Almost immediately after my article yesterday about the costs of preparing for additional children , Eileen wrote to me with a very worthwhile comment: In that article you barely mentioned the value of family and friends who will give you lots of hand-me-downs and other items. Since you talk about the social value of things, I was surprised at this. I agree wholeheartedly with Eileen that, if you have family and friends that have young children themselves, you might be in line for a lot of free used baby, toddler, and child items. For example, my mother’s best friend had a child about four years after I was born and my mother gave her best friend mountains of kid stuff to help out. I like to call it “social supply-side economics.” To put it simply, you’re hoping that the things that others have might “trickle down” to you over time. This isn’t just about children’s items, it’s about everything from garden equipment to help putting a roof on your house. It’s about babysitting in a pinch and about giving you a ride when you have a flat tire. The best way for you to make it happen in your own life is to maximize the chance for a trickle beforehand by beating down a path. You can do that by sharing things yourself. When you have items you no longer need (or are easily willing to share), share them.

Read more here – Social Supply-Side Economics