T Rex Family

T Rex Family

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Dressing the Kids - on a Budget...

When it comes to my kids' clothes, I have expensive taste - no question. It doesn't help that a dear friend (she's a bargain shopper too) feeds my addiction with more ideas. However, there are ways to enjoy such expensive tastes on a budget.

Here are some examples...

First I take any hand-me-downs anyone will offer. Sometimes there is a lot to wade through to find things that fit or are suitable but it's totally like treasure hunting. Here T Rex is wearing some hand-me-down PJs - Thomas the Tank Engine - he LOVES them. Cost - free.



Then there's ebay. I LOVE ebay. At times I get a little carried away but it's fun. This Hanna Anderssson dress retails for about $36. It arrived at my house in perfect condition for $9 including shipping.

And if you're looking for some super cute and nicely priced cloth diapers, she is wearing a Kawaii diaper (snap version) that I purchased new for $8.95. It has already paid for itself twice. Kawaii diapers are a nice way to dress up one's diaper stash without breaking the bank and this one will last until she is potty trained.

Aden and Anais sleep sack (retail $29.95) was purchased at a local used kids' clothing store for $4. I could not believe this find.


And, of course, you've seen the various toddler pants I've made for T Rex. Material usually runs anywhere from $1 to $8 a yard - depends on the fabric and if its a licensed print. But I'd say, on average, these cost about $4/pair to make.

And last method, and my personal favorite, is receiving thoughtful gifts from kind friends...


Blankets qualify too!

Seriously, these are both so gorgeous I sometimes hesitate to even use them!

What are some of your best bargain finds?


8 comments:

septembermom said...

Wonderful ways to keep your kids fabulously dressed :)

Camie said...

I love hand me downs nd thrift stores!

Jenners said...

You could put your kids in old rags and they'd still look so cute.

Nina said...

So great how thrifty you are. I think if I had more time I would put more effort into finding great deals. I do watch for new item markdowns but I must say I don't buy anything name brand for the kids. Our old baby sitter had expensive taste for her boys and we were lucky to get lots of hand me downs from her and I got a lot of really nice things from her.

Kim said...

You and I would have so much fun hanging out because I'm all about buying used, clearance, and accepting hand-me-downs. In fact I really don't like stuff unless I was able to get a deal. It could be some weird addiction. Love the deals outlined here.

Emily said...

Hooray for thrifting! And hooray for those adorable Elmo pants! He certainly looks cute in them. You are such a talented gal!

Liz said...

Great post! I love using Gymbucks :) I buy them cheap on Ebay or get them from a friend and get some super steals on cute clothes!

Julie Kieras said...

Hi it's Julie from And Baby Makes Three! Oh your kids are so cute! Great outfits - Okay so I confess that my baby "stuff" tastes are way bigger than my budget... I try to refrain but I did spend $12 on a pair of baby Gap jeans when he was first born (hey, at 5 months, they STILL fit him, so I guess that wasn't too too bad!). We have a great consignment store called Once Upon a Child here in CT and you can usually get Janie & Jack or Ralph Lauren for under $8/item - but I haven't seen anything I really liked yet!