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What To Do With Outgrown Clothes
Kids grow fast, often moving up a couple of sizes in just one year. If you have two or more children of the same sex close enough together you can often get away with passing good but outgrown clothes down to the next childe. I did this with my boys until they sprouted up and became not only different sizes but different body shapes. It saved us a fortune in new clothes for Thomas, and anything that was still in good condition when he'd outgrown it was passed along to a friend with younger boys.
I used to run a box system for the kids' clothes and store it in the attic (yes, our roof space has been converted to attic storage) until needed.
There were rows of boxes with lids (some were cardboard, some were plastic). On the end of each box was a laminated index card. Each box was for a particular item in a particular size i.e. boys jeans size 10, girls jumpers size 8, school uniforms size 12, boys t-shirts size 8, girls pyjamas size 6 and so on. There were boxes for jeans; shorts; t-shirts; jumpers; school uniforms; snow clothes; beanies, scarves, gloves etc.
I'd make a note of what was in each box on the laminated index card with a whiteboard marker so I could see at a glance what I was looking for. When I took something out of the box I'd wipe it off the index card (that's why I wrote in whiteboard marker) and if I added anything to the box I'd make a note on the index card.
To keep things in order and save my sanity, each box has a laminated index card taped to the front of it. Written (in whiteboard marker so I can re-use them) on the index card on each box is a list of exactly what treasures it holds. For example on one of the jeans boxes the card reads:
I used this system for the kids' clothes until just a few years ago, when the boys finished school and started buying their own things.
Having just one girl meant anything outgrown was passed onto friends with younger daughters. It also meant that she would be given lots of clothes from friends with older daughters.
Our clothing budget for the family was $200 a year thanks to a good system of reusing, recycling and repurposing outgrown clothes.
But what if you don't have younger children to pass clothes down to? What do you do with outgrown clothing then? When it comes to getting rid of clothing your child can no longer wear, you have several options. Attempt to sell the items at a garage sale or swap them for clothing that does fit your child. Or consider dropping off your child’s gently used items at your local consignment shop to make a few dollars toward your back-to-school purchases.
Garage Sale
In the event you have the time and the energy, consider having a garage sale. You’ll be amazed at how much extra cash you can earn when you re-sell children’s used and in-good-condition clothing.
While you’re getting ready for the garage sale, do a walkthrough of each room of your home, paying particular attention to the cupboards. You might find other things to sell such as furniture items and house wares that you no longer want or need. And more items to sell means more money in your pocket.
Swap Meet
You’ve probably heard about swap meets. People gather at a particular spot, bringing items they no longer want or need. Then, they trade their items with one another to get what they want.
Bartering is a great way to obtain nice used clothing for your kids and to trade your kids’ clothes that no longer fit. If there are no pre-established swap meets in the area, hold a Child’s Clothing Swap Meet.
Here’s how:
Send emails to several parents of kids of all ages. Try looking in your neighbourhood or contact parents from your child’s school.
Set a date in advance for the Swap Meet to take place and give everyone at least a few weeks’ advance notice. Schedule your Swap Meet during the summer, a month or so before school starts.
Send weekly reminders with suggestions for parents to clean out their kids’ closets. To prepare for the event, they’ll want to throw out items that are stained or worn or ripped, and launder gently used items to barter at the Swap Meet.
Establish a specific number of items for each parent to bring, such as seven items. That number also indicates the number of clothing items that parent can take home.
In the meantime, keep clothes for the Swap Meet that, although small for your child, are in good shape and nice enough for another child to wear.
To prepare for the Swap Meet at your home, set up places to hang clothing in your garage or carport. Alternately, clothing can be folded on tables and organized by gender and type of clothes.
When parents arrive with children’s’ clothing to swap, they simply hang up or lay out their items and begin selecting items they believe their kids can wear. Each parent can bring home the same number of items as they arrived with.
Social Media
Are you Twitter-and-Facebook-literate? If so, you can receive alerts and special offers from these social networking sites. If not, get familiar with them so you can take advantage of their savings, and not just for children's clothes but grown-ups as well.
On Twitter, “follow” various tweeters who’ll announce swaps and sales to all their Twitter followers.
On Facebook, simply “friend” the Facebook page of the person/group/retailer where you plan to shop. You’ll be notified of upcoming swaps and sales as they come up.
If you’re feeling unsure about where to start, talk to other parents in your area who are computer-savvy. They’ll certainly have some tips and may even be willing to sit down with you and get you started.
Consignment Shops
If the idea of a garage sale or a swap meet doesn't appeal, consider taking your child’s too-small clothing to a consignment store. These days most suburbs and towns have consignment shops devoted specifically to children. Prices tend to be reasonable if you’re buying there, and you can make a few dollars per item selling gently worn clothes.
No matter what you decide to do with your child’s clothes that are now too small, getting rid of them will help make room in their drawers and wardrobe for new clothes.
