Thank god for zulily!
One of the most unexpected things to me about pregnancy (which really should have been obvious to me ahead of time) is the fact that I now fit into literally none of my old clothes, especially clothes that are appropriate for work. I expected a lot of things not to fit, but I thought that there would still be a fair amount that I could wear. However, all of my old shirts have become midriffs, and I fully cannot button (or even zipper) any of my pants. Even my most low-riding skirts squish the baby at the waistband to the point where I can't concentrate on work very well if I'm in a sitting position (ok, who are we kidding, I can't really concentrate on work anyway, but it's even worse when wearing one of these skirts). I have an entire closet full of clothes, accumulated over the past 15 years (honestly!), and I can't wear any of them. And I still have 12 weeks to go!!!
The good part about this is that all of the clothing catalogs that arrive in the mail now go straight into the recycling bin without even opening them. I have no idea what size I'll be after the baby's born, so it's pretty easy to look at the covers and say, "Nope, not even worth wishful thinking." The bad part about it is that I'm left with only two choices: 1) find new clothes from maternity brands, or 2) go to work naked.
This need has completely changed the way that I shop. First off, when not pregnant, I don't buy many new clothes. I browse through catalogs when they come and only buy something when it *speaks* to me - even then, I hem and haw and deliberate for about a week as to whether or not I really should get it, and I only order it when its voice is loud enough that I can't forget that I saw it. Even then, I usually only buy it if it's on sale (or I wait until it is). I know my size in my favorite brands, so I rarely go to the store to try anything on. Simply put, nothing ever "needs" to be purchased and I always have the luxury of time and choice.
Now, things are much more dire. Moreover, I would far rather be spending money on the baby than on clothes for me, purchased out of necessity, that I don't even really like and will only wear for the next few months. Will I ever even be pregnant again??? Who knows! This one's not even here yet! So every single purchase comes with a profound sense of guilt - not ideal :( But I need pants, I need sweaters, and I need to be able to walk down the hall at work and not look like a high school hillbilly in midriffs and cropped yoga pants. Oh, and I need them quickly and cheaply. I tried thrift stores, etc., but there are very, very few things in my size - yes, I need the pants to actually stay on my butt, too, since guess what - I can't wear a belt (I do have a bellaband, but it doesn't work miracles!).
Enter zulily. I first signed up in May sometime, but mostly I thought it was kind of a gimmick so I didn't even look at the daily emails for months, let alone order anything. It's a third-party company that basically gets a lot of random internet shoppers together to participate in flash sales on some limited set of items from a company. Then, they place a giant bulk order for us all at an incredible discount. Company ships bulk order to zulily, they sort everything out, and distribute it out to each of us orderers, of course taking a cut of the profit for themselves. Upside: you get awesome deals. Downside: the whole process can take like a month before your new clothes actually arrive at your doorstep.
However, zulily has saved me from being naked this fall. See photo below - cute sweater vest set in the upper left? $14.99. Really. I haven't bought a single maternity item so far that hasn't been on mega sale, which makes me feel a little better about spending the money on myself in the first place. Even better, I don't look super trashy - sweet! I am very limited as to what items are available - so I can't wait for something to *speak* to me, I just need whatever the best-offered pants are at that moment in time - but most everything I've gotten so far seems to work pretty well. I will basically be wearing exactly the same set of 5 outfits each week for the next three months, but maybe no one will notice.
Next up on the bargain train - husband and I are going to a local mom-to-mom consignment sale next Saturday. I have been promised by former attendees that there are onesies for $1 and super nice baby snowsuits for like $7. Husband and I are scared to death of bargain-crazed female shoppers like you see on TV and normally avoid such gatherings of them like the plague, but we are putting on a brave face and trying it out. Will post photos of the event, because I'm sure we'll see some gems! :)
The good part about this is that all of the clothing catalogs that arrive in the mail now go straight into the recycling bin without even opening them. I have no idea what size I'll be after the baby's born, so it's pretty easy to look at the covers and say, "Nope, not even worth wishful thinking." The bad part about it is that I'm left with only two choices: 1) find new clothes from maternity brands, or 2) go to work naked.
This need has completely changed the way that I shop. First off, when not pregnant, I don't buy many new clothes. I browse through catalogs when they come and only buy something when it *speaks* to me - even then, I hem and haw and deliberate for about a week as to whether or not I really should get it, and I only order it when its voice is loud enough that I can't forget that I saw it. Even then, I usually only buy it if it's on sale (or I wait until it is). I know my size in my favorite brands, so I rarely go to the store to try anything on. Simply put, nothing ever "needs" to be purchased and I always have the luxury of time and choice.
Now, things are much more dire. Moreover, I would far rather be spending money on the baby than on clothes for me, purchased out of necessity, that I don't even really like and will only wear for the next few months. Will I ever even be pregnant again??? Who knows! This one's not even here yet! So every single purchase comes with a profound sense of guilt - not ideal :( But I need pants, I need sweaters, and I need to be able to walk down the hall at work and not look like a high school hillbilly in midriffs and cropped yoga pants. Oh, and I need them quickly and cheaply. I tried thrift stores, etc., but there are very, very few things in my size - yes, I need the pants to actually stay on my butt, too, since guess what - I can't wear a belt (I do have a bellaband, but it doesn't work miracles!).
Enter zulily. I first signed up in May sometime, but mostly I thought it was kind of a gimmick so I didn't even look at the daily emails for months, let alone order anything. It's a third-party company that basically gets a lot of random internet shoppers together to participate in flash sales on some limited set of items from a company. Then, they place a giant bulk order for us all at an incredible discount. Company ships bulk order to zulily, they sort everything out, and distribute it out to each of us orderers, of course taking a cut of the profit for themselves. Upside: you get awesome deals. Downside: the whole process can take like a month before your new clothes actually arrive at your doorstep.
However, zulily has saved me from being naked this fall. See photo below - cute sweater vest set in the upper left? $14.99. Really. I haven't bought a single maternity item so far that hasn't been on mega sale, which makes me feel a little better about spending the money on myself in the first place. Even better, I don't look super trashy - sweet! I am very limited as to what items are available - so I can't wait for something to *speak* to me, I just need whatever the best-offered pants are at that moment in time - but most everything I've gotten so far seems to work pretty well. I will basically be wearing exactly the same set of 5 outfits each week for the next three months, but maybe no one will notice.
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| Some fall acquisitions from zulily! |
Next up on the bargain train - husband and I are going to a local mom-to-mom consignment sale next Saturday. I have been promised by former attendees that there are onesies for $1 and super nice baby snowsuits for like $7. Husband and I are scared to death of bargain-crazed female shoppers like you see on TV and normally avoid such gatherings of them like the plague, but we are putting on a brave face and trying it out. Will post photos of the event, because I'm sure we'll see some gems! :)
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