Baby Clothes and Goodwill ~ www.thebloggingmom.com

Thirteen years ago when my two older kids were just babies, I started to shop Goodwill for their baby clothing. At the time I felt like I was a minority, but I have to say, I had some of the best dressed little ones around, and I paid next to nothing for their clothing. The thing about baby clothing, dresses, and holiday clothing is that the kids tend to outgrow them before they ruin them. Therefore, bargain shoppers like me reap the benefits. Just as an FYI, I always double check a few things before I buy... zippers, snaps, and stains.

One of my favorite finds for Madison when she was a toddler was when I came across about ten outfits by the brand Chocolate Soup. They make absolutely adorable and unique clothing like these dresses:

Needless to say, I bought every one!! PLUS, I think I only paid $1 for each one.

As the kids grew a bit older and finding stain-free clothing became a bit harder, I switched my shopping gears and went more for the regular high-end retail chains.

Now here I am thirteen years later with a five month old bouncing baby boy and I am back to my old habits of looking for baby bargains. I see it as a challenge and find it quite fun. Even being the picky shopper I am, I can find most of my baby clothing at the four-five Goodwill stores in my area. This is not to say that I don't ever buy new clothing. There is always going to be that adorable outfit that I have to swipe up from the mall or some other specialty store.

Here are some of my most recent Christmas finds for Hudson.

I am sorry to say though that the prices have risen to $1.60 an outfit. HA HA... not so bad, ah?

Right now he has a closet full of clothing for fall and winter. The brands include Gymboree, Baby Gap, Old Navy, Carters, The Children's Place, Kelly's Kids, and more. Did I mention that sometimes I find brand new clothing with the tags still attached?

I read a recent article about Goodwill that stated Goodwill Industries is opening stores in higher socio-economic areas. I am finding this to be true in my area. According to the Goodwill stats, in 2010 alone their sales have increased by 10% and they have done over 15 million dollars in sales.

Looks like I might not be the minority for long!