Today I decided to clean out Chloe’s closet. It’s the collection spot for all things out-grown, off-season or just in my way. It got to the point where things began to fall out on me when I opened the doors (sort of like my freezer was). I thought it could probably use some attention so I decided to make it my nap-time project.
Well, it should have been my weekend project. There are not words for how ridiculous this mess is. I am completely ashamed of myself for letting it get to this point. I’m a stinkin’ stay-at-home mom! THIS is the stuff I’m supposed to be doing! Anyway … moving along.
The best way to deal with a heaping mess of this degree is to lay it all out so you can get an idea of everything that needs attention. As I write this I have piles all around my living room. Clothes are sorted by size and other items by purpose. I have a throw out pile, a sell pile and a few things I’d like to save. It’s tricky for us because we intend to have more children (or at least one more) so we don’t want to get rid of too many things but the amount that we’re saving is beginning to get overwhelming.
When the space in my home is not being utilized in a productive manner it becomes more of a nuisance than a blessing. My daughter has a fairly large closet, which I loved when we moved into our home but I have allowed it to enable my laziness rather than help me be more efficient. When my daughter was an infant I had a really great system for packing her things away in an organized manner. I would save empty diaper boxes and place them next to her hamper in the closet. Then every time I did laundry I would toss any outgrown clothing into the box so that her dresser and closet never had any items in them that were too small. As soon as the box was full I’d take it out to the shed and replace it with a new one. That worked really well for me while Chloe wore diapers but she hasn’t worn them for over a year now so my system has halted.
The worst part about being unorganized with kids clothes is that you have no idea what you have. Which means …
- You don’t know what you need so you purchase things you may already own.
- You can’t find what you think you must own so you end up needing to purchase it.
- You can’t bless anyone else that may need something you have because you can’t find it.
- You don’t purchase the things you actually need because their dressers are full of clothes that don’t fit them.
Kids grow out of clothes fast … really fast. It’s tough to remain organized and know exactly what you have and be aware of the things your child needs under the best circumstances. What I have done with Chloe’s closet is so far from being the best circumstances that it’s not even within sight of them. I’ve made my blessing into a liability. I need a fresh start. The closet is currently empty and I’ll put (fewer) things back into it tomorrow … with an empty box next to the hamper.
What do you do with your children’s outgrown clothes? Do you have a great system that works for you or do you have a closet like Chloe’s?
Why I do what I do ~ Becoming a mom has made me into an emotional sap (ok … I already was one but now I’m worse). Seeing all those tiny baby clothes makes my throat threaten to close and my eyes get all stingy. I can’t even clean out a closet without a mini-meltdown.
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
“I’m a stinkin’ stay-at-home mom! THIS is the stuff I’m supposed to be doing!” You are loving your child and niece and that’s why. Don’t be so hard yourself.
In our home, I was feeling overwhelmed with switching out the winter and summer stuff.Slowly I have made it through. Have a great day. Candy
Candy’s last blog post..Ladies start your…..Savings and join the Royal Family
@Candy – Oh don’t worry. It’s more teasing myself than being hard on myself.
I REALLY need to tackle my daughters’ clothes. I have twin daughters who are 3 1/2 and it’s obscene how much stuff I need to go through. I’ve had moments of keeping things organized, but mostly I get caught up with other stuff and the outgrown clothes stay on the back burner.
Thanks for the inspiration.
I so need to get the outgrown clothes put on Craig’s list. I have them all separated out, just need to get pics. I also need to inventory the new clothes I have in the bins in the basement (we don’t have a lot of closets in our apartment so I have to use large bins to put larger sized clothing in). I purchase most of my kids’ clothes when stuff goes on clearance – buy in bigger sizes. I rarely have to buy much at regular or sale price (I did have to buy 2 pairs of shorts for my 1 1/2 year old for this summer but I got them for $3 and $4 at Target the other day).
I also wanted to mention that I am running a coupon giveaway over at my blog.
Lisette
http://www.couponqueenofcorning.com/
Lisette’s last blog post..Coupon Contest – Win over $75 worth of coupons
I just did this on Monday with both of my kids closets. I too had gotten a little behind, especially with my daughter’s closet. It became necessary because I was running out of hangers and a friend had just blessed me with a bunch of clothes her daughter had outgrown.
I usually keep a bag hanging at the end of each of my kids closets, and as they grow out of things I just put those items in the bag.
When the bag gets full I pass them down to another friend that has children a little younger than each of mine. I have a few bags sitting behind me right now I’ve got to take to her.
By the way, sometimes I feel like a “stinkin’ stay-at-home mom” too.
Amanda’s last blog post..Who Says We’re Just Moms?
@Beth – I can’t imagine DOUBLING my clothes situation!
@Lisette – Great idea to post them on Craigslist!
@Amanda – I love your idea to hang a bag in the closet and pass it along. That’s wonderful.
So clothes and outgrown clothes are a big issue here with 3 girls. I have to keep them all organized so that when I need size 3 it is right where I need it and I don’t open a bin and find some size 2 stuff I wish I had 6 months ago.
I first kept all the clothes in those bags that you suck the air out of so everything is compacted. That is a great way to do it if you don’t have much space. The problem is the bags kept failing and they’d expand to normal size. They are also really heavy and actually quite hard to stack this way. Hard to just open and grab out something you need.
Now we have one plastic tub for each size. If we have too much to fit, we purge. This seems to be working well for me. It was also important that the tubs be the same, so they stack well in closets. Then I just mark the size on the outside of the tub and we are in business. This makes it easier to put stuff away when it gets too small. Say one shirt is just a bit too tight, throw it in the tub. You don’t have to wait until she outgrows everything to start organizing. Anyway… this is my long winded way of saying “I use plastic tubs.”
@Andrea – Ha ha, That’s a really good idea! I like long-winded.