This question is on my mind again this week. With the girls, it’s not really an issue. Colleena is petite, and Lily is average, so even though there are three years between the girls, there is only one size in between them. Shirts generally go straight from one to the other, and I have one diaper box of pants in their closet. ( Have I mentioned how much I LOVE diaper boxes for storage?!)
Now… the boys… There are 7 years in between my boys, and although Bremen is bigger at weigh ins than Baden was at the same age, and even though I just broke out the size 24 month t shirts for an 8 month old, he isn’t likely to make up THAT much ground! ( yes, seriously.. he is almost 25 pounds, so while he isn’t tall enough to need the 24 months/size 2 stuff, he needs them for width. hahah! He could probably make due with 18 months stuff, but I don’t have much left, and I do have a lot of that next size, so I figured I’d move him up a bit early and things could be a tad bit big) When we weren’t sure if we wanted to have more than two kids, I pared down the baby clothes, figuring there was no sense in keeping boxes and boxes of clothes, not to mention the fact that there weren’t that many clothes to hand down from Baden, he wrecked most of them. I had to buy new ( used) boy clothes after Bremen was born, since I hadn’t kept enough to avoid having to buy more.
And then, we had two more kids, hahah! Right now, girls clothes can go as soon as Lily out grows them. Baby toys, seats, swings and the like are leaving as soon as Bremen is too big for them ( he weighted out of these types of items!). I have been keeping, boxing and labeling boys clothes in each size as my oldest, Baden out grew them. I tried to keep mostly things that are timeless, selling or giving away items with “in” characters or styles that were likely to be dated too soon.
Besides my own in house generated hand me downs, I recently got several huge rubbermaid containers full from a mom with two boys and way better taste in clothes than me. I know her mom and she just wanted them out of her house, so she boxed them all up and her mom brought them over. Everything two kids could wear in sizes 18 months to 5. Gorgeous, really cool clothes. I keep them in that crawl space behind my wall over the stairs where we have our tv mounted. Today, as we were emptying that space to do some work up there, the kids were playing in there having a great time, and I started wondering… should I really be keeping all these clothes?
Big items seem like a no brainer to me. Snow suits, winter boots, shoes… all have large bins in my garage and are worth saving. What do you think about the hand me downs? How much is worth storing in boxes for up to seven years? How much work re-sorting, re-organizing and moving around these boxes is worth it? What will still be good? I have noticed that some of Baden’s old outfits that I pulled out of bins smelled old even after I washed them for Bremen. Sometimes shirts with that plasticy printing are all stuck together and gummy after sitting in a bin. Elastics in socks seem to be brittle. Should I put a time limit on it, as in I will keep what he could wear in the next two years? I could sell or give away the rest. Are boys jeans that manage to make it through without holes in the knees worth keeping for seven years? Five? Two? The cheap ,ahem, frugal, part of me wants to keep them all, since it’s such a good way to save, make due with what I’ve got and a great feeling of being prepared for years to come, but is it really worth it? How long would you store hand me downs?
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I think it's not so much how much to store as how much room do you have to store it comfortably... I remember the space you're talking about and here at our house I'm fortunate to have a large laundry room that has allowed me to stack those 68L Bins four wide and up to five tall in a straight line against a wall. I'm maxed out for space now, but since Rhys is here now I can officially get rid of four bins of girl clothes and can get rid of my baby and boy stuff as Rhys is done with it too. (Yay!!) But my point is, I have tons too, but it fits in a space I can deal with. Maybe try to figure out how many boxes you're comfortable storing and make that your goal. Save the items that are most expensive to replace (jeans, dress items, jackets, etc.) and don't worry about having to replace some sweats, and t-shirts. Chances are you'll want a few new ones of those anyway. :)
ReplyDeleteExcellent thoughts, Chelse!
ReplyDeleteI can fit around 12 - 15 of the same bins you use in my "crawl" space there. It's not really an issue of not being able to store them, especially now that I can get rid of more girl clothes, the boxes of baby blankets, new born items etc ( I could get rid of a huge bin if I was ready to admit I won't be choosing to use cloth again...lol!), it's just a matter of is it worth it? I still feel able to deal with it, but it would probably be worth paring it down as you mentioned.
I agree. I feel guilty getting rid of anything kid related until they've officially outgrown it, because it's wasteful and what if I need it. But the flip side is I've got so much stored, I've often forgotten what I've got or can't find it when I need it. If only I were more organized... or rich... or, oh heck I'll just add it to the list of my flaws ;) Also helps that sorting through stuff is a huge job to tackle. I'm not really that helpful now am I? Lol, I think my ramblings are leaning towards having you save just your favorites and let the rest go - but as with anything parent related... there's really no right answer :)
DeleteI agree, getting out the next size, moving around bins etc, I sometimes think what is the point?! I keep thinking that we have these resources, and God expects us to manage them well. While I have no problem giving right out of my closets or bins to someone who needs it, I also don't want to not be wise in keeping some. Of course, God could always give us more in His way, and we could always buy more, but sometimes I also think He gives us things before the immediate need and expects us to learn management?
DeleteOur philosophy is if other people can use it at this time, God will provide for our next time. We are still wise in this as we are only on baby #1, and I have all ready seen God provide for us when we got rid of half of our baby's clothes to give to a single mom. Before he needed the bigger size, God provided with 2 big bags of clothes to make him through until he is in 24 months.
ReplyDeleteThis is an excellent point too, WP! There is wisdom in keeping what you need in the year to 18 months, and giving away freely. I do often give away extras. We live near some low income families, and I cannot say how often we have been glad we kept the extras. Many times the neighborhood kids are over to play and don't have mitts or snowpants and we've gotten some of the extra items and sent them outside with them.
DeleteI guess in the end, I am trying to find a good balance. Give away to those in need when I have opportunity, and manage the resources God gives us so we have clothes we need as well.