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The Clothing Shuffle

June 25th, 2011 at 07:26 pm

IT was an extraordinarily odd year in that there was no need to shift wardrobes until practically July!!

So, I did the deed today, and was rather pleased with the outcome. Dh was trying to tell me that "BM only has 3 pairs of shorts." I knew he had 2 pairs we bought for track (Casual) and 2 pairs that I had bought specifically because they were casual, but could work for school uniform. In the end I found 5 pairs - not including what was in laundry. Meaning - he doesn't need any more! Shorts are easy with my kids - they grow up but not out. So they have a pile of shorts that would otherwise be SEVERAL sizes too small. But the pants are not as forgiving since they become "flood pants" so quickly with the rapid growth.

BM's wardrobe looks threadbare compared to LM. For LM I have all the clothes that MIL bought for BM (though she never listens to me as far as size). So TONS of clothes that BM never even wore (too SMALL), that I kept for LM. There are always hand-me-downs from relatives and friends (usually BM's friends). & then, to top it all off - I buy LM something once in a while just so his wardrobe is not 100% hand-me-down. It's not like it matters or he cares - but it's fun to spend $10 here and there and to know he is not lacking for anything. Of course we can splurge on something new here and there since I never need to buy him much otherwise.

Anyway, due to the sheer volume of clothing, I set aside everything labeled 3 & 4. Even though many items still fit.

I hit the sweet spot with the kids. BM can pretty much hand his clothes directly to LM, any more. No more storing things in between. The "in between" bin now merely contains a handful of size 7 pants. & the only reason they are there is because he has so many size 6 pants (no room for more pants in his drawers!). Anyway, in past years, "in between" was maybe 2-3 bins full. That said - "sharing clothes" can get kind of confusing. As it becomes less clear what belongs to who, as their sizes converge. I am sure at some point they will simply be the same size. Even their shoes are only one size apart any more - and they keep putting on the wrong pairs because they look the same.

BM, on the other hand, did outgrow all his pants, so I will buy him a couple of pairs of jeans to get through summer. But, he's got some flip flops that still fit, and plenty of other clothing. So, for summer shopping - 2 pairs of pants is pretty easy. I think we can swing that!

As far as when school starts, I will hit the hand-me-down exchange closet. I never have before - left it for people who needed it more. BUT, now that I have clothing to contribute - I will see if I can just do an even exchange. All the XS clothing in exchange for size 8 pants for BM. Unless he is up to size 9 by fall. I swear I just bought size 7s about 6 months ago. But alas, they are getting way too short!

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I ended up splurging on myself last night. My year-o-date allowance expenditures was only about $20 as of yesterday. I hit Target merely to get some white t-shirts for camp (tie dye) but got sucked in by all the summer clothing. Truth is I only have one pair of shorts that really fit well, anyway. Which is fine for most the year. It's always pre-vacation that I become aware about how minimal my summer wardrobe really is. (In comparison, for work I have one wardrobe for all year. A/C in the summer = wearing sweaters to work all summer). On the weekends, one pair of shorts suffices. Plus, I tend to hole up inside rather than go out in the heat, anyway.

For $100 I bought:

-2 shirts for tie-dye (was going to return one after getting more opinions - but dh encouraged me to just do both).

-Leggings for $7 (could use for the wardrobe)

-2 pairs of shorts

-2 VERY causal pairs of shorts (for around the house)

I could have easily lumped a lot of this into "needed clothing" category. But, since my allowance spending has been so little this year, I will just toss it to the allowance category. Not entirely altruistic since I am sure I have pushed the envelope in the past with, "I need that!" I figured it probably evens out in the end.

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I've got one large bag for Goodwill. Will set it out next time a charity comes by. (I just missed a pick up for last week). I went through my closet and grabbed about 10 things to donate, as well.

There is probably a lot of stuff in my closet I Would never miss. But, it has been working well to just grab a handful of things (very quickly) every time I have a bag for charity. Or, every time I buy more clothing. Best not to over-think it. I just get rid of whatever I am in the mood to get rid of. There are several items I was reluctant to give up on the 1st, 2nd or 3rd pass. But on every pass, it gets easier!

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Anyway, the long and the short of it is that if you went through my older child's clothing, you'd think it was pretty minimalistic. But, if all you saw was LM's wardrobe, you'd think I was a shopping fiend!

1 Responses to “The Clothing Shuffle”

  1. FrugalTexan75 Says:
    1309147684

    Good for you treating yourself to some new clothes. Smile

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