How to Buy Maternity Clothes on a Budget

Money is tight, isn't it? Especially now that you're going to have a baby! And your body is sure changing fast, too. So you've got to buy maternity clothes, but YIKES, have you seen the prices at the retail stores? Here's how to save on your maternity clothes and still look good.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A good eye
• Patience
• Determination
• Time to browse the stores

1. First of all, wear your own pre-baby clothes as long as possible. Don't go to the maternity store as soon as you find out you're pregnant! You'll be surprised by the versatility of the clothes you have in your closet. Stretchy shirts may become tighter as your belly grows, but they will show off your lovely figure. You can use button down shirts and leave them unbuttoned and wear a tank top underneath. Pants with an elastic waist will grow with you, but when they no longer fit your belly, wear them with the waist below your belly. And you can use your buttoned pants for longer than you think- just loop a long rubber band, or 2-3 tied rubber bands, around the button, pull it through the button hole and wrap it around the button again. Wear a long shirt over your pants to hide the gaping zipper. You can also borrow some of your partner's clothes- long shirts, t-shirts, even jeans.

2. Another way to save money on maternity clothes is to not necessarily buy "maternity" clothes, but by buying clothes one size larger than you normally wear. If you regularly buy medium sized shirts, buy large or extra large. You'll find that larger sized clothes are often cheaper than maternity clothes.

3. Don't forget consignment shops and thrift stores! Many stores have a section just for maternity clothes. When you browse the clothes there, don't choose an item by the size stated on the tag. Just like regular clothes, some maternity clothes run big and some run small. Try them on and see if what you've chosen will last you a few months. Ideally, you want clothes that will last you throughout your pregnancy. Don't buy things that are too form fitting or your belly won't fit into the clothes later on.

4. And, of course, you can browse the clothes at maternity stores, but hit the sales rack first. You'll find clothes from the previous season on the racks, so think ahead to what the seasons will be through your pregnancy and buy accordingly.

5. Ebay is another great place to get maternity clothes. Often, women will sell their clothes in lots of 3 or more, so you can find great deals and get most of your clothes at one time.

6. With a little ingenuity, you can have a great maternity wardrobe without spending a lot of money.

Resources

• Ebay
• Motherhood Maternity
• Goodwill
• Salvation Army

[teachermom]

on 12/24/2008 Very helpful article! Thank you!

[DulceMaria]

on 12/16/2008 This is a great article with good infomatio, thanks for sharing.