Maternity Clothes on a Budget

Hello MomRoad Friends!

I am so excited to be joining my real life friends Amber, Jen and Crystal in this new chapter of the MomRoad Blog!  I’m the newbie of the group – my first baby is due at the end of April 2013 – so my journey into motherhood is pretty new.  I have gleaned so much useful information and real-life Mom advice from the lovely ladies I am blogging with, and I’m thrilled to be able to not only offer my insight into everything Mom-related but also link up with all of you for your input, advice, and stories from your own personal journeys down this winding path called Motherhood!

If there is one thing I’ve learned from starting this journey, it’s that I have a LOT to learn!  Having experienced so many of my friends pregnancies (albeit second hand), I felt like I was well-versed and ready for everything that comes with being a pregnant mama-to-be.  Turns out, I was more clueless than clued-in.  One of the things I had no idea about was maternity clothes, specifically how expensive they are!  A $10 long sleeved t-shirt morphs into a $30 long sleeved t-shirt with some elastic at the sides when you tack the word “maternity” onto it.

I don’t know about the rest of you, but tripling the cost of a piece of clothing simply because it needs to be a little stretchier and longer seems absurd to me.  I mean sure, it’s meant to clothe two people, but I’m on a budget!  Haven’t these designers ever heard the word on the street: babies are expensive!  And with one on the way, I can’t afford to be blowing all of my money on a sweater that costs more than my prenatal vitamins.

And it’s not like non-maternity clothes which can last a few years.  I have some sweaters that I bought 6-7 years ago that I still wear – that’s a good investment.  With maternity clothes, there’s no guarantee that any future children will be conceived around the same time period thus necessitating the need for the same season of clothes.  What if my next child is conceived in November and I’m pregnant throughout the summer?  Those maternity sweaters will be sitting unused and I’ll be buying a whole new maternity wardrobe.  Not cool.

So instead, I’ve made it my mission to find cute, current maternity clothes on the cheap that don’t break my bank OR burst my self-esteem bubble.  And I wanted to share a few of those tips here so we can all save a few bucks with our next baby-on-the-way.

1) BORROW.  I was fortunate to have a good friend who was 3 months ahead of me in her pregnancy, and who offered me some much-needed maternity clothes when she outgrew them.  Check with friends/family who have been pregnant before you and ask if there are any clothes they are willing to lend you during your pregnancy.  Nothing beats FREE!

2) EBAY.  Maternity pants, dresses and coats are by far the most expensive items to purchase.  I have managed to buy the majority of my maternity pants off of Ebay for a fraction of what they cost retail.  Name brand jeans, dress pants, and sweaters – all under $10.00 including shipping!  Just make sure you screen the products (and sellers) carefully, and ask questions before placing your bid.

3) CONSIGNMENT.  Cut out the cost of shipping by hitting up your local consignment store to scour for maternity clothes.  My favorite pair of jeans came from a consignment store shopping trip, and cost me $7.00.  Not to mention if you consign at the store, they will often give you credit towards purchases, so you end up spending nothing and you get some of the clutter out of your house before baby arrives.  That’s what I call a two-for-one deal.  Of course you’re at the mercy of what other people drop off, but if you’re lucky and find your size, you can get an incredible bargain!  Not to mention they have some pretty cute baby clothes too…

Brand new (with tags) OskKosh Overalls – $6.50

4) SHOP THE SALES.  This is the most time consuming and (if we’re being honest) least effective means of maternity clothes shopping in my opinion, but if you can catch a sale just right, sometimes you can score some pretty fabulous pieces at a pretty decent price.  Some of my favorite stores to scour are Old Navy, Kohl’s, and Target.  And now for a limited time (through March 9th, you can get 10% off of your purchase of maternity clothes at Kohl’s if you enter the following Promo Code at check-out: TENFORBLOG – just visit them at Kohls.com!)

I’ve managed to save a ton of money just by spending a little extra time bargain-hunting.  Money I can put towards buying the things baby needs (and a few cute accessories for the nursery, naturally!)  And if you’re worried that you’ll end up looking like a Salvation Army charity case due to your second-hand, clearance only maternity wardrobe, fear not!

Today’s on-a-budget work outfit:

Target sweater ($7.50 on sale) + EBay corduroys ($6.50) = $14.00

Not Looking Pregnant In This Picture?  PRICELESS!

Add a pair of inexpensive red ballet flats for some pop, and voila:

Super cute, super inexpensive bump-friendly work outfit!

I have 11 weeks to go until my first child arrives, and I know that he is growing every day – mainly because I’m growing every day!  This means my hunt for reasonably priced, super cute maternity clothes continues until my new little man arrives on the scene.  Fortunately with these options for Maternity Clothes on a Budget, I’ll have money left over for diapers when he does finally get here!

Looking forward to meeting you!