Some people just don't like hand-me-downs but for those who don't mind, a kids' clothing swap can be a great idea. If you have friends and family members who have kids in similar age ranges, get together every so often and trade items. It's great for things like winter coats and other bigger ticket items. Also, holiday clothing, Halloween costumes, and anything else that might be a bit pricey but is only likely to be worn once. It's still in great shape, after having been worn once, so it's great if someone else can get some use from it. You also get something useful in return. They do this at our high school for prom dresses, which I think is awesome.
I don't think that there is anything wrong with clothing swaps - because things can look just as good even though they have been owned by someone else in the past. I buy a lot of my clothes from charity shops, which are obviously second hand, and they are absolutely fine - so there is nothing wrong with a clothes swap. I have a few friends who I like to swap clothes with, and we all get a lot out of it.
I think we kind of missed the boat when it comes to this whole trend, and I also think that our group of friends seemed to grow right around the time when the kids were at the age when they needed their own clothes. When they were younger we were so busy with them we did not really have that much of a social life, but we did do the occasional swap, but we definitely could have done a little more.
I don't see anything wrong with using hand-me-downs. When I was done with my daughters clothes that I didn't mind letting go I would sell them for the next person to use or depending on the condition I would give them away for free. There are times I go on a mothers frugal group on Facebook where they give away items and I don't mind reusing their clothing - pending on the condition of course but they are usually great condition!
This is a wonderful ideas and it works, unfortunately not everyone likes to do clothes swap or giving of clothes to relatives or friends. Only one Aunt who passed likes to do this. She bought so nice things wore them once or twice and gave it to my Mom. My Aunt had very nice taste too so the clothes were very stylish. My other Aunt who passed is also a very good seamstress and gave us clothes she sewn. It was so nice to have these Aunts who were very generous to sew or give us clothing! Clothing swap or gifts of clothes are very nice to receive!
Yes, these are great ways to save money. Clothing can be very expensive, so saving wherever you can helps out. I don't mind second hand stuff or hand me downs that are clean and in good condition. Like I mentioned, some items are only worn once. I remember all those pricey holiday dresses that my girls used to wear. There is no point in letting them go to waste after one use. Kids grow out of winter coats and stuff quickly too. Saving on the cost of coats and jackets can really help out.
Clothing swaps are a great idea. I have a few friends whose kids are close in age to mine. We'll often swap clothes. I friend of mine son had all these sporty pants he wouldn't wear and that' s all my son liked to wear. So we swapped out some jeans my son had and wouldn't wear for his son's track pants. It worked out great since they were the same size. I think this could also be done with sports equipment. Both my sons play hockey and we could easily swap out hockey equipment too. It would be a great way to save money and try new sports too.
Swapping kid clothes can save someone some decent money but I've noticed that for some people who don't have kids that will benefit from the clothing swap, they'll simply give away the clothes their kids don't wear anymore and at a later date those who received the clothes might reciprocate. You don't lose anything anyway. Eventually you'd have to get rid of the clothes your child doesn't wear.
Yes, that's a good point. Even if you can't engage in an exchange, it makes sense to pass along the things that other people can use. Helping other people save money is a good thing too. I just liked the idea of the swap, especially for those pricier items. Generally, kids wear a holiday outfit once, they only wear a winter coat for one winter, they use a costume one time... so it would be a waste to not let someone else get some use out that stuff. It's true of everyday clothing and pajamas and stuff as well, but you save even more when you don't have to buy the pricey items (or help someone else avoid buying those things).
That's a good idea, the parents can really save money by doing that. I also think that kid's clothes are bound to be given away anyway, so by the time the kids have outgrown their clothes then they would probably have ended up in the charity anyway.
