Hand-me-downs OR Brand New?
By tlb0822
@tlb0822 (1410)
United States
August 30, 2008 12:10am CST
Do you like/accept hand-me-downs, or do you prefer to buy things brand new? When I first got pregnant with my daughter, I was set on buying everything new, and not having a single shred of hand-me-downs. Yeah that lasted 1/2 a month after she was born. I finally realized that gently used hand-me-down clothes, and toys are wonderful!
My fiances sister had a whole lot of gently used baby clothes and toys. Her daughter is now 3 and I get all the clothes for Jamilyn to save for when she gets into that size. Its nice because it saves me a lot of money on buying clothes every month. She has also given me toys that she no longer plays with. My younger sisters are 5 and 8, so my mom sends me there toys when they no longer are interested in them. My mom jokes that I won't ever have to buy her any toys, because they have them all. I had brand new outfits that just sat in the closet, because she grew so fast, and at the moment she would rather play with the box the toy came in then the actual toy. lol. So getting hand-me-downs help out a lot. Some people prefer to have all brand new things.
So would you prefer hand-me-downs or buy everything brand new? Are there certain items that you would or wouldn't want handed down?
1 person likes this
2 responses
@SydneyHazelton (4586)
• Singapore
30 Aug 08
I don't mind hand-me downs as well. We bought some new things when my daughter was born. My aunt gave me bags of clothes even though they are for boys. she has three boys, you see. But some of them are really unisex. So my daughter is often clad in t-shirts and shorts rather than skirts. But these kid grow so fast, you probably need to buy clothes often if you prefer new ones and that's going to cost. It's great that you get toys too. I wish someone would pass us some toys as well. They get bored easily with the ones they have.
I remember when I was young, my grandmother worked as a cleaner for an expat. When they left the country, they left us with so many toys. We had such great fun with all of them. I think it's great. Also saves the planet with all these recycling.
I'm part of Freecycle, you may want to find one in your own country. They have branches all over the world. Members will post items they want to give away and you can ask for them to give you. If you are among the first to ask for it, you might just get it. Usually on first come first served basis. I'm looking out for a tricycle for my daughter from Freecycle.
@highflyingxangel (9225)
• United States
30 Aug 08
When I was a kid I hated the idea of having anything used. I just hated it simply because I wanted to be like everyone else and I really wanted to have new items. However, as I've gotten older, I could really care less. I buy used books constantly. I have worn used shirts before but not jeans. I have a terrible time finding used jeans that are my size. As long as it looks pretty OK I don't see what the big deal is about used items, at least not anymore.
