Tuesday, September 13, 2011

I think it's the weather

but I've been whizzing round the house organising up a storm.

The kids' clothes are all totally sorted:

  1. we have enough things for summer for each of them
  2. Connor's winter clothes have been packed up and were taken to the church on Sunday (our church supports an orphanage - babies right up to age 18 so they will and do take anything)
  3. Kendra's smaller clothes are on the bed in my study waiting to be packed up and posted to my sister. The post office was closed on Saturday when we went otherwise the package would have already been posted.
I must add that the reason I need to get this done quickly is because the babies share a chest of drawers (compactum) and about half a metre of hanging space, so we don't have enough space to keep both seasons out.

I've just had labels laminated at work and will maybe take pics to show you...

Have you sorted out your kids' clothes yet?

By the way, do you do hand-me-down clothes?

I do... both ways. I love receiving clothes (obviously not broken or stained) and I love passing them on.

It's a huge saving and I'm a little bit sentimental in that I like thinking of my kids wearing their cousin's or friends' clothes.Especially around the house.

I do like buying some new things for the weekends when we're out but during the week they're at home and happily toddle around in older clothes.

Connor's enjoyed MANY of my nephew's old clothes and my sister loves seeing pics of him wearing them.

Same with us. I send Kendra's old but good clothes to PE and my sister sends me pics of my niece wearing K's old clothes. Some of them were so new I can't even remember K wearing them :)

What do you do with your kids' clothes once they outgrow them?


PS Have just had a late lunch with gorgeous Natalie and as usual, we talk too much. I think we need a lunch date every week so that we can eventually catch up.



14 comments:

  1. Oh you know my feelings on hand me downs - I am all for it!

    I am sorted with the Princess and she needs clothes - my, she has grown. The boys, I had to get C some as he is passing on to L - but still need to pack away the winter stuff - they have much the same space as you have for yours to store stuff.

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  2. I am all for hand me downs.

    All our clothes that we no longer wear go to the Mission. The youngest person in our care is 2 weeks and the oldest is 82...so nothing goes to waste.

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  3. I have no problem with hand me downs - in fact I wish Ihad people to send me handmedowns!

    I go thru D's stuff and keep what I think Polly may like in 8 years time :) The rest I give to my ironing lady as she has tween granddaughters.

    As for Polly's goodies, i split the really good stuff between my sister & my cousin - the rest i give to my nanny who's daughter is 3 yrs younger than Polly.

    All my unwanted (read: no longer like or impulse buys) i give to Rotary or my maid sells them for R40 per item and she gets half the money.

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  4. I have sorted Kiaras stuff. Cameron doesn't have as much and his stuff lasts a little longer.

    We do hand me downs - also both ways. It worked well for when the kids went to primary school - they get so dirty at school that buying them clothes seemed criminal!

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  5. I love hand-me-downs too - it's just crazy to buy all new stuff when they outgrow it so quickly and ruin half of it!

    The problem we have now with hand-me-downs is with style. My kids honestly have their own fashion sense and it's very hard for me to convince them to wear what I pick out. They have some stuff that was given to them (new and used) that they refuse to wear! It's maddening!!!

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  6. Great post! As usual, we're on the same page of doing things. I'm trying to figure out what to do with the boys' old clothes. Our daughter's old clothes go to my best friend who has a daughter 5 years younger. She wears Phoebe's old dresses and play clothes and I love seeing her in them.

    A lot of our boy stuff from the beginning is new, and the stuff as they've gotten older are hand-me-downs from friends, so they are twice loved, LOL. I'm going to need to cull through them and see what's trash and what is worth giving away. I may give to the local charity or find someone that needs them.

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  7. I have a complex system in place for the girls' clothes...I consign what I can (I get to keep 70% of the sale price); I give what's left of the "nice stuff" to a couple of friends; and I donate any remaining play clothes.

    I know there's an easier way to do this, but I like to recoup a little money to be used towards next season's wardrobe...and it helps my sentimental side to know that their things are going to a good home. :)

    I'm doing my best to stay on the organizational wagon, too! There's something about a new season that's invigorating!

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  8. Kids clothing are MOSTLY sorted. Have to get one or two things and then we are set. I LOVE hand-me-downs. My Tween gets some really good branded stuff from a colleague of my Mom. Even Levi jeans. I don't get ANY hand-me-downs for Joel. I wish I did. I give all their clothing to a lady in my office who has grandchildren and nephews.

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  9. I do like hand-me-downs, but I also enjoy picking out things for the girls. I never refuse them when offered, of course!

    The yard sale I just had was the first time I have really gotten rid of any quantity of the girls' clothes...it had all been in storage. I was glad to make a little something from their better clothes, and I will donate the leftover play clothes. I did pass a few outfits on to friends, and I love to think of their little ones wearing them!

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  10. I like how you donate the clothes. Very cool.
    With money being tight most of the times, me and hubby sell our clothes which the kids have outgrown. A whole bag of clothes get us R100. I know it's not much and that most clothes go for R5 per piece.
    I have no problem with hand me downs - "JY kyk nie 'n gegewe perd in die bek nie." (You don't show away charity.)

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  11. Nothing has been sorted on my side... I bought a few items at the end of summer during a sale, and again bought a few items a couple of weeks ago. Not even close to enough. Going to have to go through his drawers soon and get everything sorted.

    A few of his tiny clothes I gave away. But I still have loads and loads of stuff. Going to donate it all, but just have not gotten around to it (bad, I know... but I have some reasons:))

    And hand me downs - have not received many, but don't mind what we got. And... I have a jacket that was my husband's and passed to many many kids in the fmaily. It was recently returned to us for my boy. I cannot wait for him to fit into it!

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  12. My girls exclaim - 'new clothes' when we get a new bag of hand my downs. It is new to them and that is what is exciting not weather is came from a shop or not! So I am all for hand me downs! Particularily this year when we are buying nothing new for the year!

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  13. I got quite a bit of pre-loved clothes for Nicola even before she was born. I had absolutely no problem with it, some of them were really lovely and they all came in handy at one point of another.

    When a friend of mine fell pregnant shortly after I had Nicola I offered her the items that still looked brand new (no stains or wear) and she was outraged, didn't want anything to do with it. it never actually occurred to me that some people didn't like that. How odd.

    All Nicola's 0-3month stuff went to children's home
    Her 3-6month stuff went to a church based charity that look after teen moms in Krugersdorp
    her 6-12month stuff when to my buddy sunshine when she found out she was having a girl.
    12-18month stuff went to the lady who cleans my mom's house because she knows someone who needs it.
    18-24month stuff I still have...that's where we are now at 21 months.

    I tend to hang on to the pants a bit longer though - Nicola seems to have inherited my no bum situation so she doesn't outgrow them very quickly. some start out as a pair of long trousers and are now knee lenghth shorts. I have a colleague who swears his son at 4 is still wearing some 6-12 month pants because once the nappy goes there's a lot more space for bum in there.

    As far as storage goes, Nicola has her own wardrobe with all her things in it. I don't hang any of her stuff but I can easily add a rail in there at a later stage (bought it specifically for that purpose - easy conversion). On top we keep nappies at the moment, the top three shelves are for towels (both of ours), face cloths, toiletries and medicine. The two small drawers have in shoes on the one and panties, socks and swimsuits in the other. Top big drawer is for winter clothing. Middle is for pants and bottom is for shirts.

    That's how we roll. ;-)

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  14. You're a rockstar.

    I need you in my house.

    I give our outgrown clothes to goodwill or friends/family.

    What I really want to do is burn them.

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