First Scores!!!

So last time, I showed you the email I sent around.

It works. Beggars can not only be choosers, but also get more than they bargained for - without having to bargain, or even pay at all. 

Very good. 

This loot is from my friend Justin. He literally had a whole load of toys and clothes that he was ready to give to the Salvos and before he did I took a bagful, and breaking my own rules (the whole, be specific lest you get bags of more stuff rule), I took two of clothes. 

These were the winners. 

As you can see heaps of onesies, cotton singlets and the like. 

And these were the ones that Jimmy's Dad said 'No' to. 

I'm no Victoria Beckham so personally I don't give a rats if my 4 week old kid is wearing Christmas clothes in May and I quite like dinosaurs, but her Dad said that we couldn't keep these ones, especially the 'I'm a Princess' one. 

Fair call. 

So these ones will go onto Swap it Baby. 

The Buy Nothing New Kid Email.

Ok so just in case you were wondering, this is how I've gone about soliciting hand-me-downs from people that I know.

Not many of my close friends have kids, but colleagues have them and I figure that friends-of-friends might be the way to go.

So here is the email I sent around, feel free to steal bits that you find useful.

Hi guys, 

As you most likely probably know (no - I can't blame it on the burgers) there is a small person in my belly who will be coming our sometime in early April. If it has any spunk at all it will be April 1. Feel free to a place bets. 

As you may also, I am particularly adverse to buying new stuff, these are the main reasons:

a) It makes me feel like a dill that someone has emotionally manipulated me into needing to buy something new and coerced me into paying lots of money for it 

b) New things use silly amounts of coal, water and other finite resources to make and use 

c) You never know if new stuff will work

d) I don't have heaps of money and if I did would probably spend it on beer and good times, not things I'd have to look after, clean etc. 

e) I abhor shopping

So you being the fine, sustainability-minded, collaborative consumers and parents that you are,  I thought that you might have or know someone who has some second-hand stuff that you may want to offload, lend or sell to me. 

I don't have heaps of room (the kid's room quite literally is the laundry) so I thought I would make a list of things I think that I actually need:

1. Baby monitor

2. Sheets and stuff

3. Change mat

4. Pram/stroller 

5. Sling/pouch thingy

6. Growsuits & clothes 

7. a capsule for a car 

8. ???

There are probably other things that you in your collective knowledge might suggest, I profess to have absolutely no idea what I am doing so please advise me. 

As recompense I will write about the stuff I get on the blog and hopefully give other people in the same boat an alternative to buying lot's of crap for their kids. I also do solemnly swear to (wash and then) regift anything I get. 

Thanks everyone! 

XO Jess 

Some advice I got was to be specific about what you actually need because a lot of people have a lot of stuff and if they're clever they'll try and give you the whole bag, which then becomes your problem. Point noted. I have been quite specific. 

There have been some very good outcomes already, I'll show you what's happened in the next instalment.