It seems like a new flash sale site appears in our inbox every day, but when we heard about kid-focused, eco-oriented Totsy, we stood up and took notice. A cut above all the others, Totsy is a smart pick for a green-minded, deal-loving mom to follow. The drool-worthy website hosts sales of up to 90 percent off retail, targeting kids ages 0 to 8 years old. You’ll find everything from eco-friendly toys to kid’s fashion to the best baby gear. Previous sales have included deals from Zutano, Melissa & Doug, Envirosax, Wee Squeak Shoes, Beli maternity, Zooper strollers and Lille Baby baby carriers. Sticking to sustainable and socially responsible initiatives, Totsy even plants a tree in honor of your child when you make your first purchase. Now we thrilled to announce that Totsy is offering one lucky Inhabitots reader a $150 shopping spree to all their eco-kiddie goodness. Read on to find out how to win, and in the meantime, you can use promo code INHABITOTS to get 10% off your first order on Totsy.com!
Here’s how to enter to win a $150 shopping spree from Totsy!
1) Sign up for our weekly newsletter (with your real name). We’ll be notifying the winner in our newsletter – so you need to sign up and receive our newsletter to find out if you have won. *Note: we need your real name in addition to an email address!
2) Like Inhabitots on facebook. For extra karma, check out Totsy‘s fan page while you’re there.
3) Add a comment to this post with your answer to the following question: What’s your favorite way to save on green baby and kids products? (extra points for creative answers!) Please be patient – comments don’t appear instantly because they must be approved.
Contest ends Tuesday, August 30th, 2011 at 12 midnight EST. Open to US residents only. Winner will be announced in the following week’s newsletter!
My favorite way to save is by repurposing or reusing as much as possible. If I have to buy something new, green-related coupon services are great.
The best way to save on green baby products is hand-me-downs! My baby girl has so many cousins she always has a new box of pre-loved clothes waiting for her when she moves up a size.
I use the discount sites (ecobabybuys, totsy, zulily
I already receive your emails and follow you on Facebook.
To save on green items, hm, that’s a hard one. I shop around, buy online, refill cleaning supplies. But mostly, I feel like I am paying the true cost for quality items.
My daughter is a….
Cloth wearing
Hand-me-down fashion
Organic Loving
Saving a ton….
Baby Girl!
What’s your favorite way to save on green baby and kids products? I recycle baby clothes & shoes by giving to other parents that could use them.Also do research on the computer to see what ingredients are in the products to witch one is the best for my baby & also check to see if other parents like the products.
In all honestly, my FAVORITE WAY to save is to win a giveaway (is that too honest?!) I also stalk to sales!
Right now, my favorite way to save is with our cloth diapers – so much cheaper (and, frankly, cuter) than disposables! Breastfeeding also saves a ton of money over formula, and doesn’t require any packaging.
The best way I save on green items for my kids is by using nature to create what I need. Whether it is a fairy house, a penguin habitat, or leaf rubbings for the walls we love using what is already there! When I can’t do that I stalk the internet for deals, sales and giveaways
I also refrain from buying unnecessary things (wipe warmers? Really?)
PS I am a longtime FB fan of both Inhabitots and Totsy
My favorite way to save on products is to reuse as much as possible. Cardboard tubes recently became an amazing marble run the created in few afternoons and it has been bringing them joy for months.
The best thing that I have found is sharing amongst a community of moms that I have become part of here in Seattle. For example, several of us have used gDiapers, so for this last baby that I had, I received a set of 12 newborn-sized diapers and more than 12 (!) small-sized covers/liners. Soon we will be passing them on to the next friend having a baby.
I’m fine with paying for quality green products. We’re “saving” the earth for our children and that’s enough for me.
I’ll scrimp and save in other areas of my lifestyle!
I save money by using facebook, craigslist, and online communities to purchase items that others no longer need. i also make my own maternity clothes (not muumuus) and enter giveaways. I also complete cost comparisons to determine what brands and methods are more cost effective. I’m a huge nerd.
Our favorite ways to save are hand-me-downs and making things ourselves.
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love google reader to keep up with my favorite eco-friendly blogs. it’s a great way to keep up on deals in one concise spot. we also use cloth diapers, make our own baby food, and love trading toys with friends who have kids that have outgrown them.
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i like to look for sales and use coupons
I subscribe to lots of good blogs and coupon finders for the best deals!
we try to stay eco-friendly by taking advantage of hand-me-down clothing and toys from friends’ kids.
