I began a clothing-focused mini-series over the summer time whereby I managed to dedicate two ENTIRE posts to the subject of simply me and my clothes alone:
Riveting as that was, plenty of you requested I write concerning the clothes of the different individuals in my home. In response, at the moment I convey you a deep dive into the closets of my kids, Kidwoods, age 7 and Littlewoods, age 4.
The Hand-Me-Down Prepare Continues
We’ve been on the used/hand-me-down practice since earlier than the ladies have been born and haven’t disembarked but. I get the majority of their clothes (and footwear, toys, books, puzzles, and many others) from three sources:
1) Storage gross sales.
Howdy and welcome to my backyard. Let me present you which ones vegetation we are able to stomp on.
The overwhelming majority of their clothes (and every part else) comes from yard gross sales as a result of it’s usually one-stop buying AND they’ve one of the best costs. If I occur upon the yard sale of a household with women barely older than mine, I sometimes purchase 90% of what they’re promoting. The garments, toys, books, footwear–if the ages and kinds/tastes line up, I top off!
Some great benefits of doing this are many-fold:
- I get an enormous cut price. The extra you purchase, the extra inclined sellers are to give you a bulk low cost. $20 for a pile of garments, toys, books, boots and coats has occurred to me many occasions.
- I don’t must go to each single storage sale on earth. Whereas I take pleasure in yard sale-ing, I don’t do it each weekend. Level in truth, storage gross sales solely occur in the summertime/fall right here and I don’t have to go all season lengthy.
- I get a virtually full wardrobe in no matter measurement(s) they’re promoting. I get the snowpants and the coat, the boots and the sweaters, and many others. Generally it even matches! Successful.
2) Hand-me-downs.
Second-hand ski gear!
I gladly and gratefully settle for all hand-me-downs supplied to me. I’ve a number of native pals with older daughters who graciously move alongside their outdated garments to me. Yay!
3) Thrift shops.
That is final as a result of it represents the smallest share of their clothes. I like thrift shops, however too usually, the youngsters’ garments are overpriced. Every particular person merchandise has its personal worth and, whereas $10 for a costume for me seems like a fantastic cut price, $10 for a costume for my four-year-old that’ll solely match her for one season doesn’t really feel like a deal. Therefore, these purchases are few and much between.
The “System”
As you could now be questioning: sure, my system of garments acquisition for the youngsters is haphazard at finest. At a storage sale I would purchase snow pants for Kidwoods to put on subsequent winter similtaneously a swimsuit for Littlewoods to put on that week. Since I’m on the mercy of no matter I discover/is handed all the way down to me, I noticed early on that I’d want an ironclad System-Of-Group. It’s not really ironclad and it’s undoubtedly undeserving of being a Correct Noun, however it works. Largely. Right here’s my secret:
I’ve plastic tubs labeled by measurement and season stacked on cabinets in our basement.
That’s it. Not magic, however very practical. When the youngsters have been youthful, I had every part grouped by measurement, similar to: “3-6 months,” “9 months” and many others, however as they obtained older, the addition of seasonal subdivision has been useful.
At first of winter and once more at the start of summer time, I take away all of the clothes from their rooms and divide it into classes:
-
Final 12 months’s hand-me-down Halloween costumes
Give away:
- That is something Littlewoods has outgrown, something Kidwoods detests and something we’ve an excessive amount of of. For instance, Littlewoods–for unknown causes–had 20 t-shirts in final summer time’s wardrobe, so I donated half of them.
- Souvenir field:
- That is something Littlewoods has outgrown that I can’t bear to half with. To date, I’ve only one field of saved clothes and I’m making an attempt very exhausting to maintain this at a minimal.
- Since my youngsters are each women and solely 27 months aside, they’ve worn all the identical clothes so I get two for the worth of 1 once I save an merchandise!
