3 Ways to Not Buy New Clothes and Toys

Confession: Being a mom has made me kind of a lousy environmentalist. I put my kids in disposable diapers; I pack their snacks in plastic baggies. I make quick calculations about what will save me time, freeing up a little more attention for my kids and save money for my family. And sometimes that’s the less environmentally friendly option.

I’m not immune to the guilt of my role in our growing landfills and carbon emissions. I’m just trying to get by. Then I read that a staggering 85 percent of our collective apparel ends up in a landfill — or about 70 pounds of clothing per person per year. That’s more weight (in clothes) than my heaviest child! And that’s not even counting all the toys headed for landfills.

I had to figure out some way I could do better. Here are three ways to reduce our environmental “mom-print,” at least just a little, while saving us some money and keeping stuff out of the landfill. Here are my tips to not buy new clothes and toys for kids.

3 Ways to Not Buy New Clothes and Toys

1. ThreadUp delivers to your door

This online consignment store will ship hip styles perfect for your little one. The clothes are pre-loved and in great shape!

• It’s exciting for your little one. They LOVE getting a box with their name on it. And the styles inside are adorable. I love that they have items organized by price, size, style, etc.
• It saves money compared to buying new clothes! Pants of reliably good quality are priced sometimes as low as $5. That’s hard to beat.

2. Shop the Sales

Every spring and fall, the parents of the greater D.C. area put on the most amazing series of sales of used stuff. Some are better stocked than others, but my goodness they will save you hundreds, maybe thousands of dollars a year. Go in the fall and pick out their holiday presents (seriously, I didn’t buy a single new gift last year) or stock up on cold-weather gear. At these sales, a pair of toddler pants will range from $1-$5 depending on quality. At some of these sales, like Hy-Swap, everything is free!

• Montgomery Country Parents of Multiples:  spring and fall sales with clothes for ages 0-12, toys and more.
• Northern Virginia Parents of Multiples: spring and fall sales with clothes, toys and more held in Falls Church VA
• Hy-swap:  donations are accepted, otherwise everything is free at this Hyattsville, MD swap.
• 4 Corners: this fall sale serves as a fundraiser for the nursery school in Silver Spring.
• Check out various kids’ resale shops around the DMV.
• Find amazing deals at our favorite local thrift stores.

3. Porch Pickups

D.C. is the land of the porch pick-up. Many are announced on listservs or facebook groups throughout the area. These are little gold mines of preloved items for free or cheap. Moms, we need to keep up this trend, use it, and then do it yourself. Drawbacks: You might have to go out of your way, and you can’t control the timing. But they are often closer than going to a store. And (this is my favorite part) they help build our community of parents. When you stop by a porch you might meet another mom face to face. You might share struggles with breast-pumping or potty-training — and get a little sip of that fellow-parent community that helps fill our cup. This is another great way to not buy new clothes and toys.

What ways to you try and leave less of an environmental “mom-print”? Please share them in the comments! Also, please note that H&M offers to recycle clothing at their stores (bring clothes that are in too bad of condition that they can’t be passed onto others).

This article was first published in November 2018.