Take a few moments to shop online for baby necessities and accessories, and you will come to the quick realization that it's all about the money for companies. Big surprise, right? Something as simple as a onesie can cost you upwards of $5 a piece, and before long you'll find your baby fund dwindling away without much to show for it, unless you stop yourself right now!
Think about this for a moment, how many pregnant women have gone before you? Have you recently taken the time to browse a second hand store or Goodwill? I'm not saying dress your baby in rags and supply her/him with used teething rings and bottles, but this post is about saving money where you can. I'll warn you right now, be weary of what you purchase used online, or in person. You can not be completely sure how sanitary something is once it's been through the ringer with another baby. In other words, steer clear of "used but sanitized" electronic breast pumps flooding eBay listings... that isn't worth saving $50, especially when it can supply life threatening illnesses.
Back to the fun part, though. In the past two and a half months I, found out I was pregnant, broke the news to my husband, found out it was a girl, and saved a ton of money by finding deals on eBay and Amazon. Hello, nice to meet you. If you really want to begin saving money and yourself while shopping for baby (notice I didn't say "save time"), now is a great opportunity to start. Why do I say now, when I don't know anything about you? Well, assuming you're pregnant, or already have your little jelly bean, eBay listings don't come to a halt depending on your life.
In the beginning I started out searching with rather vague preferences, until I finally understood what it was I was searching for, and knowing the gender of our baby didn't hurt either (hey, we're not that old school). I knew from the start that, a. I love saving money, b. I didn't want anything with stains or tears, and c. I really didn't want to pay tons of money for something she will wear or use for three short months. Take a moment to note three bullet points about your focus, what's important to you in the search for more affordable baby clothes, and how will it should effect your purchases.
Let me admit something here for a second, I'm a sucker for name brands. Whether it's a handbag, dog bowl or pillow, designer labels suck me in. Lucky for online sellers, too, sometimes I'll go out of my budget comfort zone by a teeny bit to score something I've convinced myself is better quality (although it's most likely the same). If there happen to be a few brands you're familiar with and comfortable buying over another brand, that's completely fine. You might go over a tiny bit per piece, but it evens out in the end.
In two months I have purchased 13 pieces of clothing for my little girl. It comes out to 2 pairs of shoes (newborn and 3-6 mos), 2 side snap shirts (newborn), 1 romper (3-6 mos) and 8 onesies (5 x 0-3 & 3 x 3-6 mos). The grand total of my finds comes to $16.90 (incl. shipping and taxes). Yes, I've only spent $1.30 each, and saved well over $50. My goal was to stay around $.50-$1.00 for onesies, but I found a great pair of sandals she can wear this summer for $3.75, and a to-die-for orange Ralph Lauren romper for $2.03. My point is, paying a little more for a few key items, or things you just flat out love is okay, especially when you're paying pennies compared to retail value.
What are the next items on my list? Used Bumbo Seat with Tray, Worsted Wool Yarn (regardless of color, to crochet or knit diaper covers), and a bunch of other essentials from Baby Center's Must-Haves for the First Year. As I continue in my venture to keep my baby cute and cozy in her first year of life and beyond, follow my blog and receive future posts straight to your inbox or Google Reader! Thanks for checking out my post.
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