Cameo is only 18 months older than Marlo which means there’s not too much difference between them. As we all know, kids grow so quickly, so most new clothes don’t get very much wear at all. Things like shorts that can only be worn a few months a year are the worst culprits. We bought so many of them, then got handed down a load too so we’ve leant from that error this year!
Because of the age difference between them, we’re lucky that we can just hand down the clothes to Marlo. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes I do buy Marlo the odd new outfit or two, but generally speaking, everything he has is from Cameo. Jumpers, shorts, hoodies and more! The only things that don’t really get handed down are t-shirts and pyjamas because they get so worn and torn. But everything else is an opportunity for Marlo to have some new clothing. Before we know it, the wardrobe is overflowing!
New clothes can be so expensive, but you can cut back and save money. It is possible. There are plenty of tips to save money on children’s clothes online, you just have to have a little search. Hand me down clothing is a big thing that we do it, and it really has helped our finances.
So what do we do with Marlo’s clothes? At the moment we don’t know anyone who has a baby so we either drop bags off at charity shops or clothing bins in our local supermarket. Something we have that’s really handy in Nottingham are charity bags. We never had them in London but basically a bag gets posted through your letterbox, you fill-up the bag with clothes, leave it on your doorstep on the allocated day and someone collects it! It’s great for getting rid of things, minimal effort but it does so much good for so many people!
What about Cameo? Well, he grows so quickly. He is just shooting up! Cameo also has an older cousin and my sister passes his clothes down to us. Sometimes, Marlo gets third-generation clothing! But as long as it’s in good condition, who cares! It means we save money, have clothes that fit and help the environment at the same time! It’s like going shopping for free when my sister drops off a bag of clothes and the boys still feel like they get new clothes, because, to them, it is new!