- Would possibly match subsequent 12 months:
- Something that’s huge/roomy/looks like it’ll match once more goes into an appropriately labeled field, i.e. “Winter, Dimension 4T, Would possibly Match Littlewoods Once more Subsequent Yr”
- Kidwoods outgrew:
- Something she’s outgrown goes into one other field labeled as such in order that I don’t get confused, i.e. “Summer time, Sizes 5-6, Kidwoods Outgrew”
Sisters in second-hand clothes
This can be a bit laborious, however I solely do it twice a 12 months (fall and spring) and it’s the one method I do know to maintain monitor of what we’ve for every child for every season.
As I obtain hand-me-downs, and rating storage sale finds all year long, I type them into the appropriately labeled containers. Thus, these snow pants I purchased for Kidwoods to make use of subsequent winter are already within the “Winter, Dimension 8” field.
This method additionally permits me to hand-up garments to pals whose youngsters want a selected merchandise in a selected measurement. And sure, they do joke about going buying in my basement and sure, I deserve it. BUT, I like with the ability to pull out an entire wardrobe for every child for each season for an absolute fraction of the price of shopping for new. We’ve saved 1000’s of {dollars}–simply–by not shopping for our youngsters new garments for the final seven years and we’ll proceed to reap these financial savings for so long as doable.
What About Child Preferences?
This was not a problem when the youngsters have been infants and, actually, I typically miss dressing them in lovely outfits with matching hair bows. They don’t let me do this anymore. Now, each youngsters choose their very own outfits and costume themselves day-after-day, which is ok by me and leads to some very distinctive vogue decisions. I encourage them to put on no matter makes them comfy and comfortable.
That is the arm-twisting sister pose… They now not let me costume them like this with the matching bows 🙁
The one “rule” we’ve is that it’s important to ensure you’re heat sufficient within the wintertime. At 4 years outdated, Littlewoods doesn’t have many opinions on her clothes and is content material to pick out from no matter I put in her drawers. All of her issues are within the lowest two dresser drawers in order that she will be able to choose every part herself. Her mantra at age two was, “I DO SELF!!!” and that also rings true for her.
Kidwoods at seven years outdated, however, has very particular notions about what she’d prefer to put on. Up till final 12 months, I simply put issues in her drawers for every season (as I do now for Littlewoods) and he or she’d select what to put on day-after-day. However, she let me know final 12 months that she categorically didn’t like a few of the garments I’d put in there for her. And so started the routine of letting Kidwoods choose her personal wardrobe from the hand-me-down field.
Now, our course of is that I convey up all of the containers labeled along with her measurement vary for a given season and he or she goes by them deciding on the garments she needs to have in her room. I collect up the cast-offs and re-box most of them for Littlewoods and donate something that doesn’t appear price preserving. Then, Kidwoods places away her personal garments, clothes herself day-after-day and likewise places away her clear laundry every week. I did occur to look in her drawers the opposite day and found that her opinion of “folding” maybe differs from mine, however, it’s her garments, her room, her chore. To this point, she’s been capable of finding garments she likes out of the hand-me-down containers for each season.
Why We Purchase Used
Christmas 2018: rocking these hand-me-downs!
Our youngsters know that their garments are used and I’ve defined our philosophy to them for why we get clothes (and nearly every part else) second-hand:
1) It prices SO MUCH LESS to purchase stuff used.
Therefore, it’s a state of affairs the place we’re capable of get the identical product for a less expensive worth. Different examples on this frugality class: MVNOs for cell phone service, generic manufacturers, and many others. Explaining the worth of cash is a central tenet in our early financial literacy education with the girls and, as Kidwoods earns, saves and retailers along with her personal cash, she very a lot will get why it’s preferable to purchase a pair of used footwear for $2 versus a brand new pair for $40. I clarify to her that, simply as she needs to save lots of and discover offers for her cash, daddy and I need to do the identical with our cash.
2) It’s MUCH MORE environmentally-friendly.
Thrift retailer coat, hand-me-down pants, handmade hat, boots from the city dump’s free desk. Indignant rooster sourced from the coop.
