Hand-me-down clothes are hand-me-down love, and I love me some hand-me-down. Did you follow that? I’m not even sure it makes sense, but I’m a little tired and weary of writing about money. It’s not my first or even second love.
If you’ve been around here for any length of time, you know I wear hand-me-down clothes and so do my kids. My husband even wears hand-me-downs. We just bypass the whole “break in the new clothes” step and get things after they’ve been washed soft and are comfortably used.
Hand-me-downs are good; they are little blessings. Embrace them. Use them. Ask for them.
Let people know you take hand-me-downs. If you don’t tell them, they may bring their old clothes to one of the great donation bins of no return. Now, I’m not suggesting you walk around telling everyone you meet that you want their hand-me-downs, but let your friends know. When your kids need clothes, ask if anyone has hand-me-downs first. Maybe you can save money by buying from a friend, or maybe they’ll start leaving bags of clothes at your door. Either way, it’s good.
If you don’t want something, pass it on. Find other people who need what you have. Those people are out there, trust me.
Before you can embrace hand-me-down style, you need to let go of your perfectionism. It won’t be easy, but take a big breath, put on your big girl (or boy) panties, and accept less than perfect.
Perfect is an ideal, not a necessity, especially if you need/want to save money.
I can guarantee your kids won’t care if they don’t look like they just walked out of a J.Crew for kids catalog.
Wait, does J.Crew make kid’s clothes? I don’t even know!
I have this theory. Children only really wear clothes because we make them; otherwise, they’d run naked until they got too cold.
Children have a crazy sense of style. I like to think of it as wacky-tacky. Instead of fighting them on it, why not embrace the crazy?
Give them a box of hand-me-down clothes and let them mismatch to their heart’s content. It’ll save you money and people will think they’re cute. Then they’ll think you’re a good mother/father for allowing them to show-off their creativity and have their own sense of style, but really, you’re just saving a buck!
When picture day comes around or they need an outfit for the Christmas recital, you’ll be able to splurge on something nice.
Hand-me-downs are a very good thing. See if you can get some for yourself too!
What do you think of hand-me-downs?
Do you wear them or let your children wear them?
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Hand-me-down Parties are all the rage around here. We meet for a little wine (to take our mind off of all the size 6’s floating around) and then pass around clothes that we are “done” with. Someone usually offers to donate the rest to a local women’s abuse shelter and it is SO cool to see how other people mix and match things, too! And, we are HUGE fans of the hand-me-down love for the kidlets. Hugs fans.
They are a blessing indeed and I was raised just fine wearing them and so will be my boys.
Our church has a clothing giveaway every summer. It is a highlight of my year. We give clothes we are not using and bring home ‘new’ items. It is fun to see someone else wearing what did not quite work for me and to have someone tell me how nice I look in what did not work for them.
Love hand me downs! I feel like I just won something when I get a bag of them!
Oh heck yes. Babies are so easy on their clothes, hand me downs are the best!
Love, love when someone gives me a bag of clothes! A new wardrobe without spending a penny is a true blessing.