Cheap Maternity clothes

Something I noticed suffering considerably during my pregnancy is my bank account. Never-mind post pregnancy, the actual pregnancy itself costs a fortune! Maternity clothes, new diet, medication and buying stuff for your little one all adds up.

I think the biggest expense is maternity clothes though, especially for the working mom who has to work all through the pregnancy and has to buy clothes that suit the professional work environment. There are lots of good maternity stores out there, and sometimes they have good sales - true - but are you really getting a deal? Some of the maternity clothes are just horrid. I know I feel like a beached whale, there's no need to have to look like it. And no, "looking cute" is not part of the work worlds dress code. Get real, some of us still have to dress up for work and it's costly. Have you noticed, an average tank-top is around $20-30?? wtf! I've never spent money like that on one item. What gives? Here's the thing , just like sex sells, babies sell too. It's a great niche to get into to make money. Alot of pregnant woman ( especially first timers) find out they are pregnant, get overly excited and as they grow rush out to the first maternity store to accommodate their growing size and go overkill with their bank account.

Well, there's no need to do this anymore. Here's a little secret >> It's called ... "common sense" .

Okay first off, do you really need to go into maternity clothes yet, or can you still fit into your current clothes? What fits, what your first priority if you do need clothes. Past 3 months when the bump is really showing your probably not going to fit into your current pants ( or comfortably) . There you go, first thing on your list, pants: Now, instead of going out and buying the 20 million different kinds they have, be smart and get informed. Most maternity pants now come with a comfort strip ( like a bella band) in the front attached to the pants. Often you can buy one pair of pants that can last you through the whole pregnancy, and after. These are a great deal! The band can come as a low fitting band that just fits over the bottom of your bump ( which may become uncomfortable for later pregnancy) or you can get the full band that can extend up the top of your stomach, that you can fold down an adjust to how your belly grows. These are super comfortable. You can get wok pants like this as well as skirts and jeans. Thyme maternity has an awesome collection. You can also get pants cut low without the band although it is a bit uncomfortable, and I find the bella band type supports the weight more which helps your back from straining all the weight. Ultimately, you could butcher your jeans and cut the top off, or just leave your fly open, unzipped or unbuttoned and just have an extra shirt the same colour as your top extended over your belly on top part f your pants. I usually do this in emergency situations when I've forgotten to do the washing, haha.

I'm 7 months now and it still doesn't look to bad although going into summer, too much material isn't a good thing while your running around on your feet 12hrs a day at work in a fast paced environment. Old navy's maternity collection looks like something that was ripped out of my grandma's closet ( but 3x more expensive). The baggy pants with elastic top. It just looks tacky, and uncomfortable. Elastics bother the baby and it sits on your belly in such a way you look like your fat not pregnant. Really, it's your choice but your often going to pay more for that for something that's less of an investment that buying the better pair at an actual maternity store that fits like it should. Just a note : Most times you can still wear the same size pants you where pre-pregnancy! It depends on how you put in weight but the only thing that really needs focus on growing is the top so there is room for baby to grow.

What about some nice shirts? Hmmm, well okay. The pants you may have probably have to get from the maternity store, but for the most part the shirts ( unless button up blouse / dress shirts ) you probably wont. You should be able to fit into most of your pre-pregnancy shirts until about 5 or 6 months. Even if you can't - don't waste money in a maternity store. 2007 and 2008 we have been lucky to see alot of free flowing, light material fashion. Go to a regular store and look for deals. Suzy Sheir is amazing for this!! Pick up some smart casual shirts on sale for $4 each. I'm not talking about crap either, I mean some really nice stuff. I picked up some shirts that had a reasonable amount of stretch in them or that had the bell style torsos so they fit quite naturally and look good on me while I'm growing. Often I stayed the same size, I didn't have to go up any.

There are a few I bought for later pregnancy that I just tailored myself to fit better, but still, an absolute steal. No more than $7 a shirt, compared to a maternity shirt that looks the same and is about $30 more. Just be creative, mix and match and see what suits and fits you. Winners is a great place to pick up deals like this, and Hangers too. Just because you are pregnant doesn't restrict you to what you can wear fashion wise. I calculated all the clothes I bought in a regular store for my pregnancy vs. same style shirts,pants, skirts in a maternity store and I saved a whopping $600. The best part - It's all going to fit after the baby is born, I didn't buy something I can't wear again. Alot of the material is a soft cotton stretch so it conforms to my figure and doesn't stretch out of shape. Maternity clothes however, are built for the bulge and tailored as such so besides some pants you really can't waer much of it post pregnancy and are better off throwing out or giving away when you are done.

I hope this is a bit informative for some new moms-to-be. Babies are costly. Pregnancy is costly. If your on a tight budget there are ways of getting around it and still looking good, with something you can still use afterwards. :)