The time-honored tradition of hand-me-down clothing is alive and well in suburbia. Whether you are getting clothing from an older cousin, big sister or neighbor’s kid, hand-me-downs are almost always free. Whether they are in good shape though, is another story. You get what you pay for when you accept clothing from a friend or relative. You may also have to accept clothing that is too big for your child, and store it away for future use. But there is no cheaper way to outfit your child.
Generally speaking, it’s considered bad form to turn down hand-me-downs. Accept everything offered to you, even if it is not in your or your child’s taste. No law says you have to wear it, and you don’t want to risk drying up the free clothing pipeline. Toss anything that is too trashed to wear, and sell the rest at a garage sale or auction site. Just make sure you wait a year or so, so the giver is less like to have hurt feelings if she sees a shirt she gave you sitting out on a driveway garage sale table.
One exception: the shoe rule for garage sales also applies to hand-me-downs. It is acceptable to turn down shoes unless they are nearly new or not obviously conformed to the previous wearer’s foot. Etiquette for underwear is not so cut-and-dry. Most people won’t hand down used underwear, and most parents won’t accept it, especially if it shows signs of previous soiling. But if you are offered underwear, your best bet is to take it and deal with it in whatever way your comfort level allows.
A clever way to make hand-me-downs work for you is to develop a network in your neighborhood. The entire block can hand down clothing to each other on a regular basis, making for well-clothed children and happy neighbors.