Having a garage sale, attending or holding a swap meet and dropping the clothes off at consignment shops are all strategies that will ultimately clean out your cupboards and beef up your wallet.
I used to run a box system for the kids' clothes and store it in the attic (yes, our roof space has been converted to attic storage) until needed.
There were rows of boxes with lids (some were cardboard, some were plastic). On the end of each box was a laminated index card. Each box was for a particular item in a particular size i.e. boys jeans size 10, girls jumpers size 8, school uniforms size 12, boys t-shirts size 8, girls pyjamas size 6 and so on. There were boxes for jeans; shorts; t-shirts; jumpers; school uniforms; snow clothes; beanies, scarves, gloves etc.
I'd make a note of what was in each box on the laminated index card with a whiteboard marker so I could see at a glance what I was looking for. When I took something out of the box I'd wipe it off the index card (that's why I wrote in whiteboard marker) and if I added anything to the box I'd make a note on the index card.
To keep things in order and save my sanity, each box has a laminated index card taped to the front of it. Written (in whiteboard marker so I can re-use them) on the index card on each box is a list of exactly what treasures it holds. For example on one of the jeans boxes the card reads:
I used this system for the kids' clothes until just a few years ago, when the boys finished school and started buying their own things.
Having just one girl meant anything outgrown was passed onto friends with younger daughters. It also meant that she would be given lots of clothes from friends with older daughters.
Our clothing budget for the family was $200 a year thanks to a good system of reusing, recycling and repurposing outgrown clothes.
But what if you don't have younger children to pass clothes down to? What do you do with outgrown clothing then? When it comes to getting rid of clothing your child can no longer wear, you have several options. Attempt to sell the items at a garage sale or swap them for clothing that does fit your child. Or consider dropping off your child’s gently used items at your local consignment shop to make a few dollars toward your back-to-school purchases.
Garage Sale
In the event you have the time and the energy, consider having a garage sale. You’ll be amazed at how much extra cash you can earn when you re-sell children’s used and in-good-condition clothing.
While you’re getting ready for the garage sale, do a walkthrough of each room of your home, paying particular attention to the cupboards. You might find other things to sell such as furniture items and house wares that you no longer want or need. And more items to sell means more money in your pocket.
Swap Meet
You’ve probably heard about swap meets. People gather at a particular spot, bringing items they no longer want or need. Then, they trade their items with one another to get what they want.
Bartering is a great way to obtain nice used clothing for your kids and to trade your kids’ clothes that no longer fit. If there are no pre-established swap meets in the area, hold a Child’s Clothing Swap Meet.
Here’s how:
Send emails to several parents of kids of all ages. Try looking in your neighbourhood or contact parents from your child’s school.
Set a date in advance for the Swap Meet to take place and give everyone at least a few weeks’ advance notice. Schedule your Swap Meet during the summer, a month or so before school starts.
Send weekly reminders with suggestions for parents to clean out their kids’ closets. To prepare for the event, they’ll want to throw out items that are stained or worn or ripped, and launder gently used items to barter at the Swap Meet.
Establish a specific number of items for each parent to bring, such as seven items. That number also indicates the number of clothing items that parent can take home.
In the meantime, keep clothes for the Swap Meet that, although small for your child, are in good shape and nice enough for another child to wear.
To prepare for the Swap Meet at your home, set up places to hang clothing in your garage or carport. Alternately, clothing can be folded on tables and organized by gender and type of clothes.
When parents arrive with children’s’ clothing to swap, they simply hang up or lay out their items and begin selecting items they believe their kids can wear. Each parent can bring home the same number of items as they arrived with.
Social Media
Are you Twitter-and-Facebook-literate? If so, you can receive alerts and special offers from these social networking sites. If not, get familiar with them so you can take advantage of their savings, and not just for children's clothes but grown-ups as well.
On Twitter, “follow” various tweeters who’ll announce swaps and sales to all their Twitter followers.
On Facebook, simply “friend” the Facebook page of the person/group/retailer where you plan to shop. You’ll be notified of upcoming swaps and sales as they come up.
If you’re feeling unsure about where to start, talk to other parents in your area who are computer-savvy. They’ll certainly have some tips and may even be willing to sit down with you and get you started.
Consignment Shops
If the idea of a garage sale or a swap meet doesn't appeal, consider taking your child’s too-small clothing to a consignment store. These days most suburbs and towns have consignment shops devoted specifically to children. Prices tend to be reasonable if you’re buying there, and you can make a few dollars per item selling gently worn clothes.
No matter what you decide to do with your child’s clothes that are now too small, getting rid of them will help make room in their drawers and wardrobe for new clothes.
Having a garage sale, attending or holding a swap meet and dropping the clothes off at consignment shops are all strategies that will ultimately clean out your cupboards and beef up your wallet.