We are really into recycling used items and making items ourselves. Our little one is due this October and we plan to cloth diaper with pre-folds. The local diaper service (we aren’t planning to use it) sells used pre-folds. We also plan to make our own reusable baby wipes from discounted (though not very cute) flannel from a local craft store’s going-out-of-business sale. We bought used furniture from a family who had already used it with their 2 boys. We plan to make our own babyfood when we get to that point and my little niece has plenty of toys we can borrow until my sister has their second baby.
buying used from local resale stores…i’ve scored all kinds of organic items like hanna andersson & patagonia at a fraction of the cost of new. little ones outgrow things so quickly it just makes sense to buy used and extend the life of these clothes.
I like to keep an eye out for sales at consignment shops and ebay for big lots of stuff and do swaps with friends!
Naomi
I love to scour garage sales and flea markets for used kids items. Also, I try to make our stuffed animals from socks that have lost their mate. There are many interesting sock critters hanging around the house.
Favourite ways to save are…
- hand me downs
- cloth diapers + “elimination communication” (daughter potty trained just after she turned one yr old — so relieved to not have to wash a huge load of diapers every week)
- not buy anything frivolous in the first place — less is more! open-ended toys are great
I love Totsy! You always find awesome green products at a price the normal person can afford! My favorite way to save on green items is shopping at Totsy and other deal sites like it. I also make some some of dd’s clothing using recycled clothes or fabric remnants. Old wool sweaters are great for woal soakers and longies/shorties!
The best way to save on green baby products is to subscribe to all of the sale sites, buy used either at local consignment stores or craigslist, and create a network of shared quality products with friends.
Our family do not buy anything that is not recyclable. We also shop at stores that sells organic and recyclable products. It is the kids job to sort the weekly recyclables. We recycle everything including clothes which we give to other families.
I am already signed up for the newsletter and I am already a facebook fan.
We try to be green by buying from thrift stores, buying local goods, and products made from recycled materials. We also love to upcycle and refashion!
Shop at local stores that specialize in organic, sustainable products. Recycle clothing. Reusable containers for lunches. Most importantly, teach the children so habits passed down to next generation (and kids’ friends, parents, etc).
tvollowitz at aol dot com
recycle/re-use amongst friends.
We buy gently used clothes at garage sales and consignment stores and borrow (and will share) clothes with friends who have kids. But the “craziest” thing I’ve done to save on green kids clothes is to keep my clothes clean as a kid so that my mom could save them for my kids. (Note that I didn’t realize this would happen when I was a baby/kid, but we are currently using some of my old baby clothes for our new daughter.
Find them at places like TJMaxx for way cheaper!
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I love the daily deal sites such as Totsy. I also like ecomom’s website…great for new parents! However, I always make sure I have a coupon and try to buy locally made products too.
My favorite way to save is to cloth diaper!
My daughter re-uses clothing passed down to her from her two cousins and I shop at second hand stores
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I subscribe to daily deal sites & organic coupons. There’s a lot of green stuff out there if you look.
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the best way to save is to win things for free!! LOL!
I also use cloth diapers, eco friendly (and preferable USA made) products, coupons & try to DIY instead of buying a lot of things!
I try to buy things that would work for a boy and a girl so that we can do hand-me-downs with our kids. I also swap toys, clothes and baby items with my friends so we can all get “new” things for our kids. Plus we do about 75% cloth diapers.
We save by shopping at yard sales and thrift store, as well as mending damaged clothing and re-purposing outgrown clothes.
We have saved LOTS of money with cloth diapers. And we live in a small apartment, which means we really just CAN’T accumulate stuff.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle…I shop at and give to thrift stores. Once is not enough!
I love to search etsy and find upcycled green baby items. It’s amazing to see the things people can create and I feel good knowing I’m supporting a small business and helping the environment. For bath items, I subscribe to every daily deal site there is and snatch up organic products when they are on sale.
What’s your favorite way to save on green baby and kids products? I sign up for store newsletters and blogs – like the ones offered at Whole Foods. They keep me in tune with new sale prices. Buying organic whole foods there, and incorporating the food into baby’s diet instead of jar or packaged food, saves quite a bit of money.
Also, we found that a number of our family meals easily pureed into a healthy meal for baby.
we save on GREEN products by using cloth diapers with all 3 of our babies, making our own baby food, and now that they’re a little older we make our own delicious fruit and veggie ice cream, we never use bottled water glass bottles is what we use! All these little things save us Lots and my kids are learning so much in the process!
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I am already a fan of your fb page.
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We save on green products by scouring bi-yearly consignment shops, craigslist, and then I try to create a network of “sharing” between my other green Mamas! I am also a huge amazon prime member, and we get lots of our “green” staples from the site and in bulk. Saves on multiple trips to the store (although, I know there is still an impact on the environment by shipping the products to my house.) I also save on green items by repurposing items we already have. My children’s favorite toys have always been things lurking in my kitchen (no–not knives!).
