March 17, 2011
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Kids Clothing on a Budget
Keeping kids well-dressed doesn't have to be expensive. With our four kids we've had lots of practice. Here's my best tips:
1. Plan several sizes ahead. This allows us to wait on a good deal. I keep a list of what I need in my wallet. When I'm at a thrift store, garage sale, or the clearance rack, I take out my list to see the items and sizes I need. In addition I store the clothes sorted by size and season. This way I know what my child needs for that particular size and season.
2. Take advantage of hand-me-downs. You can't always be on the receiving end. To get the circle of passing clothes around going, you gotta invest by giving away your children's outgrown/unneeded clothes. It falls under the biblical principle of sowing seeds. I'm serious. Somehow the more clothes you give away the more clothes end up on your doorstep. It's a God thing. I have always given our baby clothes away (except for the really special keepsakes). My reasoning was that I didn't know for certain God would bless us with another child and if he did would it be a boy or a girl? If the baby was the same gender, would it be born in the same season? It was crazy to leave bags of clothes in storage when there were friends whose babies could be wearing them. With each baby, new baby clothes found their way to our house in abundance.
3. Enough is enough. How many khaki's can one child wear? Fourteen pairs of P.J.'s is just wasted drawer space. Pare down the wardrobe to meet the child's needs. Keep the clothes that fit and look the best on the child. Enjoy the simplicity of an organized closet!
4. Care for them well. Keep clothes stain free and wrinkle free. It doesn't matter how expensive an outfit is if it hasn't been treated properly in the laundry it will look awful.
With a little extra planning and preparing, our kids can be well-dressed cuties no matter the budget constraints.
Comments (9)
Good tips... I've done some but not all.. it's always good to hear other's perspectives
It is good to be reminded of this kind of thing...it is amazing what a little planning can do for the clothing budget!
I also find that when I stick to the "enough is enough" I don't get to the end of a season and wish that they'd gotten to wear some of their outfits I like so few times and then they have out grown them...
When I think that I need to buy more hangers usually what I actually need to do is sort through our closets:)
Happy Thursday~
@celebration_of_life - lol The hanger test is a true indicator for me too. Happy Thursday to you!
@PeacefulLady - Over the years my clothing budget has stayed the same only divided among more people. Sometimes I look at it and think "Yikes!" lol
And don't forget shopping the seasonal consignment sales! Heehee...
@Hope - Yes! Of course.
growing up I usually got some wonderful hand-me-downs. not so much in later years...but i still go thrifting and love it. when i buy a shirt at a store for 30 dollers i'm thinking...if i was at a thrift store i could get an entire outfit for this much! (and still look just a sgreat) what a good idea to keep a certain size and season in mind for your kids. these are great tips..i need to go through my stuff, cause i might have about 10 pairs of pj's
and getting rid of things is a good thing for me as well! thanks for sharing your tips.
Those are great tips! I am a huge consignment shopper and have found really great kids clothing for a small fraction of what I'd pay for new. It does get a little more difficult as boys grow older because so much of what boys wear gets worn out!
I do a lot of consignment shopping too! 14 pairs of pj's is too many?! ha ha. ☺
Great tips. I'm going to keep a list of what we need. thanks for the pointers.
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