Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Fabulosity On A Dime

Hope everyone is having a great morning so far. My littlest lil' man and I are hanging out with one eye on the Today Show as we do every morning. Yesterday, I caught a segment talking about a new trend in shopping for baby clothes...borrowing or renting children's clothes. They estimate that we spend $13,000 a year on kids' supplies and this is one way to save a little bit of that. Our children grow out of their clothes so quickly that it seems we are constantly having to buy them new socks or new jeans or new shoes. Well, as I saw on TV yesterday morning, there are sites online that you can rent children's clothes from.

Borrow Baby Couture offers the opportunity to rent high end brand name clothes like Dior and Versace for children 9 months to 4 years for a small weekly fee. Shop online and the kiddie couture gets sent right to your door. Once returned, the company themselves have each item professionally cleaned so you don't have to worry about small accidents. Most items are special occasion items, but can also be outfitted for slightly less fancy moments. BBC was started by a couple who realized their son would never use the suit they purchased for a wedding a second time and figured there were other parents out there who could benefit from borrowing these one-time-use outfits for a fraction of the retail prices.

The segment also mentioned an online consignment website called Moxiejean.com. Here you can buy and sell gently used clothing for minimal cost. They offer clothes for Preemies up to 8 years old. Click here to get $10 off of $20 and share the site with your friends in order to save even more.

I had heard about consignment before, though I wasn't clear on the details of how it worked until I had my 2nd child 2 years ago and came across a couple of consignment stores in my area. You can find some really cute and unique items at these types of shops, but you can also find your everyday play clothes made by Carter's and other well known child clothing companies. The closest consignment boutique to me doesn't always have the types of clothes that appeal to me so I'm pretty excited to have found an online option as well.

I am not going to sugar coat it. I am a self-proclaimed "Brand Whore," but I am also a "Discount Diva." "Full price" is almost considered a swear word while the word "Sale" is kind of a turn on. Hahaha. I would prefer an item that is brand new that no other person has ever worn, but quite frankly kids are kids. They grow out of their clothes way too fast for me to keep buying brand new...especially now that we have 3 little youngins and I'm looking to close up my Mary Kay business by the end of the year. There is a new invention out there called a washing machine and laundry detergent, so I think I can manage a few not so brand new pieces without having a cow, but I will be picky about the things that I purchase from these types of stores. And besides, you can make a little money back on those clothes your child has outgrown to purchase bigger sizes they will need.

I might also point out that you can do a search on Facebook for sites that recycle children's clothes and toys, etc in your area. I know of several groups I am a member of on FB where I've bought gently used toys and sold gently used clothes to other local moms. It's like an online yard sale.

These are all great ways to save money and help save the planet. Don't forget that you can also donate your items to places like Goodwill and the Red Cross for those who have been affected by natural disasters. Hope you'll think about it. You can still be fabulous. Items may not be brand new but you can make them brand new to you!

Have a great day!

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