Darn it! Now everyone is being as frugal as I am! ; )

[Rosebud1]

I am determined to be a SAHM until my daughter is in school, by any means necessary. My husband has a modest income, and we live in an expensive area. For years, my husband and I have shopped at thrift stores, got most of our entertainment and books from the library, bought used, etc.

So now that we are in a recession, I am noticing much less of a selection at thrift store/ consignment shops. I went to Goodwill and the selection of baby clothes was truly sparse! The books I want at the library have long waiting lists, and I can't even get a parking spot there! Freecycle has gotten so popular I can never get a free item, there is so much competition! And forget about craigslist, I am priced out in terms of the baby stuff!

I tell ya, I am glad there is a sea change in terms of consumption, for the good of the planet and our culture as a whole. But I must confess that my family has for years benefited indirectly by the fact that we weren't competing with so many others in terms of thriftiness! The fact that so many others were just spending away created an environment in which my family could get cheaper goods without too much trouble!

I guess I will have to become even more savvy.... I hosted a clothing swap last week with some mom friends and we all were able to share some wonderful items.

Any one else having these thoughts?

[St. Margaret]

I hear you. It's good for the planet but a bit frustrating for those of us who've been playing the game for a while. I felt the same way as "green" stuff became really big over the past year or two. All of a sudden, we couldn't find our safe sippy cups in stock anywhere, etc etc. I just like to say I'm a trendsetter

[QueenOfTheMeadow]

This thread has been moved from SAHPing to frugality and finances.

[bigteamug]

We live in an are where thrifting is a way of life, and the thrift store here is soooo picked over (even before the economy turned) that it's rarely worth a trip.

A few things I have done - find someone with girl/girls older than yours (an only child is ideal, as things will be less worn, most likely) with taste similar to yours, and ask if you can go through their stuff before they can consign it. If you pay more than they get from the consignment for stuff you like in good condition, you'll both come out ahead - you have to know your prices and be able to find that middle ground between what they would get for it and what you would pay for it. A little tricky to negotiate, but worthwhile - I do recommend doing this with someone you know, but aren't great friends with, as a little distance in the relationship makes things easier to do business.

clothing swaps for you or kids (here known as nekkid lady or nekkid baby parties).

and finding things that are good values - as DD gets older - 6- her uniform of "leggings" is just impossible to find used and not trashed. So find the most durable, best quality, best value stuff you can - for us this means hanna andersson outlet sales and playing the gymbo game with gymbucks, etc very carefully.

I have had little luck finding good PJ's, underwear, and sox/tights at the thrift store, so those we buy the very best value/quality we can ($5/3 pr organic underwear at the hanna outlet). And, we'll pass them to little sister - we save one bin of clothes in each size, with a separate bin each for outerwear and shoes.

HTH! and hey, it makes that special "find" all the more special, because a good score at the thrift store is harder to find!

Oh, one more thought - try a large metro area (if you're not in one already) for thrifting - more people=more stuff. Seattle area has been good for us.

[aprons_and_acorns]

Originally Posted by bigteamug

We live in an are where thrifting is a way of life, and the thrift store here is soooo picked over (even before the economy turned) that it's rarely worth a trip.

A few things I have done - find someone with girl/girls older than yours (an only child is ideal, as things will be less worn, most likely) with taste similar to yours, and ask if you can go through their stuff before they can consign it. If you pay more than they get from the consignment for stuff you like in good condition, you'll both come out ahead - you have to know your prices and be able to find that middle ground between what they would get for it and what you would pay for it. A little tricky to negotiate, but worthwhile - I do recommend doing this with someone you know, but aren't great friends with, as a little distance in the relationship makes things easier to do business.

clothing swaps for you or kids (here known as nekkid lady or nekkid baby parties).

and finding things that are good values - as DD gets older - 6- her uniform of "leggings" is just impossible to find used and not trashed. So find the most durable, best quality, best value stuff you can - for us this means hanna andersson outlet sales and playing the gymbo game with gymbucks, etc very carefully.

I have had little luck finding good PJ's, underwear, and sox/tights at the thrift store, so those we buy the very best value/quality we can ($5/3 pr organic underwear at the hanna outlet). And, we'll pass them to little sister - we save one bin of clothes in each size, with a separate bin each for outerwear and shoes.

HTH! and hey, it makes that special "find" all the more special, because a good score at the thrift store is harder to find!

Oh, one more thought - try a large metro area (if you're not in one already) for thrifting - more people=more stuff. Seattle area has been good for us.

These are all great tips-- thanks! I'm also finding that my "frugal little secrets" aren't so secret anymore, LOL.

[slsurface]

I'm totally with you! I live in Michigan, where unemployment is in the double digits. It is really hard to find great things at the thrift store anymore . Partly because of the increased demand for second-hand items and partly because no one has anything left to give. When I heard about the CPSIA legislation I freaked and went shopping to buy DS the next year's worth of clothes from the thrift store. I've got clothes for summer and next fall/winter saved in his closet, so that'll keep us going for a little while at least.

I wish I could do a clothing swap, but all my friends have DDs...I am the only one with a DS.

[Tilia]

I think people are afraid that if they donate stuff it will just get thrown away in February, with the new toy and clothing laws.

I think swapping is going to become a lot more widespread.

[scrapadoozer]

Originally Posted by bigteamug

Oh, one more thought - try a large metro area (if you're not in one already) for thrifting - more people=more stuff. Seattle area has been good for us.

