From toys to clothing to reusable diapers, a British mother said she saved the equivalent of more than $43,500 by buying everything for her babies second-hand.
“Some people might say it’s unhygienic, but […] A lot of what people are getting rid of is essentially brand new. Babies grow so quickly that they only wear outfits a few times. “It’s good for the environment and the bank account,” mother-of-three Helen Llyford-Smith told the Manchester Evening News on Monday.
Since becoming pregnant with her first child in August 2021, the 33-year-old from Devon in the south of the UK says she has bought almost everything second hand on sites like Vinted or Marketplace to furnish and dress her baby boy, then her twins .
“I read somewhere that the average price of clothes and furniture for a newborn is around £10,000 [l’équivalent de plus de 16 700 $], which is crazy. I searched Facebook Marketplace and flea markets to find everything for the children,” she told local media.
In total, she estimates she has only spent £4,000, which is almost $6,700, over the years on caring for her children, buying back furniture as well as clothing and even reusable cloth diapers.
“Given the current cost of living, I want to maximize everything [dollar]“she added to the British media. Having three kids – especially twins – isn’t cheap with all the outfits, toys and furniture, but it’s definitely doable.”
The only exceptions for the woman are mattresses and child car seats, which she and her partner Richard Smith, 45, prefer to buy new, she told the “Manchester Evening News”.