Saving money is one of my absolute favorite things to do. I love a good deal and I love the treasure hunt that it takes to find one. That being said, I always pictured my son wearing outfits I had seen on Instagram but realized very quickly how stinking expensive that is. So here are five things that I do to save money while not compromising on my kid’s style (okay, my style).

5 Creative Ways to Save Money on Baby Clothing

1. Try online thrifting

I love Poshmark as an online thrifting option. You can browse

items by brand, color, size, or condition. Also, if you find someone’s closet that sells the brand you like, they are likely to carry a few pieces of that brand, which allows you to bundle and save. Poshmark is also amazing because you can barter with the seller to get an even lower price.

Pro Tip: Visit your local baby boutiques to see which brands of clothing you like the feel, fit, and style of and then go online to Poshmark and search for those brands. For example, I went to one of our local Baby Boutiques and found these leggings that I adored by the brand Doodle Pants. At an average of $25 per pair, I couldn’t stomach the price. When I got home, I searched Poshmark, by brand, for ‘Doodle Pants’ and then sorted the results from price – low to high. There were the same leggings in store for as low at $5! I can appreciate a splurge on nice items, but sometimes it just isn’t in the budget, and online thrifting is the way to go.

By downloading the Poshmark app and using code: TRYINGMAMA, you’ll earn $10 off your first order! 

2. Use Facebook groups to score free clothing or extremely cheap clothing.

The tribe of moms on Facebook seems to always be cycling through their kid’s clothing and toys. I’ve been able to find things pretty easily and pick them up locally via porch pick-up.

3. Keep a running Amazon list to watch for price drops

Bonus, you can share that list with your family and friends when they inevitably ask what your baby needs. I use this list to save items I need/want to have an easy way to keep track of the items I like and items I want to purchase in the future.

4. Visit the local thrift stores

Our local Goodwill recently opened back up after being shut down due to the COVID19 pandemic. On Mondays, a different color tag goes on sale for $1.99. (If an item is originally listed for less than $1.99 they discount the product by and additional 50 cents.) Goodwill tends to bundle their onesies in two packs for $0.99. On Mondays, that means you can get two onesies for $0.49! They might not be the cutest onesies or the newest, but they will do the trick!

You might not have a Goodwill, but do check out the local thrift stores. The clothing inventory is usually overflowing and the prices are low. The best part about used baby clothing is that it was usually worn for such a short period of time, that they can look brand-new!

5. Do it yourself

If you own a Cricket or Silhouette or have a friend that does, you can have a custom onesie printed for the fraction of the price of some of the pieces I have seen on Instagram. I have hired my friends to make custom pieces for me to save money but not compromise on cuteness. For even more money savings on custom onesies, pick up the .49 cent two-pack of onesies I was telling you about above from Goodwill! I have splurged on custom onesies before from online boutiques and I loved them to pieces but having a friend that can whip it out on their cricket for pennies on the dollar is obviously going to be the wallet-friendly option. (You can buy the milestone blanket that Jake is laying on by clicking here.)

I had fallen in love with these adorable Mama and Babe patch jean jackets online, but they came with a huge price tag. So, I took matters into my own hands. I already had multiple jean jackets in my closet and I ordered a baby size Levi’s denim jacket off Poshmark for my son. I found on Amazon some similar  patches to the ones than I had seen on the online boutique. I ordered those, sewed them onto our jackets, and saved myself over $150!

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Another instance of DIY was when I wanted coordinating shirts for family pictures.  My husband and I both had tie-dye shirts in our closets already, so I grabbed one on my son’s onesies, a bottle of bleach and went to town.  In under 5 minutes (not counting wash time), I had a custom onesie! (And it happened to be a Goodwill onesie I had scored for 49 cents!)

Get creative with your resources and it could save you some major coin in the end.

 

Bonus: Never turn down hand-me-downs! Even if you think your drawers are full, you never know what you could come across in a bag of old clothes from a friend. And the worst-case scenario is you pass the clothes on to another mama or dad! 

Trying to keep my kid cute, comfy, and functional clothing can get expensive but through all the ways listed above, I’ve been able to keep my spending pretty minimal. Yes, we splurge every once in a while on something fun and cute but I don’t make that a habit.

And the funny thing is, when it comes down to it, it doesn’t matter what the clothing item is, or what brand it is or material it’s made from, our kids are always going to look stinking adorable!