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We save on green items by going to consignment stores. Not only do we save money by finding items there, we bring in our old items and use store credit to buy those items. It’s a great way to save money and get green products.
I love inhabitat and now that I have a little one of my own, I find myself trying to raise her with the ideas of carring for the environment. She’s only 2, but I am building her a play house out of the things around the town, and trying to show the interactivness of caring for our planet. I think it makes a great way of showing gren ideas, as well as introducing them into her life, so maybe when she thinks trash, it might become second nature for her to try to reuse it again in a compost pile, or repurpose. Thats how I save! one mind at a time.
USE LESS, BUY LESS, THAT’S GREEN
I am a huge fan of reusing items and creating fun toys out of cardboard boxes. My children can create their very own castle in the living room out of boxes and I don’t feel bad about not buying the $200 castle for sale in the stores.
I also buy used clothing since my boys are so close in age the oldest hands it down again to the younger one. I’m also putting money back into our community by purchasing used clothes at local businesses.
We shop at Goodwill, etc. & Yard Sales………..and I make alot of things too. We plant a garden & have a Peach Orchard too……….think that counts as Green too? We can & freeze our bounty……and sale at Farm Mkts….and purchase at Farm Mkts too.
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To save, I buy things used from craigslist, yard sales and thrift stores. I also use reusable items such as cloth diapers. And I take hand-me-downs from family and friends.
We love saving on green baby and kid products by networking with other moms and dads. We buy quality ‘green’ items, then share, trade, and borrow with our family and friends. As our last baby items were passed down the chain and no longer needed, we donated them to a maternity center serving teenage moms.
We have a great used clothing store for children and we buy and sell almost all of our grandchildren’s clothes through them. We try to be earth friendly in all aspects of our life.
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I love to shop off season, clearance racks, and even thrift stores.
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I reuse as much as I can, buy used items, pass along my used baby/kid items to friends, and purchase as much as I can locally to help cut down on extrenuous added costs due to shipping. I also like to find good deals and enter giveaways!
i have a network of friends and we pass the kids stuff down. there is also a great thrift store in town or I buy used on ebay for higher end items.
A lot of good comments here. Cloth diapers, of course, are preferable. Well made wooden toys can last for generations, which ius a green thought.
I go to Yard Sales and it really helps save.
There is a fantastic consignment shop in my area where I buy and sell the majority of both my childrens clothing.
We use a consignment shop near us to buy and sell the majority of our kids clothing. I keep wanting to transform my husbands shirts into dresses but haven’t found time yet!
A favorite way to save on green baby and kids products are using Hand-me-downs and Thread-Up.
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To save, I search, I look for coupons, sales, and I always compare. Free shipping is always good too!
I love this site. We are very aware of our garbage and what we recycle. We have bins for glass, paper, plastic etc to limit our landfill use. We donate our food scraps to a local family raising pigs. We are working everyday to limit our footprints on earth. I love a good deal or coupon but would Never support any print product ( phone book, flier or newspaper) because of the gigantic amounts waste. I am so proud that we usually have one bag of garbage a week with a family of five.
I’m an email subscriber and like inhabitots on Fb- Cindy B. the best way is to recycle toys!
My fav way to save is to buy a size or two too big so my DD can wear them longer! So far it’s really worked and saved us a ton!
What’s your favorite way to save on green baby and kids products? I LOVE to do craigslist for free items (give and take) I love going to goodwill, each year before xmas we have the family go through the rooms and pull all unwanted toys, clothes, books and give them to charity – helps to make room for the re-purposed toys coming in!! We love having the kids bring their video games to gamestop and get used ones – re-purposed and they learn a lesson too!
We pass around clothes and use cloth diapers. I also make clothing-tops, pants, and dresses form old clothing or even sheets that I have or buy or from fabric I find. Lots of things from estate sales and creativity. I make them their blankets and pillow cases out of fabrics I find or have also. They have one of a kind things and clothing!
My son is #9 of grandkids on my husbands side so he gets plenty of hand-me-downs. His cousins had great fashion sense
We also scope out garage sales and thrift shops for toys and books.
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We do our best to recycle and buy gently used! Our eldest is in kinder this year and I foresee always buying a back to school outfit-
I already subscribe to the newsletter and follow on facebook. I save money on eco products by shopping around for deals online. I also use cloth diapers (half I have bought and half I have sewn myself), and make my own laundry and dishwasher detergents with natural ingredients. I reuse items as much as I can, like gift wrap and bags I recieve, I save them and use them for gifts I give. I also try to give homemade gifts as often as possible.
