Great places to get cheap, eco-friendly baby items in the Seattle area!

As a student I don't make very much money, and now that I have a baby on the way and am not working I make even less! Thank goodness my husband is willing to support me as I add yet another degree to my name (eventually I will have more letters after my name than in it).

I do my very best to buy organic, recycled or otherwise eco-friendly items, but that can be really costly. I thought I would share how a nearly unemployed medical student gets by in our high-cost-of-living city while living eco-friendly.

As I am expecting my first baby I am constantly on the look out for ways to get baby clothes and baby items on the cheap. Places that have worked for me so far include:

Thrift Stores: Set rules for yourself when you go thrift store shopping! Mine include the following:
1)I make a list of items I need and try to stick to the list.
2)If there is something not on the list that I feel I absolutely must have I will put it in my basket and consider it carefully (if you think there is something you want pick it up because it is usually one of a kind and if someone else snags it you're out of luck).
3) Look over the item very carefully, examine all seams, hinges, interiors, what have you. If you are buying junk you've wasted your money, even if it's only $1.
4) If there is something wrong with the item that you think you can fix or live with and there is no "as is" tag you can sometimes get the checker or manager to reduce the price.
5) Remember: salt, baking soda, vinegar and Borax are amazing at getting out stains. People often donate dirty items (sad but true) to the thrift store and they don't get washed properly before being put out on the floor.
6) No matter what: wash the item in your next batch of laundry! This should be done with all clothing/linens whether thrifted or brand new. Especially if you are expecting a baby soon you want everything ready to go.

Goodwill Industries: web address: http://www.seattlegoodwill.org/seatt
While it appears that their prices have increased due to the recession and are often quite arbitrary you can get some excellent deals on baby clothes (I have a hard and fast rule that I won't pay more than $1.00 for any one piece of baby clothing) and if you go when there is a sale you can get even better deals. If you check the website above you can get their sale schedules and if you use the Chinook Book (more on this wonderful coupon book in a later post) you can get an additional 20% off your entire purchase.

Examples of amazing things I have gotten at the Goodwill: practically brand new onesies and sleepers with incredibly cute little animals all over them. Never-used glass baby bottles for 50 cents a piece.

Value Village: website: http://www.valuevillage.com You have to sign up for their enews if you want to know when they are having special sales/promotions. Like the Goodwill they often have sales on specific colored tags throughout the month. They do a calendar at the beginning of the year that has monthly coupons inside, which can be quite handy.

Examples of amazing things I have gotten at Value Village: organic baby clothes, an exquisite hand-knit baby blanket and a super warm baby snuggly with hood and fold over hand warmers for when my winter baby comes!

Consignment Stores: not only do these stores have some great items at pretty good prices, you can bring in items you no longer need and get money or store credit when they are sold. Disclaimer: I have yet to consign anything at the following stores, but I plan to.

Me n Moms: website: http//www.menmoms.com There are three locations for Me N Moms stores: Ballard, Lynnwood and Issaquah. They have a selection of maternity clothing, infant/toddler/child clothing, toys and furniture. Items appear to be in very good shape and are well organized, as opposed to thrift stores where you need to be ready for treasure hunting. I use the $5 off of $25 coupon from the Chinook Book and there are racks of clothing that have been reduced for quick sale.

Examples of items I have gotten at Me n Moms: maternity jeans, several maternity shirts, toys for my nephew.

Labels: Womens and Childrens Consignment: website: http//www.labelsseattle.com Located in Greenwood, this is one of the nicest consignment shops I have ever seen. It is a bit small, but filled with lovely items that are in excellent shape. They have women's, children's and maternity clothing. The maternity clothing section, while very small, is filled with lovely items.

Examples of items I have gotten at Labels: one of the cutest skirts I have ever seen in my life (a maternity skirt at that, and if you have tried buying maternity clothing you may know that 'cute' is very hard to come by!), dressy maternity top, gorgeous maternity sweater.

Other places to consider for eco-friendly baby clothes/items: I have yet to use these places myself.
Kate Quinn Organics website: http//www.katequinnorganics.com You can go to their Saturday trunk sales and get a great deal on adorable, organic baby clothes.

Freepeats: website: http//www.freepeats.org Currently they are offering a free lifetime membership through September 2009. They are doing a first 100 offers giveaway currently where the first 100 offers for a particular area will be entered in a drawing for a $25 gift certificate to Amazon.com
You can sign up and offer baby items you no longer need and find items that are being offered for free in your area. You can also post items you are looking for and if another member has the item they can contact you. The beauty of this is that you can pick up the item from the other freepeat member and no shipping is involved. What a wonderful way to reduce/reuse/recycle. The Seattle freepeats website seems a little slow right now. Join and help get things moving!

Freecycle Seattle: website: http://www.freecycle.org/group/US/Washington/Seattle This is a Yahoo group, so if you don't have a Yahoo account you will need to get one. This is similar to freepeats as you can post items you are seeking or offering. This is a very well run site that will send you daily emails about items wanted or offered. I have seen all sorts of great things on here including furniture and building supplies. I have also seen some random items such as "small can of shaving cream" hmm... interesting! I have used this site just a little bit myself and got a nice plastic underbed box for organizing fabric. As with freepeats Freecycle is all local, so you go and pick up the item yourself, no shipping involved. Again, what a wonderful way to reduce/reuse/recycle!

Other areas I have gotten cheap/eco-friendly baby clothes: My sister, my friends, friends of friends. Let people know you are having a baby and that you are looking for particular items that they no longer need and you may find yourself with more clothes/bottles/diapers than you thought possible. Obviously this can get a bit out of hand, so be discerning! If you know you don't need the item/won't use it kindly let them know or pass it on to someone who will whether a friend or donation.