1.
Clothes!
Growing. Does. Not. Stop! My
daughter has been swiftly moving up in sizes proving that clothing I have for
her doesn’t fit for too long! This is the greatest area where thrifting has
been relatively easy and successful, and after comparing price tags on new baby
clothes, it is worth it to the bank account. Check local thrift stores or
websites like ThredUp.com. Check your
local newspaper or Facebook page for events happening in your area too. Westmoreland County is having a HUGE
thrifting event for children’s items next weekend at our local fairground. Clothes are easily washable and because kids
grow out of them so quickly, thrifted clothes are often in good shape too. Secondhand stores often provide a rewards
program as well that adds incentive to keep going back.
Tip: For the sake of saving time
later and planning ahead, look through entire sections of kids’ clothing in
thrift store. I’ve found a few outfits that we won’t need for 2 more years for
25 cents each! This only works if you
can predict the general size of your child during the season they’ll need the
clothing.
2.
Toys
Much like clothing, kids’ interests and
activities change so often. We have been
lucky enough to have friends and family gift us a lot of their old toys so we
haven’t had to buy much for Beatrice.
She will eventually start to want specific toys, but for now, we are
keeping her well entertained by rotating many of the toys that were handed down
to us! I’ve combed craigslist often for
good toys/activities that she may be interested in as well, especially with the
upcoming holidays and a first birthday around the corner. The best thing about kids stuff: IT’S ALL
WASHABLE! There has not been a toy yet that I haven’t been able to clean
well. With a little elbow grease, they’re
as good as new!
3.
Furniture
Furniture is one of those things that
everyone may disagree on. When you have a baby, you need a crib. Newer cribs are obviously the most up-to-date
on safety features. Depending on how
comfortable you are with having an older crib and mattress (assuming it still
meets the safety recommendations), receiving/buying a used one is totally worth
it. We were fortunate to have been
pregnant right when friends of ours were getting rid of their nursery
furniture, so it worked out well. But
even if you don’t know someone getting rid of furniture, search garage sales, Craigslist,
or newspaper ads for gently used ones. You
can also use or upcycle a dresser to be used as a changing table, or paint an
old set of shelves for the nursery.
4.
Books
This is one of my favorite things for
Beatrice to have a full stock of! She loves books and reading with children is
so important. We were given stacks of books from friends and family, and a
local Goodwill is usually stocked with mounds of children’s books for 25 cents
each. And those little teeth marks from strange children? Don’t worry- germs
don’t live that long on the edges of books, and especially if they are board
books, they can be wiped down pretty easily. One of the other suggestions I can offer here
is to check out the local library or used book store. Often there is a section
of used books they are giving away for free.
5.
Pay it forward!
I know a lot of parents, and I bet many of
you are already doing a lot of the above tips for the basic purpose of saving
money! That is certainly enough motivation to buy secondhand, but cutting down
on consumption is definitely an added bonus. So my last piece of advice today
is to take care of the kids’ items you have and save what you can to give away
to someone who needs it. And really this
goes for everything! Take care of your things so that if you find you don’t
need it anymore, someone else may benefit. Use local secondhand shops. Sell on
Craigslist. One person’s trash is another person’s treasure!
**thanks for stopping by**
