When you have a baby, time is at a premium. So why am I wasting so much time coming up with ridiculous titles for my blog posts? I spent about twenty minutes brainstorming terrible ideas like, "Hand-Me-Downs Across America," and "Don't Hand Me Down...Bruce!" and of course, the gem I went with. It is very unlike me to make a GNR reference. If I keep up these terrible titles I may be able to land a job at the New York Post. Burn, New York Post!! I digress...let's get down to business.
(Pictured: Phoebe in her hand-me-down bathing suit and sunglasses)
Like any good Art School Alum, I love to shop at thrift stores. But I remember a few years ago seeing a rack of baby clothes at a Goodwill and thinking, "I would never buy my baby used clothes." I don't know what it was that turned me off so much. Maybe it was the fact that strangers have worn them, or that they were not crisp and clean and new. Maybe I felt like it would make my baby seem "poor." But after just six months of raising Phoebe my thinking is completely different. When you are having a baby, especially a first baby, and especially a girl, people love to give you clothes. I am just as guilty! I will pass by all of the truly needed items on someone's baby registry to grab a pair of newborn jeans or baby Chuck Taylors. Phoebe has a wardrobe that would put Carrie Bradshaw to shame. And while I love it, it is a full-time job keeping up with it. I want to make sure everything gets on her at some point. But even with my diligence she has outfits that she has worn a total of ONE time. When people say, "They grow up so fast!" they mean, "Literally, they grow up...really fast. Like one day she fits in a onesie and the next day she doesn't." So I'm over it! And while some of my favorite outfits have been the deliciously adorable ones that friend's and family have given us from Janie and Jack and Gap Kids, I am totally okay putting her in my cousin's sons pants or my neighbor's kids jumper. And yes, even the occasional $.99 t-shirt from Salvation Army. Because aren't thrift store clothes just hand-me-downs from strangers?
Here are some great bonuses to consider with hand-me-downs, craiglist and garage sale purchases, second-hand and consignment shops:
Lack of packaging
Package accounts for something like 30% of all waste. (I'll get the real facts on that). So when by using used clothes or hand-me-downs you eliminate the production waste, the gas it takes to get to get the clothes to the store, all the packaging that surrounds it when it gets to the retailer and the additional packaging (tissue paper, box, tags) to get it to your home.
Production
If we've learned anything Kathy Lee Gifford it's that most clothes come with a human price tag. There is a great new campaign called "Free to Work" that will tell you what companies are not using forced child labor in their manufacturing. www.free2work.org. Get ready to be depressed about all the products you use that are NOT listed on their website. When you get used clothes, even if they were produced under poor conditions, you are not making them re-produce even more clothing.
Taxes
Most Goodwill stores, Salvation Army stores, and other thrifts stores where the proceeds go to a charity or not-for-profit are tax free, and you can write off your purchases as donations! Take that, IRS!
Tips
Always wash baby clothes thoroughly.
Wash any toys or furniture items with appropriate warm soapy, water.
ALWAYS check to see if items have been recalled. You can go to www.cpsc.gov, the Consumer Product Safety Commission or even do a general google search.
When buying something off craigslist or at a garage sale, ask if the household has had any pets in case you are allergy sensitive or are wary of fleas.
My whole adult life I have asked myself the question, "Am I a conservationist, or am I just cheap?" Truth is, I am both. Luckily they can go hand-in-hand. So by doing this I reduce packaging, manufacturing, trash, and child labor, and in the meantime if I happen to save myself 80% on Phoebe's clothes, her crib, and her stroller, then I get to save the money for more important things like pre-school, college, and cloth diapers. That's right! I did it! I managed to take an article about hand-me-downs and drop in some more cloth diaper propaganda!! My pro-cloth-diaper agenda will be the "Where's Waldo?" of my blog.
