Many moms buy, buy, buy for their kids but rarely buy anything for themselves. The problem is that kids need clothes. Kids never stop growing and therefore they always need something. Moms don't really grow. We don't use the toes of our shoes as scooter brakes and we don't climb trees. Our clothing never wears out.
So you find yourself always buying for the kids and if you are like most moms, especially moms of girls, you over-buy. I did this one time and it cured me of it forever. I remember 3 years ago, I bought way too many outfits for my then 2 year old daughter. Of course, everything I bought was on sale or bought a season ahead. I will talk more about that later. But, her closet was full, so full that I thought I might have to go buy more hangers. At the end of that summer as I was packing stuff away, I looked at what had been worn and what still had tags on it. I was sickened to see that she had worn only 20% of what I bought. What a waste! Those moms with girls know, it is hard to stop shopping for them because EVERYTHING is so stinkin' cute! I vowed then to never make myself feel that way again. I now shop with a list. Yes, a shopping list for clothes. It may sound ridiculous, but it saves money and it saves your sanity. I live in Texas so we are lucky enough to really only have 2 seasons--summer and a long fall with a few winter-ish days.
Here is my spring/summer list:
Child 1 (boy, 7):
3 khaki shorts
3 navy shorts
3 denim shorts
2 swimming trunks
5 polo style shirts
5 t-shirts
nice sandals
play shoes--usually cheap sandals from Target
flip flops
(still has jeans & athletic shoes from winter )
Child #2 & #3 (Girls, 5 & 2)
5 shorts (solid colors)
3 capris (solid colors)
8 tops (to mix and match with shorts & capris)
5 sundresses (cotton, no iron)
2-3 nicer dresses
2 swim suits
white sandals
play shoes (cheap from Target)
flip flops (cheap at Disney Store)
dressy sandals (usually in a metallic so they go with everything)
(still has jeans & athletic shoes from winter)
Of course daughter #2 has lots of hand-me-downs from big sis!
Make your list and carry it with you. I love my Blackberry because it has a notepad feature and that is where I keep my list. I call it shopping with a purpose. Whenever I shop my favorite resale shops, I consult my list. I already have shorts for my son for this coming spring. I got them for $1.50 at The Children's Place at the end of September. That is much better than the $14.50 they will be in March.
Shop smarter and save enough money to buy yourself a few new pieces for spring!
