Thankfully, I did!
Over the years, I've tried to make the swap less stressful, but I've found that with three kids I need to let go of my plans for a day and just plug away at it. When I've tried to homeschool the same day as the great swap, I would just get stressed out!
I've worked to keep the bins of clothes well labeled, but it always took a lot of work. At the time, I didn't realize that the bins were less work than going shopping would have been! Now I do understand that.
When my kids were really little, I used to garage for all of their clothing. For sizes up to a 5T, I would 25 or 50 cents for a piece of clothing. I would come across garage sales that wanted several dollars for a piece of clothing, but unless it was a winter coat, I knew we didn't need it. Little kids go through a lot of clothing and garage saling is a great way to find little kids clothes!
As my kids got older, I was so fortunate to have a few families at the church we attended who gave their hand me downs to us. And then when my kids grew out of them, I handed them down to other families in the church! I would go through the clothes when my kids were done with them and think about the personalities of the children at church--and give the clothes to the kids I thought would like them! It was so much fun. My kids loved seeing kids where the clothes to church after them, too!
But, things began to change around the time we moved away from that community. My girls were approaching the sizes that they will be as adults and there were fewer hand me downs because other girls were grown to the heights they will remain! And my son approached the age where hand me downs were fewer because the boys ahead of him got so much use out of their clothes and they didn't have a lot of life left in them.
So, this year, I've had to figure out how to fit more shopping into our schedule for shoes and clothing. I buy things as needed. Every time I find something when I'm in a crunch for time, I am thankful! Whether it's shoes because my son's shoes have holes in them, or finding shorts that my daughters and I are both comfortable with. I am thankful. More and more I find that clothing my children involves a lot of trust in God.
Trusting God that He will help me find clothing my kids and I are both happy with. Trusting God that He will help me find clothing that helps my kids look like other kids. Trusting God that our budget will balance when needs come up.
As for this year's swap yesterday...
My kids have all grown this spring and summer. 3/4 of my son's pants didn't fit him anymore so I had already made a trip to Walmart to get 3 pairs of athletic pants and 3 pairs of khakis for church and the week. I knew I still needed 2 or 3 pairs of jeans for him and I found those in the bucket I had for him! And for the girls, I found enough jeans that I had picked up at garage sales this summer to find several pairs that fit each of them! Yay!
I often ask other moms where they shop because I'm always looking for new ideas of where to find clothing for my kids, so I thought I'd share in this post the places that I like to shop.
Here's what I've found so far...
Girls:
Shoes: garage sales, Marshalls
I found several pairs of boots this summer for my girls for $1-$3 each.
Pants/Jeans: Old Navy (watch for sales), garage sales
I aim for 50 cents or a dollar a piece at garage sale for pants, jeans, and shorts (no holes, or big spots)
Shorts: Old Navy, Target for athletic shorts (they had some that weren't short shorts!
Tshirts: Life is Good (for one of my daughters), Target for athletic shirts for my other daughter
Special shirts/Sweaters: garage sales
I rely on garage sales for special pieces--church shirts and sweaters. A lot of friends I know love Uptown Cheapskate and they utilize this place as a way to consign things their teenagers grow out of and then use the credit to buy pieces that are new to them.
Dresses: Ross, garage sales
When we moved to where we live now, my girls needed dresses for church. Our old church was much more casual and they only needed jeans or capris. But, here we needed dresses. I found that we could get casual dresses at Ross for between $10-$15 each, which is less expensive than Target.
Boys:
Shoes: Ross, Outlet stores, generic vans for church--Old Navy
My son is rough on shoes, he gets a pair of pull on shoes for church and a pair of tennis shoes for every day. Summer was different. I picked up flip flops on sale at Old Navy for the pool and Khombu sandals at Costco. A good friend tipped me off to that one--they lasted all summer and only cost $10!
Shorts: Target
Target has been a great place for basics!
Shirts: Walmart, garage sales
Pants: Walmart, Target
Before my kids went to bed last night, the buckets returned to the attic empty--all except for one. I don't have a lot to store anymore. But, in some ways, that makes it much easier! I have less to keep track of and I know better what I need to keep an eye out for over the winter and into the early spring! I went to bed thankful the clothing swap was done and even more thankful for God's provision of clothing for my children.
Matthew 6:25-34
25“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26“Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27“And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? 28“And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30“But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 31“Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 32“For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
34“So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
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