When I found out I was pregnant I was ecstatic. However, I quickly realized that my regular clothes were not going to fit for long.  By just week 6 I couldn’t fit my thighs into a few pairs of my jeans or shorts.  I was devastated.  I didn’t think I could have gained weight that quickly and even more worried that if I was already outgrowing my clothes how much was I going to have to spend on a maternity budget.

Determined to not go broke, I had to come up with some smart solutions.

• #1…Set a budget and stick to it.  Before you buy it, ask yourself if you really need it (you should do this all the time, not just when shopping for maternity clothes).
• Determine what in your closet you can continue to use.  You would be surprised how many dresses or longer shirts can be paired with some leggings and continued to be used your entire pregnancy.
• Buy a Be Band. I did a review on this product a few weeks ago and I’m happy to say, it’s probably the best investment I’ve made so far.  I am still, at 24 weeks, able to use this product regularly. I never tried it, but you could always go an even cheaper route and do the rubberband trick.

Wearing my Be Band with a tank top and shorts that were already in my closet

• Don’t limit yourself to just “maternity” clothes simply because you are pregnant.  Since being pregnant, I have only bought the Be Band new.  I have bought 6 other dresses from the regular clothing sections of stores.  The price on maternity dresses seems to be raised just because they are “maternity”.  I found a maternity dress I liked in Target for $40, but went over to the regular dresses and found an even nicer one for just $25. The great thing is that I will continue to be able to wear this post-baby and feel better that it’s just a “regular” dress and I’m not still wearing maternity clothes.

Just a regular dress I got at Target.

• Ebay, craigslist, and facebook yardsale groups can be lifesavers.  I got an entire box of maternity clothes for $40 off facebook, picked out a few pieces that I could use and turned around and resold the remaining pieces for almost what I paid for the entire box.
• Shop clearance racks at stores that have maternity sections or look at discount stores like Burlington Coat Factory.  I was able to find jeans there for just $9.99. I even found a nursing bra on clearance for $3 and most other nursing bras were just $9.99.