Save money on your maternity clothes by renting them instead

Here at HelloGiggles, we love shopping—who doesn’t? In our humble opinion, buying products that make us feel great is a very valid form of self-care, and that applies to every period of our lives. Spending habits change depending on weather and trends (and our budgets), and sometimes we spend more than others, like during Black Friday. But a time where everyone takes out their wallets is during pregnancy.

Shopping for maternity clothes can be hard because on one hand, you want to look cute, but on the other hand, you don’t want to spend a ton of money on a temporary wardrobe since you’re probably thinking about buying strollers and cribs instead. Fortune estimates that pregnant women, on average, spend almost $500 per pregnancy on maternity clothes, and Fast Company said that the maternity wear market is a $2 billion industry–that’s a lot of cash!

Instead of spending your Benjamins on clothing you can only wear for a few weeks, a good alternative is to rent it. Numerous companies offer maternity clothes rental services, which is great for your savings account and the planet, so we took a look at some of the companies out there and rounded up the most stylish ones.

1. Rent The Runway

If you love wearing designer clothes, Rent The Runway will be your new BFF. The company offers clothing options from popular brands like Mara Hoffman, Rag & Bone, and VINCE. Its unlimited subscription program lets you rent 4+ pieces at a time and swap them out for new pieces as often as you like.

Cost: $159 per month. If you’re a new subscriber you’ll get $80 off your first 60 days.

2. Nuuly

Nuuly, the rental company from URBN (the parent company of Anthropologie, Free People, and Urban Outfitters) just launched maternity rental pieces to their already fashionable offerings. Unlike RTR swapping system, Nuuly sends each user six items that they then keep for a month, at which point they can select new items.

Cost: $88 per month.

3. Stitch Fix

Unlike the other brands, Stitch Fix uses a personal styling program so that you don’t have to spend time scouring for the perfect find. How it works is that you fill out a style survey (it takes about 10-15 minutes) and answer questions about your style and budget The brand charges a $20 styling fee, and that will be put towards shopping credit in case you want to buy any of the pieces after trying on. It includes brands like Madewell, Eloquii, Michael Kors, and Kate Spade.

Cost: Starting at $20

4. Infinitely Loft

From trendy dresses and tops to more basic and essential leggings and jeans, the brand offers a wide range of maternity styles. It also implements the unlimited swaps strategy and sends out three items at a time.

Cost: $64.95 per month

5. Le Tote  

Le Tote offers maternity options from week 4 to week 41 and offers different rental subscription plans. You can opt to pay more to include accessories in your rental, but otherwise, you can rent five items per month at $79, eight for $99, and 10 for $119.

Cost: Starts at $79 per month

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