Nov. 30--Every time the season changes, Glynda Bricker of College Station pulls boxes from the top of her closet and sorts through piles of clothes.

Like many other moms in the Brazos Valley, the 44-year-old mother of eight -- ranging in age from 2 to 20 years old -- looks to hand-me downs, thrift stores and sale racks to clothe all her children on a budget.

She said she seldom buys new clothes, but when she does, she never pays full price.

Bricker's two oldest children, Julie, 20, and Daniel, 17, have started buying their own clothes with money they make from doing odd jobs around the neighborhood like babysitting and mowing, but their mom's strategies soon proved their worth. Daniel said he thinks buying new clothes is overrated, and trends are fleeting.

"[Wearing hand-me downs] doesn't bother me at all. [Trends] change too fast, and I really don't care enough to keep up with them," he said. "I hate spending money on clothes. I'm kind of a cheapskate I'm afraid."

Bricker said her oldest daughter tried buying new clothes, but quickly discovered the value of a dollar.

"They know how much it cost new, and they appreciate how much it takes to make that much money," Bricker said.

When Bricker's children need clothes, she usually heads to Second Chance. She said it is harder to find quality clothes, but it's worth it when you do.

And when her children are done with clothes, they offer them to other families or to the clothes closet at their church.

"We have been so blessed that we just pass it on. We don't do consignments," she said.

Stores like Second Chance, Resale Trends and Once Upon a Child cater to families like the Brickers who find the lower priceof slightly used garments a better option than buying new -- especially for kids.

While some moms opt to pay a little more initially for the quality of higher-end brand clothes that will see more than one little owner, Alysha Godfrey, 30, of Cameron said she doesn't care about the brands because she finds that almost all clothes are cheaply made anyway.

Godfrey said the only time she buys new clothes is when sellers mislabel them on eBay as used. She looks for clothes on eBay or in thrift stores, and her sewing teacher trades clothes for food from their family business, Sand Creek Farm. Her four daughters are tough on their clothes around the farm, she said, but she lets the girls wear them until the garments are completely worn out.