We focus on how taxing it’s on the planet to fabricate, produce, ship and market new garments. We discuss how good it’s to move our outdated garments alongside to different households and the way grateful we’re for the garments which can be handed alongside to us. My women LOVE seeing youthful youngsters locally sporting their outdated garments and appear to know the cycle of sharing and handing down issues we now not want.
3) It’s extra FUN!
We by no means know precisely what’ll be in every field because the gadgets are added over time and from many alternative sources. We snicker over foolish shirts and put wild pants on our heads. There’s a lightness round it as a result of we’re not invested in these materials objects.
4) It places WAY much less stress on me and saves occasions.
I’m not involved with getting them “one of the best” winter gear or “probably the most lovely” matching Christmas clothes. This protects me an amazing period of time. I don’t analysis which snow pants to purchase–I purchase no matter I discover at a yard sale.
We get what we get and, you recognize what? Nobody cares. I’ve little or no stress surrounding their garments as a result of I’m not beholden to the endowment impact of contemplating the stuff I personal to be extra useful than it really is. It’s simply clothes, which additionally permits me to engender an…
5) Simple come, simple go angle.
“Simple come, simple go” in observe
Since I didn’t hunt for, pay prime greenback for, and in any other case make investments loads of money and time in these garments, it doesn’t hassle me after they come house from faculty stained with purple paint. It additionally doesn’t hassle me after they (primarily Kidwoods at this level) refuse to put on a beautiful costume that I like, however they demonstrably don’t. I’m positive we’d have arguments over what Kidwoods ought to be sporting if I used to be invested within the contents of her wardrobe.
6) It helps take away the give attention to outward appearances.
I don’t know if that is really true OR if this may maintain up for the tween years (I’m positive it received’t); BUT thus far, I’ve been capable of engender a mode of dressing that’s centered on:
- Consolation
- Enjoyable
- Being activity-appropriate:
- For this I depend upon the Daniel Tiger music, “take into consideration what you’re gonna do and choose the garments which can be best for you!”
- All hail Daniel Tiger
- Being weather-appropriate (blended outcomes right here; Kidwoods wore shorts and a t-shirt on Thanksgiving day. It was beneath freezing… ).
Since these are the weather we emphasize about clothes, we don’t give attention to:
- How we glance in our garments
- Whether or not or not we’re trendy
- Something associated to our measurement/physique form
7) They are often fancy anytime they need.
Kidwoods stacking wooden in type
Alongside my “simple come, simple go” angle is my “allow them to put on no matter they need” angle. Each of my women have been recognized to put on ballgowns to highschool and I’m not involved if they arrive house stained or ripped (each of which have occurred). I need them to take pleasure in their garments and play freely with abandon. I don’t need them to limit their exercise or their vogue sense as a result of they’re involved about defending a fabric possession.
On the whole, my hope is that my youngsters received’t have deep-seated attachments to materials possessions and I hope that it is a good strategy to begin. By eradicating a few of the inherent “significance” from their clothes, my hope is that they view them as vital instruments for all times, however not issues to obsess over, spend tons of cash on, or devour themselves with. Who is aware of if this’ll work. I’ll report again in a couple of years.
Additionally, shockingly, regardless of how exhausting they’re on their garments, we throw only a few gadgets away. Most dwell to see one other household! Or two!
Does This Imply You Don’t Purchase ANYTHING New?
Nope. As with all issues, I attempt to not be a hardline zealot. Whereas 98% of their garments are sourced used, a small fraction are bought new.
Yeah, these garments are a tad stained now, however nonetheless in rotation!
Right here’s every part I purchased new for them within the final 12 months:
- Cowgirl boots for Kidwoods as a birthday reward to interchange the pair she’d outgrown (affiliate hyperlink).
- Jean jacket for Kidwoods as a birthday reward to interchange the one she’d outgrown (affiliate hyperlink).
- These underwear for each women (affiliate hyperlink).
- Our matching dresses (affiliate hyperlink). Awwww.
