"Tiered friendship" sounds kind of forced and strange, but it's actually a very helpful concept for frugal parents with youngsters in the early stages of childhood. Tiered friendship happens when a parent with, say, a three-year-old befriends a parent with a four-year-old and a parent with a two-year-old (and so on in both directions). You may be able to find these types of connections at parent groups at your local church or community center!

Tiered friendships are beneficial as a frugal parent because you have someone who will be looking to get rid of clothes, toys, and other equipment that their child has outgrown. When you have a large group of tiered friendships, the items can exchange hands and, so long as each parent makes sure the items are treated well, can last a lot longer and cost a lot less than if each family bought their own baby equipment!

What are the benefits of tiered friendships for you? First off, you don't have to buy as much. Obviously, there are some things your child will need that you probably don't want secondhand, but t-shirts and baby rattles are pretty universal in their appeal and use. Just make sure you clean and/or sterilize everything you receive before you give it to your youngster. Of particular interest in tiered friendships is larger equipment such as car seats (you'll want to do a safety inspection on these), baby gates, and childproofing equipment.

Second, you can pass along things you don't use. Children grow incredibly quickly, and suddenly you'll have a house full of things you can't use anymore! Instead of tossing these or trying to sell them all, you can pass them along to a friend lower down on the age tier who is need of what you don't use anymore. No more boxes of baby things sitting around the house!

Finally, you can learn from each other. If you have close friendships with other parents who have just been through the issues and traumas your children will inevitably take you through as they grow up, you can ask for advice and not get vague recollections, but rather very specific ideas you can try for yourself.

For the parents on either extreme of the age scale, there are always garage sales, both for buying and selling kids' clothes, toys, and other items! Check out homepage to list your sale or find items for sale near you.