This is good advice, especially if the larger city is more affluent. Thrifting in my town is pointless as most folks wear things right out. We travel down the road about 30 minutes and it's a whole other story.

[CanidFL]

Originally Posted by Tilia

I think people are afraid that if they donate stuff it will just get thrown away in February, with the new toy and clothing laws.

I don’t think so. I had no idea about this law until a few days ago. I am outraged by it but honestly, it’s not mainstream knowledge. No one I talk to knows about it either

I think people are just donating less and more people are being frugal in the hard times.

[riverscout]

Originally Posted by CanidFL

I don’t think so. I had no idea about this law until a few days ago. I am outraged by it but honestly, it’s not mainstream knowledge. No one I talk to knows about it either

I think people are just donating less and more people are being frugal in the hard times.

True, but I've heard some stores are already reducing inventory and refusing items in preparation.

[Ruthla]

I found that thrift stores were GREAT when my girls were little, but I'm finding it much less useful these days. In general, it's hard to find "medium sized" kids' clothes in good condition. Babies outgrow stuff before they wear it out-older kids play hard and grow more slowly. It's nearly impossible to find kids' pants in good condition, except for dressier clothes. Shirts tend to hold up a bit better. I've NEVER relied on thrift stores for socks, tights, or underwear.

I'm still making out OK in thrift stores in the women's section- which now includes clothes for both of my daughters- assuming we can find things in styles they like. But DD1 does have a bunch of clothes from the mall (much of which comes from her own money). Buying brand new clothes aren't ALWAYS a waste of money, if they're on sale, good quality, and it's something that she's really happy with, because then she wears it more often and we can buy fewer clothes total.

DD1 does often hold clothing swaps with her friends. Teenagers often simply get tired of their wardrobes, even when everything is in good shape and still fits. I really don't care what she does with clothes she's spent her own money on, nor do I care if she swaps a shirt I purchased with another one in a slightly different style or color. I paid for clothing for her, and she has clothes to wear. It's all good.

Plus the availability of the internet makes bargain shopping easier. When I was growing up, rapidly cycling through bra sizes, my Mom had to pay retail prices for bras in my hard-to-find sizes (32 AA-DDD over the span of a few years.) Now I can go to eBay and find sturdy, expensive bras for DD1 for a fraction of their retail prices. I don't need to pay $60 for a Wacoal bra when I can go online and pay $25 for a brand new one, or $6 for a gently used one (probably from another rapidly growing teenager), if I shop often and snap up items when I find them. I've already ordered 2 bras for DD1 in a size up from what she's currently wearing, so I won't have to scramble and pay retail in Macy's when she has another growth spurt. And if she ends up stopping at her current size, I've only spent an extra $20 for bras she can still use as leisure bras (as they're a bit big and not so supportive.)

If not for other families being frugal, eBay wouldn't be such a great resource.

[EmsMom]

I have actually been having very good luck at my fav thrift store. The women that work there actually say that shoppers are down because of the recession. However, I don't usually see things for my kids there (lots of baby things, though!). I have been stocking up on clothes for myself. I generally get my kids things at yard sales. I tend to shop ahead by about 5 years, though because it can easily take that long to stock up on enough clothes in one desired size. I am wondering what form yard sale season will take? I am thinking more sales buy higher prices and more shoppers? Some people just don't buy used no matter what, though.

[texmati]

ooh! I know! I just found out I'm preggers, and I wish that I'd bought all my used stuff last year when the picken's were good! I'm going to start trolling the better neighborhoods now, though.

[Ruthla]

Be careful with shopping 5 years ahead, especially with larger sized girl's clothes. A friend of mine gave me a HUGE stash of girls' size 16 clothes that sat in my closet for several years, and in the end never fit anybody. Both of my daughters needed women's clothes after outgrowing a girls' 12 or 14. The stuff in the closet was too long, and was STILL too loose in the waist even after being outgrown in the hips and bust.

[bobandjess99]

yes, plus, things change in terms of fashion..not that i care much about it myself, and have some modesty issues with some of it, but I know kids can be cruel to other kids who are wearing stuff significantly out of fashion, so I would generally try to keep things relatively "cool" within reason, lol.

[EmsMom]

Yeah, every year I do get rid of a few pieces that are significantly out of fashion. But things like t-shirts, sweatshirts and jeans are usually fine. So I can just fill in around what I have, you know? And because I generally only buy that far ahead if I can get things for $.25 or $.50, I don't really care if a few things can't be worn. Once my dd asked for something that was the style and I bought it, but it wasn't comfortable and that was pretty much the end of that kind of request. It was easier when we were homeschooling, though!

[nichole]

I've had good luck on ebay. I bought a whole lot of boys clothes for cheap. I think that boys clothes are easier and less trendy though.

I know a good thrift store in Bear, DE and Virginia Beach, VA. Whenever I am in that area, I hit them up. Also goodwill in affluent areas are usually pretty good if you are visiting them.

The economy will get better and although some people will have changed their habits permanently, I am guessing a lot of people will go back to consumerism. So if you an hang in there a few years, it will get better!

[woodchick]

I'm not sure how practical this would be for your family, but have you considered volunteering at you local thrift shop? Ours is a local charity and are always looking for help.

Then you'd have the advantage of seeing things come through first and the other volunteers might know what you're looking for.

[Belleweather]

I wonder if we won't see a bit better pickings in the summer when the garage sale season kicks up. I'm thinking people might be hanging on to things that they think they could get cash for at a yard sale instead of donating them to a thrift store and getting nothing but a tax deduction.