We’ve bought gently used clothing on eBay and at thrift stores (and new-with-tags outfits at a fraction of retail). We’ve turned to garage sales and Craigslist for furniture. My neighbors would be shocked to learn that I’ve shopped at the Salvation Army, but that’s where I found a vintage, mint-condition pedal car for $9, a brand new Hanna Andersson snowsuit for $2, and a Little Tikes kitchen for $5.

We’ve hardly bought anything new for our second child. Clothes, shoes, toys–it’s all being handed down. We’re still using our first stroller in a neighborhood where Bug-a-Boos have been all the rage. We don’t need to spend $800 when the $100 Graco we bought in 2002 still works fine.

But this had nothing to do with the economy. I planned to leave my job to raise our family, so we went from a two-income family to a single one and had to cut corners. And yet, I don’t consider what we did a sacrifice. We are able to get everything we need–with money leftover for things we want–simply by avoiding retail whenever possible.