A great way to get things for your kids is through garage sales, local thrift stores, or consignment stores.  You can get great toys for margins of the price, as well as clothes.  When your kids are young, as long as you can disinfect the toys, they don’t know that they aren’t new.  So I say, why spend the extra money?  Same with the clothing.  Half the time they just stain it anyway.  I have gotten some great brand name bargains for $1 or less at garage sales or thrift stores.  Besides, once they are pre-teens they are going to want everything brand new and name brand so you might as well save your pennies now.