Hand-Me-Downs, Earth Day Solutions!

Donavyn, wearing Daddy's and Papa's red jacket.


I don't know about you, but I love hand-me-downs.

Don't get me wrong. I also love new clothes. But used outfits are broken in and feel so soft and loved. Ahhh.

Can't you just feel the comfort of a previously owned sweater? I have one that I wear almost ever day. I bought it at a thrift shop for a dollar or two. I'm pretty sure others are tired of it, but I do love that sweater. It's the prefect weight, warmth, and color. Ok. Maybe it doesn't match everything else I own, but I wear it like it does. Who cares? I'm over 50, so I can do things like that.

Reusing clothing is awesome! Why?

the price is excellent
used clothes can be used until they fall apart (guilty of this)
second-hand-clothes are not relegated to the trash (and landfill)
old clothes are broken in
reusing is budget stretching
sentiment on favorite items is extended to the new owners

Are you guilty of saving your child's baby clothes? I am.

Donavyn wearing Papa's and Daddy's (and auntie's) mail suit. It's showing the long years of use, so this outfit is more of a sentimental prize.

I kept all of my favorite outfits from both of my children. A good amount of boy and girl baby and toddler clothes stayed stashed in the garage. When the grands starting arriving, I dug out those boxes and started reusing favorites.

Let me warn you about stains and elastic though. Stains got worse (especially those formula and milk under the chin stains that never quite came all the way off). Elastic did not survive the heat and years in storage. Just an FYI.

The worn-by-all Mickey Mouse sweatshirt.

I loved most of the favorites just as much as the first time they were used. Oh, and many of my favorites were hand-me-downs, so we are talking some serious long-life-use of clothes.

A few of my supposed favorites? Ick. Why did I keep those? For emergency clothes. After the diaper leaks or the food exploration trashes an outfit, good old Nana has some spares.

But one of my absolute favorites? Holding on to something that used to be my husbands' when he was a little guy. Like the red jacket. It was worn by Kevin, and his son Taylor, and now Taylor's son Donavyn, who was recently photographed as he trotted around the backyard wearing it. I still have the matching hat.

Baby Hayden wearing the red hat that matches the red jacket. Sizes do not match, so I'm not sure how that worked in the olden days...

I also have a sweater set that my mama crocheted for Baby Taylor. It was worn by Baby Chelsie (Taylor's sister), Baby Hayden and Baby Khloe (Chelsie's kids), and for a short time, Baby Donavyn (Taylor's son). I will just keep putting that set on whichever grand needs warming up at the time.

This blog post was originally brought to you by Earth Day 2015. Let's add Nana's Trip Down Memory Lane as co-host. Thanks for joining me!

Papa holding Baby Taylor who is wearing the Christmas sweater set crocheted by my mama.

What kind of hand-me-downs do you hang on to and love?

Look who just showed up? Sister, not feeling well at all, but still willing to smile for Nana and her camera. Khloe is wearing the pink lamb sweater that her mommy wore many years ago. Hand-me-downs strike again!