Money | The Mommy Insider

When my son (now 11 years old) was little, we bought him designer baby clothes (Ralph Lauren) at stores like Neiman Marcus. Talk about silly! Between his uncanny ability to stain an outfit in less than 5 seconds and how quickly babies grow, he didn’t wear an outfit more than a few times before it was thrown away due to staining or it was too small. I learned this lesson pretty quickly.. don’t spend a fortune on baby and children’s clothes! They simply grow too fast and the clothes usually get stained too quickly to justify spending $100+ on a designer outfit.

Learn to shop smart and save big by purchasing gently used kids clothing, baby gear, and toys from your local children’s consignment store.

At the consignment store you can get high quality, gently used clothing at low prices. With the rapid growth spurts of your kids, buying new clothes at each stage can be costly, making consignment stores a perfect resource that you should take advantage of. To ensure minimal spending when you go to your local children’s consignment store take a look in your baby or child’s closet first and make a check list of the things he/she needs.

Consignment stores are great places to get kids clothing and they are usually a lot cheaper but their clothing may be a little more used. They do however have extra discounts on some items on their sale days.

You can also visit yard sales where you have the opportunity to get a full wardrobe for only $10 but in order to get to these yard sales, it requires a lot of work on your part. For example, checking the papers and getting up early on Saturday mornings to ensure that you get the best buys at the best prices.

If you really must get new clothing for the kids you can purchase them at specialty stores where you can save some money. Think of the maximum length of wear time that each piece of clothing has before purchasing.

Hand-me-downs from family members and friends can come in handy and they usually have very little wear and are quite usable.

When looking at all the options given, the children’s consignment stores stand out with their low costs, brand names, clothing for special occasions, high quality, every day wear , end of season sales and their huge discounts.

Recommendations

You can find maternity and children’s consignment stores near you by searching Google for your city and “consignment stores”. You’ll also find great consignment opportunities online at websites including eBay, Gently-Used.com, and ThredUp.com.

ThredUp.com is a great concept.. you swap boxes of clothing with other moms and pay just $5 for shipping. You can see a list of what’s included in each box including the brand name in most cases. ThredUp.com shoppers can search boxes by age, size, and type of clothing making it very easy to find exactly what your child needs quickly.

Eight ways to make money while unemployed It seems that everyone knows someone impacted by unemployment these days. It’s a sad fact but true. Below are eight ways that both the unemployed, as well as moms who want to make a little extra cash, can earn money relatively quickly and from home. From selling things that you (or your kids) don’t use anymore to reselling unused gift cards, these money making tips will help your family during a bout of unemployment.

1. Sell Your Stuff
A good alternative to the yard sale is to sell your stuff on Craigslist or eBay, depending on the quality and whether you want to deal with shipping. Both sites allow you to sell nearly everything, from furniture and bikes to artwork and crafts. CraigsList is free and organized by region. Consult the CraigsList FAQ before you begin. eBay will take a cut of your profits and requires more technical savvy, but it’s a good outlet for collector’s items, higher-end electronics, etc. Read the eBay Sellers Guide before you get started.

2. Earn $5 at a Time
Fiverr.com is an easy way to cash in on unusual skills, like your ability to write a custom birthday song or create a claymation portrait for a client. Fiverr members post what they’re willing to do for $5 (keep it clean) and surfers contact them directly. There’s no charge for this service; Not even $5.

3. Rent Out a Room
Sharing living expenses can put more cash in your pocket. Make sure you draw up a lease agreement specifying rent, security deposit terms, length of stay, etc. This becomes even more important if you’re renting to someone you know.

4. Monetize Your Web Site or Blog
You’re already spending a ton of time on your blog or Web site. Why not earn some money from all your labor? Google AdSense and nine other sites listed on MoolaDays require little to no supervision: Once it’s there, you don’t need to do much more.

5. Sell Your Hair
Sales for generous lengths of tresses reportedly can net you several hundred to over a thousand dollars. WiseBread explains how to sell your hair and includes sites where you can list and market hair.

6. Resell Your Unused Gift Cards
The average American household is holding on to $300 in unused gift cards. In fact, an estimated $30 billion to $40 billion gift cards lie unspent in dresser drawers across the country. But there are plenty of people who DO use budget gift cards, and they’re willing to pay money for yours.

That’s where you come in. You can sell the gift cards you’re no longer using to resale companies for a percentage of the face value and they will sell them at a discount price to others who will actually use those precious pieces of plastic. GiftCardGranny.com can link you up with the highest-paying gift card resellers in the industry.

7. Give Blood
Some plasma banks pay up to $35 per pint. In the United States, federal regulations state that an individual may donate two times in a seven day period, with a minimum of two days in between donations. DonatingPlasma.org provides details and a searchable plasma-bank database to help you find a plasma bank in your area.

8. Become a Human Guinea Pig
If you live near a university with a med school, you can earn anywhere from $15 to $2,000 for taking part in a clinical research study. The National Institutes of Health lists thousands of clinical studies that need volunteers.

To learn more about consumer savings expert Andrea Woroch, visit AndreaWoroch.com