I took my girls on a shopping spree over the weekend. And when I say shopping spree, I actually mean we went to an old school hall, and bought a bunch of second hand clothes off strangers.
I’ve never been particularly fashionable, or even what you would call fashion conscious, and I didn’t grow up in a home where the brand of anything really mattered, which has really stuck with me over the years – and I’m not too upset about that. But somehow my children have extensive and amazing wardrobes, with more fashion labels than I would ever have planned. 
If it wasn’t for second hand, nearly new, and eBay bargains, between you and me, they wouldn’t be. I would never personally spend whatever you pay for a jumper from Baby Gap, or a babygrow from Calvin Klein, or even Boden or other expensive brands that it seems all the hip and funky mothers know.
In fact, the only time I’ve made an exception for myself was during my first pregnancy, with Ameli, when I needed to buy some maternity clothes. I was in Australia and ‘splashed out’ on if I recall, four outfits that I wore for the duration of my pregnant days. I also think those were the last clothes I bought for myself from something that wasn’t a department store.
(Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with looking good, or with beautiful belly flaunting maternity wear, but I had lost so much weight in the pregnancy that I was fitting into my pre-pregnancy clothes in my third trimester – a rather frightening thought- and didn’t need to buy maternity clothes at all!)
Anyway, what’s the point of this ramble?
Simply this: my children wear labels, all thrifted. I love how my girls dress, and I wish I could dress them like this always, and even myself, but even if that’s not to be, I hope they’ll never be too proud to be good to the environment, and recycle, reuse and reduce, even if it means buying and wearing someone else’s hand me downs.
How about you? Do you or your children wear second hand clothing? What else do you do to instill the recycle, reuse and reduce principles in your children?
We shop second hand a bunch! I hit the local thrift stores and there are two really good clothes swaps every year, it helps us save for other things.
Love the idea of clothes swaps! How do you run those? I agree – there is plenty to spend a lot of money on, clothes they’re just going to outgrow isn’t one of them!