My oldest child is starting Abbott preschool in Hoboken this week, and I just realized she doesn't have any clothes.

The situation isn't quite as dire as it sounds. At the end of each season, I buy clothing several sizes up on clearance. In this manner, I have stocked up on Tea jeans in sizes 3T, 4T, and 5T at Bellie and Katrina, Italian designer down coats at Ciao Belly, adorable embroidered tanks at Gymboree, and Naturino shoes for the next four years, after Shoephoria went out of business. I also load up on play clothing like Cherokee long- and short-sleeved tees - great for playing in the dirt at Pier A or painting in school - when Target applies the red sales stickers marking them down under $3.

In addition, we inherit a variety of designer hand-me-down clothes from relatives and family friends each year, so there was no risk of my daughter starting school in her flimsy and inadequate summer camp wardrobe. However, last year's end-of-season bargain hunting left sizeable wardrobe gaps, plus it was hard to predict exactly how clothes would fit that far in advance (my two-year-old had a growth spurt over the summer that made him jump 1.5 pants sizes since last spring). It was time to head to the mall.

As a stay-at-home mom on a limited budget, my general clothing strategy is to shop early or late. Pre-season sales offer the pick of new items, and end-of-season sales involve steep discounts to clear out stock to make room for the next season's inventory. I typically average discounts of 20 to 30 percent on pre-season items and 50 to 75 percent on end-of-season sale garments. I also like discount stores such as Kohl's for year-round savings, although the racks tend to get picked clean very quickly at this time of year, when everyone is starting school.

I have had good luck with online sales at Janie and Jack and Gilt Groupe, and my mom was able to pick up a designer down coat 40 percent off at the local ski shop. I also got $125 in Gymbucks that I will use to complete the winter wardrobes for both kids when they become valid next month. I'm also on the mailing list for my favorite retailers, such as Gymboree and the Children's Place (they carry the only 100% cotton footed sleepers that don't cut off my kids' circulation) that regularly send out coupons.

I went to Short Hills Mall over the Labor Day weekend and was pleasantly surprised to find a Gymboree promotion for 30 percent off everything I could fit in a large shopping bag. Stacked with clearance items already 20 percent off, plus a 20 percent mailer, that added up to some serious savings. The Gymboree boys clearance section is almost always picked clean, so I was only able to find a few tops for my son, but I hit the mother lode for my daughter. With an array of leggings, embroidered long-sleeved tops, and underwear, we are in great shape for the fall. We even have a start on deep winter and summer wardrobes.

To read more about what makes Kathy Zucker tick, check out her blog at http://hobokenmomcondo.com/momblog and follow her at http://twitter.com/kathyzucker.