For fear of initial judgement and because after you read this you will beat me to my favorite store and get the goods before I get there!
I will start at the beginning.
When I was in junior high grunge was in so hand-me-down torn Levi's and Mossimo shirts from my older brothers were totally legit (I thought so anyways). High school was a different ball game filled with keeping up with the Jones' (most of whom got new cars on their 16th birthday). I got a job and shopped at 5-7-9 and Susie's Deals and drove a '78 VW Bus. I probably should have shopped second hand as the clothing might have lasted longer!
College was in a great hippie town in Nor Cal where second hand was not a problem... The problem was not enough of them for the demand!
When I started a new career I was back to the new yet inexpensive favorites: Ross, Marshalls, and TJMaxx.
This brings us to the arrival of The Bear and The Bird.
When The Bear was born he was the first grandbaby on my side and first in a while on DaveBee's side. There weren't hand-me-downs at first and quite honestly, I don't think I would have had him wear them. I wanted everything clean and pure just like him!
Well, about a year in a friend offered their boy's hand-me-downs and after 4 storage bins of FREE and ADORABLE clothes, I was hooked.
By the time The Bird came around I was lovingly accepting clothes from her two girl cousins and friends!
From birth through age three they grow out of things so rapidly that often these items are gently used (and other times not!) and I couldn't justify all new clothes for every growth spurt.
Also, I am freakishly anal about saving all the kid's clothes for their younger cousins. I think sometimes they appease me and just take the bins! DaveBee has a hard time understanding the stacks of bins in the garage. I keep assuring him that they will be gone when said cousin reaches this size or by this season! He's a good sport!
As the kid's growth spurts slow down so do the frequency of the clothes sharing. Recently, I discovered the weather getting cooler and the light jackets and pants I was putting on the kids looking like high waters and fat man in a little coat!
I am talking both of these kids have grown by leaps and bounds since last winter and we had nothing that fit (I should have taken a picture!).
I decided to hit up my favorite children's second-hand clothing store sooner than later while there were still options.
So here's what we got:
The Bear:
2 cotton hoodies
1 fleece pullover
1 awesome tractor sweater
3 pairs of pants
2 button down shirts
The Bird:
2 lightweight cotton hoodie jackets
1 fleece pullover
1 adorable flower-stitched hoodie jacket (might be my favorite item!)
4 pairs of leggings
2 pairs of skirt/leggings combo
1 Halloween shirt
3 long-sleeved cotton blouses
1 BEE COSTUME!
All of these items for a LOW, low total. Prices ranged from $1.50 - $3.50 except for the Bee Costume at a whopping $4.50. Three of these garments still had tags on them. I will still have to supplement here and there and I'm cool with that because I do love to shop. Overall, I got some fall and winter basics and I didn't break the bank. Oh, and I guarantee my kids will not look like they homeschool (Just kidding... my siblings and I homeschooled for a bit... I'll save that for another post.)
What do I look for when I shop second-hand:
- Shop around and find the best shop in your town. Not all will have the same high standards.
- See if it looks old. You can tell.
- Look for stains and holes. One got by me in this last batch!
- Smell test (warning: don't do while your pregnant): Smell it to make sure it doesn't have some funky stink that will haunt you, your car, and your kids drawer.
- That's it.
Now, go shopping... just not at my store.
Have you ever shopped second hand for yourself or your kids? Thrift stores for furniture? Vintage for a high pricetag?
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