Clothing growing kids can cost a fortune, especially if you want them to look stylish and neat--and who doesn't? But when you're sacrificing one income to stay home with your children, it isn't always possible to buy adorable outfits from department stores or out of those colorful catalogs stuffed in your mailbox.

Fortunately, your kids don't have to run around looking like ragamuffins, even if your clothing budget is minuscule. With a few new bargain-hunting skills under your belt, your children can parade around in beautiful clothes, and you can enjoy the peace that comes from knowing you haven't overspent on clothes they’ll quickly outgrow.

Along with the classic bargain-hunting strategies of thrift store and garage sale shopping, you can add a few more. If you have a group of friends with varying ages of children (family or friends from the neighborhood, church, or playgroups are good sources) you can start a clothing coop. And if you have Internet access you have access to some pretty great closeout prices from major manufacturers, the same manufacturers that send you those catalogs with the overpriced, adorable clothes.

A clothing coop consists of a group of people with children of varying ages. If you have brothers or sisters with children, you can start a clothing coop within your own family. If you don’t, or if your family lives far away, you can start one among your friends in the neighborhood or at church. The clothing gets passed around as the kids outgrow them. Everyone takes responsibility for keeping the clothes clean and in good repair.

The key to a successful clothing coop is organization. If the clothes are organized by gender and age and kept somewhere accessible, the rest should be easy. The easiest way I’ve found to keep kids’ clothes organized is to separate the clothes into piles and then store them in bags or, better yet, plastic storage boxes. Label them by size and gender: 2T Boy, 3-6 month Girl, 5/6 Boy, etc. Once your organization system is established, just rotate the clothes among your group as the children need them. With so much wear and tear, you’ll probably need to go through the clothing between kids and throw out any that are worn out before they get to the next kid.

You needn’t feel obligated to throw all of your kids’ clothing into the coop basket. You’ll have some sentimental ones you’ll want to make sure stay in good repair. But if you’re feeling like all of your kids’ clothing is too precious to share with the cousins or neighbors, you may want to step back and reevaluate your motives in dressing your kids. If you convey to your kids the message that “you are what you wear,” especially in regards to designer labels, clothing may well become a status item before you know it. And in the long run (especially in the teenage years), you can pay a hefty price for those status duds you may have unintentionally conditioned them to crave.

If the coop options seems like too much work, consider buying closeouts to save money on your clothing budget. Although Internet access isn’t necessary for finding closeouts, many manufacturers use the Internet as their main way of getting rid of overstocks, closeouts, and off-season items. Unfortunately, you usually have to pay for shipping when you order over the Internet, but this added cost may not seem much when you consider the deep discounts, the gas money you save by staying home, and, of course, the convenience.

How do you find these precious overstocks and closeouts? There are several ways. Try different keywords on any of the Internet search engines: discount clothing, closeouts, overstocks, last season, etc. You will probably come up with thousands of sites, some of which are not directed to public consumers. Another, perhaps faster and more direct route to the good stuff is to go to some of your favorite manufacturers. Think of the catalogs you love to thumb through but never actually buy anything from.

Land’s End, for instance, has a well-done section on their website specifically for overstocks. Oftentimes, their selections are off-season, but it never hurts to stock up for shorts in December for the following summer. You’ll be ahead of the game. And the Land’s End site will actually send you updates to their overstock list if you really want to get ahead of the game. The Bugle Boy site has an excellent clearance section, which includes men’s and women’s clothing as well as boys’.

Some sites sell discounted clothing from many different retailers. Bluefly offers deep discounts, from 30 to 60% off retail prices. And you don’t have to scour the clearance racks of eight different stores while dragging three tired kids around with you. It’s definitely worth looking into.

I’ve also found that some sites, the Gymboree site being one, will offer free shipping during certain times of the year. If you will be purchasing many items at one time, back-to-school shopping perhaps, you might want to look around for a free-shipping offer.

As you can see, the Internet holds many possibilities for bargain hunting for your growing children. Do some surfing yourself and see what other good deals you can find. New websites pop up daily, and so do the bargains.

Between clothing coops, Internet closeouts and overstocks, and the old traditional thrift stores and garage sales, you should be able to clothe your kids for a fraction of the cost the retailers would have you spend. And your efforts in saving money on their clothing not only teaches them the value of money and the frivolity of always buying top-of-the-line, but it allows you to stay home from a full-time job and give them the most precious gift of all: You.