Elf Sternberg

I am *totally* with you on kids' clothes. I get almost all of Maggie's clothes as hand-me-downs, freecycle, garage sales, used kids' stores, Goodwill, etc. About the only things I buy new are underwear (hard to find used, plus I sort of squick on buying used underwear -- oops, she prefers 'panties'), socks (because it's hard to tell used what size they are), some shoes (because they can be hard to find used), and *occasionally* some other clothes, like ski pants last year (Walmart, about $8), and a bathing suit last year (on sale at the Gap, I think it was), because they can be hard to find used.

I get a ton of stuff for a buck or two each, and if she doesn't like it or it doesn't fit well or it gets stained or ripped, I don't have to stress about it. Best of all, I don't have to go into *stores* -- I hit the used clothing stores once or twice a season, grab everything in her size that I like and I think she'll like, and I'm *out* of there.