as we're trying to get ready for mango with a tight budget, i spend a lot of time researching to find the best items in my price range. with empasis towards style, good reviews and functionality. Two sites that i check for bargains that are typically 60-70+% off retail are baby steals & mama bargains. we were able to receive a great full size crib (we have a compact one in our apt right now) as a gift, purchased at overstock for 75% off retail, no tax and only $3 for shipping. it's sold out, but it might come back.
it's also good to keep an eye out for sample sales like this one. even though we didn't have a baby yet, i had a friend pick me up pottery barn kids clothes at an average of $3/piece. that stocked us up on clothes, blankets, bath towels, hats and shoes. i've found great new or barely worn clothes at my local goodwill lately for an average of $1.50/piece as well. it's hit and miss, so you have to be willing to hunt or walk away with nothing.
baby stuff can be pricey so if you have the time, do your research and you can make it all fit within a budget. invest in things you want long term, and be super frugal with things they will grow out of quickly.
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these are awesome tips. I've visited baby steals, but I hadn't heard of mama bargains. Thanks for all the information. I feel really behind!! I have a couple onesies, a crib coming from my parents house in Seattle, a blanket, and a silver piggy and harmonica bank from my jazzy grandparents. :P I have nada! I'll have to keep an eye out for all these sorts of things. Thanks!!
Check out Diapers.com! You can get very good quality diapers (we like the 'natural' unbleached kind) also good baby bottles, cups toys...they just keep adding on to their list. If you do use my referral number:
KRIN1327 then once you get an account you can refer others and MAKE money towards your orders!!
thanks kristie - i'll definitely check them out.
Babies are seriously expensive, good for you for being frugal; I think I've probably only bought a couple things for Sam at full price (how can I rationalize when I could get a new pair of pants for ME for the same price?!). When I was getting ready for him I'd do all this research to find out which was the best product, then I'd find it somewhere like Craigslist. We also have some local stores and a local swap-it-sell-it site that's awesome. I bet you have some great used kids stuff stores down there. Also, check out freecycling. And my best tip? When in doubt, wait until Mango arrives! Sam needed way less stuff than I thought he would, so I've ended up donating a ton of stuff myself! You'll end up with tons of hand-me-downs too, so get ready to be ruthless in getting rid of stuff:)
Some favorite sources:
http://tinydecorblog.com/
http://www.inhabitots.com/
Is there some sort of award for longest comment...? :)
thanks for the advise & links amy, i'm off to check those out!
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