As the oldest child, I didn’t get a lot of hand-me-downs as a kid. My sister got a lot of mine, and truthfully, it was weird seeing her in my clothing. I was totally oblivious to the wonders of hand-me-downs until I was pregnant with my first child. When I found out I was having a boy, a colleague of mine, whose son was about five at the time, offered me all of the hand-me-downs she had on hand, and would have in the future. I soon realized this was like hitting the pregnancy jackpot. Hand-me-downs are the best!
Why use hand-me-downs?
This is the most obvious, but it’s true. My “baby” is now ten, and still receiving hand-me-downs. In the decade we have been responsible for clothing him, we have had to buy very few new items. I can’t imagine the hundreds, maybe thousands, of dollars this has saved us. And when he or his brother do need something not covered by hand-me-downs, buying second hand at a thrift shop or through local buy and sell groups is the way to go. I frequently get items and brands I never would be able to afford to buy new.
The more clothes are reused, the fewer clothes end up in a landfill, and the fewer new clothes that need to be made. There are articles of clothing that went through two children before reaching my colleague’s son, then went from my son to my nephew, back to my youngest son, then to my niece, and now to my youngest nephew. That is eight children getting use out of the same garments – and likely more once my youngest nephew outgrows them. Each of those garments being handed down saved the need for seven new ones to be made. Imagine if we all did that? And then when they finally do give out, as does happen, I use many of them for fabric.
Hear me out. You know that shopping rush you get? The one that happens when you are browsing racks or scrolling online? When you unpack your bag at home, or are waiting for that package to arrive? Getting a big bag of hand-me-downs feels like that, but for free. It’s like Christmas! What’s in the bag? You don’t know, and that’s exciting. It’s ridiculously fun going through this shopping spree in a bag.
When I opened up my son’s box of old baby clothes to sort one time, I found a condom. I kid you not. It’s as though past me knew that seeing them would give me the urge to have another one, and wanted to bring me back to reality. Giving away your children’s old clothes is bittersweet. You get to re-live all of the memories associated with each one as you fold them. If you’re lucky, you get to see them when they are on other children you love. My kids are five years apart, so the sadness I felt when my oldest outgrew my favourite outfits turned to joy when my youngest was able to wear them again. The same is true when I see my niece and nephews in clothing my children wore.
My five-year-old has a pair of pants that say 2008 on them. They were worn by his older brother when he was five, too. His brother was born in 2008. We have a Wayne Gretzky shirt from when he was still a current player. We have shirts with wrestlers on them that are now considered old-school vintage. Sometimes, we get clothes that are comically out-of-date. I’m waiting for the day we find parachute pants in the bag. But even when the clothes are old or no longer in style, they are useful. My son loves his vintage wrestler shirts. I love the comically out-of-date stuff. And if nothing else, they are great as play clothes.
So if you haven’t thought of immersing yourself in the world of hand-me-downs and used clothing, I urge you to jump right in! No matter what your income level or spending budget, there is always a reason for hand-me-downs.
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