks up there with the best when comparing T-shirts, hoodies, and polo shirts. Customers say JC Penney is a convenient place to shop, especially if they need to buy uniforms.
Kmart offers shoppers something of a mixed bag. Although jeans are well-priced and sturdy, most tops seem a bit flimsy. Customers seem split in their opinions of Kmart. One mom told us the quality of the cheap kids clothes seems to have improved over the past few years, while others say they don't shop at Kmart because of the flimsy materials used to make the clothing. In addition, the return policy is quite strict.
Frugal shoppers say Kohl's offers a wide range of high-quality brands for low prices. While the store placed as the most expensive in our shopping cart test, the coupons and in-store discounts are impressive and help lower prices drastically. In our review of cheap kids clothes, we found that Kohl's kids dress clothes, including dresses and pants, surpass the rest with a large selection of items that should last a while. Plus, the return policy is unbeatable -- completely hassle-free, meaning you can return just about anything at any time with or without a receipt.
Excellent quality jeans and polo shirts at affordable prices make Old Navy a top store brand. This retailer also boasts the greatest assortment of styles in outerwear that we saw while shopping toward the end of July. Consumers seem to like Old Navy; they say the budget kids clothes are well-priced and right up there with the latest fashion trends. One arena where Old Navy flags is its return policy. In certain situations you can only get a store credit mailed to you rather than receiving it on the spot. We also found a very limited selection of budget kids shoes, and pajamas are available only online.
Everything you need for your child's back-to-school wardrobe can be found in-store at Sears. That's right -- from underwear to uniforms and everything in between, it's all there. But you may pay slightly higher prices for the one-stop-shopping convenience. Still, consumers don't have any complaints about shopping at Sears.
Target outshines the competition in budget kids shoes. It boasts an outstanding selection at very low prices and several shoppers laud the quality. Cheap kids tops also seem to be a good value at Target; fabric used in the Cherokee brand seems quite durable. Most customers seem satisfied with Target's back-to-school options and consider the return policy easy to work with. On the downside, we found a limited selection in certain categories, such as uniforms, pajamas, and dress clothes.
In our shopping cart test of cheap kids clothes, Walmart was the clear winner with the lowest total: $218.36. The store also came out on top in the jeans and underwear match-ups. In jeans, Walmart offers the lowest prices for relatively high quality; the durable fabric is unlikely to rip or fray easily. Many retailers carry the same brands of panties and briefs, training bras, socks, undershirts, and tights, but Walmart sells them at the lowest prices. Customers seem to like Walmart as a place to stock up on these basic items.
The more you know about a graduate's plans for the future, the easier it is to come up with a cheap graduation gift. However, the suggestions below should work for most any grad and cost less than $25.