Maternity Fashion on a Budget

Looking good isn't cheap.  Looking good while pregnant is even harder to do.  For some reason maternity clothes are much pricier than non maternity clothes.  To add to that, you're only wearing the clothes for a short period of time so purchasing them is even harder.  At least for me it is.  I'm a thrifty person who generally has a hard time purchasing clothes that cost more than $20-$30 so when I'm pregnant I go into full on frugal mode.  So here are a few tips two save money when pregnant.

1.  Borrow, Beg & Steal.  Okay so maybe not the steal part, but the borrow and beg, do it!  If you have friends or family that have been pregnant recently, ask them if they'd let you borrow some of their maternity pieces.  More than likely they'll be willing to part with them for a short period of time.  Not every piece they have you'll like, but more than likely they'll have a few staple items that you can use throughout your pregnancy (work pants, jeans, etc).

2.  Buy maternity clothes at non maternity stores.  I'm talking Old Navy, Target, Kohl's, etc.  If you walk into Destination Maternity, chances are you're going to see some pricey pieces.  Yes, they're really cute, but is it worth it to wear for 5 months or so?  Likely not.  Another favorite of mine is H&M.  You may or may not know that they carry maternity.  You also may or may not know that you can now shop online at H&M.

3.  Wear your non maternity clothes.  This may be the craziest concept yet.  Not really, at least I don't think so, but so many pregnant women feel they have to wear maternity all the time.  When in fact, a lot of what you already have in your closet you can wear for a majority of your pregnancy.  Take the outfit above, everything here is non maternity (minus the pants).  Just be careful in the belly area, non maternity clothes don't have that fabulous band so you might be flashing some strangers your preggo belly!

4.  Buy staple pieces.  When you do have to buy maternity clothes, try to only purchase the staple pieces you'll use throughout your pregnancy and postpartum.  Things like tanks, leggings, and t-shirts.  Then accessorize or layer up with your non maternity pieces like cardigans or scarves.

5.  Purchase multi-functional pieces.  You'll want to purchase a few key pieces that you can wear multiple times throughout the week to keep your cost down.  For example, splurge a little on a pair of maternity work pants from Gap and wear them a couple times throughout the week.  There's nothing wrong with that as long as you're getting good use out of the cost.  I also purchased a black maxi skirt that I can dress up and wear to work, or dress down on the weekends for a casual look.

Remember that pregnancy is a short period of time and ask yourself if it's worth spending some extra cash to look super cute for a limited period of time.  To me it's not worth the extra cash to shop from Heidi Klum's line.  Sure, all of her clothes are so cute but I just can't justify spending $150 on a maxi dress of hers when I can find a similar dress at Old Navy for $35.  Either way, be confident and rock that bump because pregnant women always look fabulous!

-stephanie