The Hand-Me-Down Circle, A Way to Give Back

I have to tell you how wonderful my friends are!  One of them just handed-me-down a big bag of clothes for two of my children.  Her children are one size larger than my daughter and son, though they are a year younger.  Yes, I know when I was younger, "hand-me-downs" weren't my favorite clothes, but the times have changed.  How best to save money has become a necessary part of the SAHM's job these days.
  My kids pored through these bags completely excited, pulling out this sparkly item or that pair of jeans--my daughter especially.  Hand-me-downs from other peers help her to be her own little "fashionista"!
  For them, it's better than getting hand-me-downs from brothers and sisters because these are clothes they haven't seen yet. 
In turn, I have been gathering bags of clothes that my own children have outgrown and I will pass these on to other moms.  In the past, we've even traded Halloween costumes and children's videos.  Besides saving money between ourselves, the network of women have gathered and given clothes to victims whose houses have burned down and to victims of Hurricanes Irene and Lee that have ravaged so much of our area this past summer.  The Hand-Me-Down circle is our way to help one another save money--and to give back to those around us.