Finding appropriate maternity wear doesn’t have to be a chore. It can actually be just as fun as shopping for any other types of clothing. But there are a few things that you can do to make the process of shopping for maternity wear a whole lot more enjoyable and save yourself some money.
Before you even begin shopping, set aside 60 minutes to help you find maternity wear for less. The hour (give or take) that you spend on this will save you aggravation and money in the long run. So take your time. Be honest with yourself. And above all, be realistic.
Determine what you need. You’ll find that when shopping for maternity wear what you need and want will be different, just like your needs and wants will be different when shopping for your regular clothes. Keep in mind that the impulsive want buy of maternity apparel is much more costly than the impulsive buy of regular clothes because you’ll only wear maternity clothes for a short period of time.
Take an inventory of your closet to see what clothes you already have. Is there anything that you can make do with until mid-pregnancy? Stretch pants or even your regular pants with elastic waists can often be worn well into your pregnancy.
Look through your closet to see if any of the clothes you’ve inventoried can be worn through your entire pregnancy. Things like oversized t-shirts work well throughout your whole pregnancy, even if you just wear them while lounging around at home.
Raid your husband’s (or partner’s) closet for bigger shirts and sweaters.
Ask friends and relatives if you can borrow any of their maternity wear.
Once you’ve completed steps one through five, you’ll have a small selection of maternity wear you can put on throughout your pregnancy. Now you need to reevaluate what you still need.
Based on what you still need, determine how much money you have to spend. Be realistic and practical. And remember that maternity clothes usually cost more than regular clothes.
Save some money on the maternity wear you still need by visiting garage sales, second hand stores, consignment stores, and even online classified ads for gently used maternity clothing.
Again, reevaluate what you still really need. You’ll probably still have a few needs for your wardrobe. Don’t waste money on items such as maternity underwear since you can usually get away with a larger size of your regular style.
Take the time to comparison shop. Comparison shopping is the only way that you’ll get the best deals on your maternity wardrobe. Check local stores, catalogues, and online.