- These Snowstoppers mittens for each women (affiliate hyperlink). I’ve by no means discovered mittens used, most likely as a result of all youngsters–mine included–rip them to shreds by dragging their paws over each single rock, twig, piece of bark and sharp object they discover. These are the best possible model for staying on youngsters and preserving them heat.
- These base layers for ski season.
- Up to now, they’ve worn their common garments beneath their snow pants, however our elevated ski schedule this winter made me assume I ought to most likely get them some correct non-cotton base layers.
- Who am I kidding, none of this occurred to me, my buddy texted me to say that Land’s Finish was having a mammoth sale on these base layers and that I ought to get some for the ladies. She was appropriate and I did.
Two summers in the past I purchased these swimsuits/rash guards for them, which fortunately match once more this previous summer time (affiliate hyperlink).
As you’ll be able to see, I rely totally on Walmart and Amazon for brand new gadgets since they’re low cost, comfy and sturdy.
When Buying Used: Focus On Depreciation
The used snow gear in query
A couple of years in the past I wrote about the value of focusing on depreciation when buying second-hand, which has solely turn into extra related as my youngsters have gotten older and new garments in larger sizes are dearer. I used the instance of snow gear in that put up, which remains to be probably the most apt illustration of my level.
Right here’s the mathematics:
Price for a New Set of Winter Gear for One Child: $175.49
Vs.
Price for a Used Set of Winter Gear for One Child: $13
Littlewoods’ persona in a single picture
I reference these particular manufacturers and sizes as a result of I occur to have bought these particular manufacturers and sizes from storage gross sales. Right here’s what I paid:
- USED Land’s Finish Little Youngsters Waterproof Snow Bibs (measurement 4T): $5
- USED Land’s Finish Little Youngsters Squall Waterproof Winter Parka (measurement small/4T): $3
- USED Kamik Youngsters’ Snow Boots (measurement toddler 11): $5
Complete saved by shopping for used: $162.49
I prefer to get every part used that I presumably can, however, if the considered doing that overwhelms you, take into account specializing in sourcing used for under the largest ticket gadgets, similar to winter gear.
The Revolving Door of Donations
The Toddler Ennui
One other side of my “simple come, simple go” method is that I donate all of the clothes my women have outgrown. I don’t really feel the necessity to try to promote it as a result of it was free or low cost for me within the first place. So, I hand it all the way down to pals and donate the remaining to the thrift retailer. Once more, since I don’t have an attachment to the method of clothes procurement, I’m not obsessive about the place the garments find yourself. I don’t have to recoup my prices, I don’t have to have pristine clothes go to the “proper” household, I don’t should be acknowledged for my good style, and many others. I simply want to maneuver stuff they’ve outgrown out of the home.
After they have been youthful and altering sizes nonstop, I saved containers on the flooring of their closets wherein I’d drop something they outgrew. Now, I determine outgrown stuff once I do the twice-a-year seasonal swap-out. That is additionally my likelihood to donate any duplicates/triplicates we’ve, as within the case of Littlewoods and the 20 t-shirts of the identical measurement.
Along with my love of decluttering, it’s vital to me to donate their garments whereas they’ll nonetheless be utilized by another person. Garments don’t final eternally and if I held onto them for, say, my doable some-day future grandchildren, the elastic would put on out, the kinds could be abominable and the materials could be scratchy. I see much more worth in donating stuff now in order that different individuals can get use out of it whereas it’s nonetheless comparatively “new.”
Abstract
Kidwoods climbing a tree in our woods
In conclusion, I get nearly all of my youngsters’ clothes second-hand as a result of it:
- Saves cash
- Saves time
- Reduces stress
- Engages my youngsters within the means of studying about cash
- Enfranchises my youngsters to pick out their very own clothes and costume themselves
- Is method higher for the atmosphere
- Retains stuff out of landfills
- Is extra enjoyable
- Decreases the give attention to appearances
- Permits me to freely donate clothes after they’ve outgrown it
What questions do you may have about buying used? How do you supply your youngsters’ clothes?
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