Maternity Clothes on a Budget

I have never been much of a shopper. This isn't really because I don't like clothes; it's more due to the fact that I don't like spending money on clothes. I get this semi-guilty feeling, since I know I can do without. This has led to me owning certain pieces of clothing for years, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Obviously, getting pregnant was going to necessitate purchasing some new clothes. And I was excited! This time I actually needed clothes, so I thought it would be super fun.

Unfortunately, I was sorely disappointed. I guess like all clothes, some things in maternity sections don't look totally awesome on everyone. So that was a bummer. But more importantly, I was surprised at how much the clothes cost. Even at places like Target, I felt like they overpriced the maternity clothes because they knew there was a small market and people would have to buy clothes. Right before Danny and I found out about our sweet baby, we had set a budget, and I allotted myself $50 for shopping. I know that isn't a ton for a lot of people, but remember, I don't really love shopping and I don't like spending money. The $50 was a good medium for me. For lots of other women, it would need to be a bigger budget. Anyway, that was before I would need clothes, but I still wanted to try to maintain that budget. The less money I spent on clothes, the more money we could spend on things that are more important to us. In all honesty though, $50 a month when growing at a rapid pace would be hard.

Believe it or not, I have managed to do it for the most part. I was also given a few generous gifts from my mom and mother-in-law, but all in all, I did it pretty much at $50/month.

How? There were a few tricks which I will readily share with you.

1. Buy a belly band.

• I already wrote about how the belly band helped me to expand my wardrobe here. 

2. Be willing to work with your current clothes.

• Just because you're pregnant, doesn't mean you are going to need maternity clothes pronto. I used the first early months of my pregnancy to stock up on a few items each month, but I didn't necessarily wear them right away. Instead I wore all the clothes I could wear from my current wardrobe, phasing them out as they no longer worked. 

3. Buy staple pieces of clothing.

• I purchased a few great items that I have worn day in and day out, one of which is a black tank top from Target that was $12. I can wear it with lots of different things and it is probably one of my most flattering shirts. I also bought a few maxi skirts that will be great for the summer time, but I can also make them work for teaching when I start the new school year. One of them even doubles as a swim coverup! Boom baby!

4. Wash your clothes on delicate and hang dry them.

• Because I only purchased a handful of pieces, they get worn often, but I don't want them to look that way. Washing on delicate and hanging them dry has certainly helped keep my clothes looking really fresh. 

5. Last but definitely not least: accessorize.

• I have never been much of a jewelry-wearer, but that has definitely changed since I got pregnant. I can make an outfit look really fresh and different with some different earrings or bracelets. 

I have two older sisters, Joy and Mary, and both would attest that I not the most fashionable of us three. I think pregnancy has changed me to some degree. I know how to dress more creatively and love when I come up with a great outfit. Mary even told me she thinks I dress way better now that I am pregnant! (Here's crossing fingers that it continues post-baby!)