Let’s talk about what the kids are wearing.

Clothes. I try to stand by this rule of mine. My kids don’t have more clothes than they can wear in a weeks time. Boys get a pair of khaki pants and a pair of navy blue pants to wear to church until they are too small.  Sometimes they don’t have either and we rely on the best pair of jeans until those are ruined. They have no more than three pairs of jeans, five pairs of shorts. The rest of their wardrobe is basic t-shirts, white socks and underwear. The girl is a bit more difficult but I still try to keep her clothing limited to what she can wear in a weeks time, she does have more shoes for obvious reasons….she’s a girl. I have to keep up on the laundry, but this rule really simplifies clutter. I have to admit I do buy them new outfits for special occasions such as Christmas and Easter with the hope that they get more than a few chances to wear the said outfit.

It is rare that I buy the kids clothes at full price. I take advantage of used clothing stores. I also sell whatever clothing I can to the consignment shops and use that money to buy new clothing. I have worked very diligently at keeping my kids label free. My daughter doesn’t know the difference between a pair of Nike’s and the Target brand of tennis shoes, yet she has worn both. I may not always have this luxury of ignorance so I’ll enjoy it while it lasts. I want my kids to be well dressed, but I don’t care if their clothes come from Goodwill or Talbots as long as they are decent.  edited to add: I am determined to start buying more from garage sales, thrift stores and ebay.

This is another good rule of mine that has stood the test of time. I buy simple clothes. Like solid color t-shirts, plain khakis, plain jeans and sweatshirts that can last through the ages and not be dated in a couple months. I avoid most trendy clothes for the boys since that is where the hand-me-downs have to sit in wait for a few years before #3 can fit into them.

BTW- I caught Oprah on Friday and she is doing a debt diet. I found it fascinating, I need to go check out the web sight. Some of the families were doing such obvious stupid things. The shocker, one teenager had 25 bras, 70 t-shirts and 17 pairs of jeans!!!!! DUH-HUR! And they can’t figure out why they got into so much debt. We Americans are BIG. FAT. PIGS! I know I’m guilty of excessiveness too, but I’m vowing to try harder.