Green is a way of life for us. We re-use whenever possible, we clip coupons, buy in bulk, compost, collect rainwater and read labels.
I like to make my own baby food as opposed to buying a ton of little jars. I also prefer to shop at gently used local stores for all their clothes and such!!
Well as for buying products, I save by purchasing online whenever possible so I can shop around in the comfort of home for the best price. WE also use washcloths instead of wipes, cloth diapers, homemade laundry detergent, compost, clean with vinegar and baking soda for green ways of killing germs. I make homemade baby food instead of buying it, and the list goes on
The best way to stay green is to make my own babyfood, Also, I hang the babyclothes out instead of using the dryer – which helps on energy costs. We reuse, pass down, and make a lot of our own clothes, sheets, and blankets.
I trade used clothes supplies with other moms and I use natural products, I compost, I grow my own veggies, I used cloth instead of disposable wipes etc. I also save by when I have to buy by shopping online.
Garage sales are a great way to save on clothes and furniture
Well… I’m an auntie & great auntie… So… I shop around & usually hit the clearance isles & various on-line stores. Most of the mommies shop in second hand stores for clothing, or use hand me downs from older cousins, etc. I DO have animals & my oldest dog is 14 & has degenerative mylopathy. He can no longer hold his urine, so we use green diapers, size 6 & wrap them around his middle! & we also use washable bed pads that are under him at all times
I always buy a size bigger so my daughter gets lots of wear. sometimes short sleeved full a-line dresses make cute tops worn over basic leggings. I get compliments on where I got daughter’s top and I’ll tell them it is really was a dress she’s outgrown. Have also revamped some worn tops with iron on patches from craft store or trims to change any outfit’s looks.
Being creative is our favorite way to be grean – who knew…you can make a fire engine for a 3 year old out of a little brother’s walker, re-purposed trumpet, and a few extra ribbons and tape! Ideas like that keep things fresh and avoid loads of new purshases (good even if you are buying eco friendly)!
My favorite way to save on green baby and kids products is to recycle and reuse clothing! We do lots of shopping at Once Upon a Child. Why buy brand new clothing when you can get awesome clothing for less than half the price? =]
Kids’ items (especially the ‘big ticket’ ones) are rarely used a long time. I scour garage and yard sales for quality items, use them gently, and then re-sell at my own garage sales or on Craigslist eventually. If you play your cards right, you can save more than one household from buying new products and do so at an extreme fraction of the cost!
I’m sure I’m not adding anything new, because there are some great ideas from some clever mommas! But, aside from coupons, I love buying used from craigslist, garage sales, and consignment shops. As a cloth diaper momma we also hold cloth diaper swaps where we can buy and sell cloth diapers from each other( I bought over half of my cloth diapers used). Like others said its also good to think outside the box- you don’t have to get a “nursery recliner” but another oversized chair might work just as well. Having a handy hubby doesn’t hurt either- he can make things like our new compost sifter and shelves for DS which I am going to stain with Tung Oil instead of having the chemical stain on them. Its fun to try to find economical ways to save while still being Green:)
I make rattles out of water bottles and fill them with buttons, macaroni and leftover glitter from my older son’s art projects. I save gallon milk jugs and use them as drums. I use my kids old, ratty burp cloths to clean my car.
The 3 Rs of course, but also coupon clipping and sale stalking have kept some extra coin in my pocket. Winning a contest like this doesn’t hurt either!
we love to garden- it is AMAZING what kids will eat fresh from the garden. raw tomatoes, zucchini, peas, beans, you name it. so my trick to save on baby and toddler food products… make our own ;0)
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reuse and shop around for deals
My son wears cloth diapers and hand-me-downs and when we do buy new things we always look at the flash sale sites first!
To save on green baby and kids products, I try to make my own items like wipes solution
My favorite way to stay green with baby items is to buy and trade/swap organic goods with friends and family.
Craigslist! We’ve bought a lot of our outside play toys from people on Craigslist. Usually the toys are in perfect quality, just a little faded from the sun but still super fun!
We use our imaginations to save on green products — who knew a 3 year old could make a perfectly wonderful fire truck from his little brother’s walker, a repurposed trumpet, glue, and string. The greenest way to get some products for your little ones is to make them from things you have! Of course, following Inhabitots and winning giveaways helps too
Receiving and passing grown out close and toys. I use craigslist A LOT for toys, furniture, supplies … whatever. Breast fed for almost three years, made our own baby food. I’m using cloth napkin, glass or stainless steel containers for lunch or snacks in school. For new clothes coupons, coupons, coupons. OshKosh worked for us the best. Used clothes stores for baby stuff, many times they were brand new.