Ten and a half years ago, we welcomed our first child into the world - a beautiful baby girl, Kathrynne. Jesse was in law school at the time, I was trying to piece together enough income from various online pursuits to keep us afloat, and needless to say, we were poor as poor can be.
We were so poor, in fact, that we spent right around $0 out of pocket on baby things. Not because we didn't want to spend anything, but because we literally had no extra money to spare.
As best as I can recall, the only thing we spent money on was a baby blanket. For real.
{I was overdue and we realized that we were going to be having this baby sooner rather than later and it was January, so we probably needed more than the one blanket we'd been given by a friend!
We scrounged together a few dollars, went to Walmart and bought a blanket, and that was the last we spent until Kathrynne was close to one year old and we went and bought her a cute new outfit to get her pictures taken for Christmas gifts.}
How did we spend almost zero out of pocket on baby things? Well, here's how:
1. We Used What We Were Given
We were blessed with very generous friends. So blessed, in fact, that we ended up having three different showers thrown for us! One was by Jesse's co-workers, one was by our little church, and one was by our church back home.
When people asked what we needed or wanted, we suggested practical things - like diapers, wipes, onesies, sleepers, and blankets. We ended up being gifted enough clothes to make it through almost the entire first year of Kathrynne's life without buying her any new clothes.
A few people went in together and bought us some of the larger items - like a stroller, playpen, and carseat.
2. We Willingly Accepted Hand-Me-Downs
Some friends kindly offered to let us borrow their baby items or passed along baby clothes to us. We willingly accepted all of these offers and they were a huge blessing!
Yes, Kathrynne may not have been outfitted in name brand, brand-new clothes most of the time, but she survived just fine! Plus, I discovered that I didn't have to worry if something got stained or ripped because it was already used and worn. 
3. We Focused on Needs Versus Wants
It's nice to have some of the non-necessities, but I'm here to tell you that your baby will be just fine without them.
Kathrynne didn't have very many outfits per size. In fact, in most sizes, she only had 6 outfits, plus PJs. Yes, this meant I had to keep up on laundry more, but she survived.
We also had very few toys or baby gadgets. Some of the gadgets are nice and helpful, but very few could be considered actual necessities. {I wrote a post here with a list of what I consider to be the only items you really need to buy for your baby.}
This might not work for you. You might not have friends who bless you with multiple showers or offer you hand-me-downs. But I hope that this post encourages you to think outside the box and to realize that babies can get by without all the bells and whistles.
What are your best tips for saving money on baby things? I'd love to hear!
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