REMEMBER, RECYCLING IS MORE THAN JUST BREAKING DOWN AN PRODUCT AT THE END OF IT'S LIFE, IT IS GETTING AS MUCH LIFE OUT OF A PRODUCT AS YOU CAN.
totally depressing environmental fact:
banning child labor and educating all children would raise the world's total income by 22%, or $4.3 trillion dollars over 20 years.
-International Labor Organizaion
Like any good Art School Alum, I love to shop at thrift stores. But I remember a few years ago seeing a rack of baby clothes at a Goodwill and thinking, "I would never buy my baby used clothes." I don't know what it was that turned me off so much. Maybe it was the fact that strangers have worn them, or that they were not crisp and clean and new. Maybe I felt like it would make my baby seem "poor." But after just six months of raising Phoebe my thinking is completely different. When you are having a baby, especially a first baby, and especially a girl, people love to give you clothes. I am just as guilty! I will pass by all of the truly needed items on someone's baby registry to grab a pair of newborn jeans or baby Chuck Taylors. Phoebe has a wardrobe that would put Carrie Bradshaw to shame. And while I love it, it is a full-time job keeping up with it. I want to make sure everything gets on her at some point. But even with my diligence she has outfits that she has worn a total of ONE time. When people say, "They grow up so fast!" they mean, "Literally, they grow up...really fast. Like one day she fits in a onesie and the next day she doesn't." So I'm over it! And while some of my favorite outfits have been the deliciously adorable ones that friend's and family have given us from Janie and Jack and Gap Kids, I am totally okay putting her in my cousin's sons pants or my neighbor's kids jumper. And yes, even the occasional $.99 t-shirt from Salvation Army. Because aren't thrift store clothes just hand-me-downs from strangers?
Here are some great bonuses to consider with hand-me-downs, craiglist and garage sale purchases, second-hand and consignment shops:
Lack of packaging
Package accounts for something like 30% of all waste. (I'll get the real facts on that). So when by using used clothes or hand-me-downs you eliminate the production waste, the gas it takes to get to get the clothes to the store, all the packaging that surrounds it when it gets to the retailer and the additional packaging (tissue paper, box, tags) to get it to your home.
Production
If we've learned anything Kathy Lee Gifford it's that most clothes come with a human price tag. There is a great new campaign called "Free to Work" that will tell you what companies are not using forced child labor in their manufacturing. www.free2work.org. Get ready to be depressed about all the products you use that are NOT listed on their website. When you get used clothes, even if they were produced under poor conditions, you are not making them re-produce even more clothing.
Taxes
Most Goodwill stores, Salvation Army stores, and other thrifts stores where the proceeds go to a charity or not-for-profit are tax free, and you can write off your purchases as donations! Take that, IRS!
Tips
Always wash baby clothes thoroughly.
Wash any toys or furniture items with appropriate warm soapy, water.
ALWAYS check to see if items have been recalled. You can go to www.cpsc.gov, the Consumer Product Safety Commission or even do a general google search.
When buying something off craigslist or at a garage sale, ask if the household has had any pets in case you are allergy sensitive or are wary of fleas.
My whole adult life I have asked myself the question, "Am I a conservationist, or am I just cheap?" Truth is, I am both. Luckily they can go hand-in-hand. So by doing this I reduce packaging, manufacturing, trash, and child labor, and in the meantime if I happen to save myself 80% on Phoebe's clothes, her crib, and her stroller, then I get to save the money for more important things like pre-school, college, and cloth diapers. That's right! I did it! I managed to take an article about hand-me-downs and drop in some more cloth diaper propaganda!! My pro-cloth-diaper agenda will be the "Where's Waldo?" of my blog.
REMEMBER, RECYCLING IS MORE THAN JUST BREAKING DOWN AN PRODUCT AT THE END OF IT'S LIFE, IT IS GETTING AS MUCH LIFE OUT OF A PRODUCT AS YOU CAN.
totally depressing environmental fact:
banning child labor and educating all children would raise the world's total income by 22%, or $4.3 trillion dollars over 20 years.
-International Labor Organizaion
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