Monday, May 11, 2015

How to Pop them tags

                             

                                    


I used to be a slave to spending so much money on kids clothes. 1. I thought being a new mom I had to 'keep up with the world' and 2. I wanted to fit in... Oh and 3. I didn't want anybody to think I couldn't afford the matching outfit with the matching bow and shoes and carseat.

Flash forward 6 years, and I have given up on those things. Why? Because I got real with myself and our budget. I stopped trying to fit in with the other moms. I stopped having anxiety about matching and if we could afford the next outfit. Addictions are real, and they can sneak in alongside our insecurities. 

So one day I went into Goodwill, and came out a completely different person with a crazy new perspective. I was throwing a lot of money away and creating havoc for our finances. I didn't even realize. How a shirt at Walmart can be $10 and you can nearly find the same thing at Goodwill for a dollar. Serious. Today I want to let you in on my secrets I stopped by brand new things. You wouldn't believe the nicest brand name clothes people just donate or put in a yard sale! 

Here are my best kept secrets and some mis conceptions about second hand buying. 

~ misconception one- used is stained, ugly and wore out. Reality- some of it is. I agree. But you can't just look through one or two items and give up. Look through the whole rack. 

~misconception two- my children will get laughed at if they see them wearing used clothes. Reality- nobody even knows you got it used. For all they know it's been in your closet.

~misconception three- people will judge me if they even knew I walked into a Goodwill or a yard sale. Reality- you are being a smart mama with your finances. And if they judge- that's on them and not you! 

~misconception four- my favorite of all of them- all of Goodwill clothes are from the 1980's and out of date. Reality- NOPE! $30 dress from Justice looking like new for $2? Old navy jeans $25 dollars marked to $1.50? Like new Christmas dress $3?? You get my drift. 

My best kept secrets? No shame. If you want to keep your family finances in tact and you don't want to become a slave to buying outrageous priced things- enjoy hand me down. It's all my girls wear and we get compliments like crazy! I get asked all the time where I buy their clothes- and I can't help but feel proud I put away the need to compete. Don't feel bad or sad about it. Oh the possibilities of second hand. And I want to teach my daughters it's not about fitting in, keeping up with the latest brand new items. It's about managing our home, our family and our life. I will post more on my Instagram of the deals I get so you can be inspired also. And if you do shop second hand, please share your tips and tricks.

Love, 



8 comments:

  1. I love this! I used to thrift shop / garage sale like crazy for my boys. I loved finding great finds and agree that there is so much great stuff out there if you spend the time looking! I got a little burned out on thrifting, I think because my husband worked at a thrift store for a few years and we spent a LOT of time there, so I haven't done it as much in the past couple years but I still shop super thrifty for kids clothes. Old Navy and Crazy 8 are my favorite stores to find clearance clothes. Crazy 8 often goes down to about $3.99 and Old Navy clearance can go down even lower if you wait long enough and scour the clearance sections! I've been working on a post about saving money on kids' clothes for my blog so I was excited to see this post! 😊

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  2. Totally understand sweet friend. Yes new clothes on clearance is an amazing find!

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  3. Love this! Proud of your savvy techniques you are far above the gang for being economical and can put your money elsewhere such as a vacay! Love u A

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  4. We go thrifting a lot - I find good deals on everything that way and saves us so much money! Our Goodwill is kind of small - but there are still great finds there, I couldn't agree more with this post and your secrets either! Kids grow so fast it's impossible for us to constantly be buying name brand clothes every time they grow.

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  5. Oh I love this! I'm all about a good deal and saving money. I shop the clearance racks like crazy. Our nearest goodwill is 40 minutes away but resale shops are my best friend.

    I haven't thought about it as an addiction before but you are right. I've bought the cute boutique stuff for ridiculous prices so that my little guy will have a unique wardrobe.

    I loved your thoughts on this subject. :)

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  6. Great post. Love your blog and I hope you will visit mine! - Seri from serisblog.com

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  7. I am a thrift store, gage sale, and clearance store shopper. It's fun to see what treasure I can find.

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