Buy a jean-jumper and you'll be able to wear most of your non-maternity tops throughout your whole pregnancy, saving you hundreds of dollars and giving you countless options and different looks.
When you first start to show, a regular non-maternity denim jumper from the thrift store will work, but after you get larger, you'll need to invest in a maternity jumper. This one item, bought at a maternity store may be a little pricey, but believe me, you will get your money's worth! If you can sew, you can make your own with about 3 yards of lightweight denim. It's nice to have two, one in blue denim and one in black so you can wear one while you are washing the other.
With a jean jumper, not only can you change your look by wearing a different shirt or sweater underneath every day, they are super-comfortable and we all know how comfort is what really counts! Buy it in lightweight denim and you'll be able to wear it year-round. In the winter, you can wear warm and comfy leggings with it and in the summer just a tank top.
This one tip made it possible for me to look nice at little cost during my pregnancies, does anyone else have any great tips for saving money on maternity clothes?
By Cyinda from near Seattle-Tacoma
You can also buy clothing in the ladies large size department. I have know lots of young women that do that, instead of buying actual maternity clothes.
Your jumper tip is great! Love it. I did that too with my last pregnancy! I am a plus sized girl, so it's hard to find cute and affordable plus maternity. So when I was pregnant with my now 7 month old, this is what I did:
Don't be afraid to take things from friends who offer to give/lend something. I got lots of cute stuff that way.
I shopped at JCPenney's when they had end of season clearance sales. I got a few baby doll style sleeveless tops. I would just layer them over a long sleeved tshirt that I already had.
I normally wear an XL but I had to get 3XL tops in regular plus size. I got REALLY big, but they got me through maternity! Rule of thumb is buy 2 sizes bigger than your normal pre-pregnancy size.
Shop online. I shopped ebay and also Lane Bryant online. I got some cheap and cute clothes that way. The cheapest way to shop ebay is to buy your maternity clothes in lots and not in individual pieces.
I wear skirts normally so I just traded my normal skirts with ones with elastic waist bands. The broomstick styles that are long and flowing are comfortable and fit an expanding tummy. :)
Finally I hit my local thrift stores. I bought jumpers and empire waist-ed tops, which are back in fashion and make you look pregnant even if you aren't! HTH!
I also wanted to mention that if you can sew, you can easily add an elastic maternity tummy into most regular pants, especially ones without a front zipper. And instead of buying the expensive pregnancy elastic tummy sold in fabric stores, instead buy a piece of 2-way stretch bathing suit fabric OR, buy very-stretchy cotton-blend fabric. Then just fold the the fabric over one inch at the top & zig-zag along the edge then put a piece of 3/4 inch elastic in it.
Next, turn pants inside out & pin the panel into the front & waist area, second, cut out the area under the fabric then zig-zag all along the exposed seams. Using this technique you can make 8 or more pairs of pants into maternity pants for under $8 (for 1 yard of fabric). I would recommend you use pants you are going to throw away or thrift store pants to sew the tummy into.
* A note: It's best of the fabric stretches from side-to side instead of top-to-bottom.
You can also make a belly band in order to wear your non-maternity clothes during your pregnancy:
www.belly-bands.com/
