I can't think of a god reasonable amount to put aside every month for clothes. With Julie, it's really hard to decide what she needs, how often to buy it, and in what size.
She's small for her age. Some 18 month old clothes don't fit at all ... and some are way too big. Winter is coming up quick, it was cool around here again this morning. It normally doesn't get way too cold until Jan ... but I have a feeling this winter is going to be colder then normal.
Plus, with my grandmother, she always buys WAY to many clothes for her for Christmas and then her birthday that follows a week later. She buys everything up North, and doesn't give a gift reciept. Plus, my grandmother and I are barely on speaking terms, and I wouldn't want to make the relationship anymore rocky buy asking her where I could return the gifts. I'll ask my mother to ask her to buy clothes in different sizes and different seasons ... last year she spent nearly $400 on clothes that Julie had outgrown *or were out of season* within 3 months. I don't want to waste her money.
Tonight, I am going to go through Julie's clothes as soon as she goes to sleep. I plan on making a trip out to the consignment shop early Saturday morning. I want to take at least a box down there with me. Then I'm going to inventory everything that's left and see what we need for winter.
This winter, her coat from last year still fits. This is great news. My doctor was really worried that Julie would get RSV last year, so he didn't want her out much at all last winter. She wore her winter coat like three times, and still ended up getting RSV. She's a lot healthier this year, and at daycare ... so we def need that winter coat. No RSV this year! She was just a day or so away from being hospitalized last year, and that's a fear I wouldn't wish on any mother.
I'm a lot easier. I really need a few more staples for my wardrobe ... but it's nothing that's going to kill me if I don't get it. I have a bit of a "thing" for shoes ... god, I love shoes. I need to "splurge" on two or three more pairs of workpants ... but I'm more worried about getting Julie some clothes.
I've also decided that my move out date from my parents is going to be March 1st, I want to have as much debt paid off as possible, and hopefully have a bit in savings. I really have to start cracking down to get this to happen ...
Budgeting for clothes
September 29th, 2006 at 04:52 pm
September 29th, 2006 at 07:52 pm 1159559521
A month or two ago, I started experimenting with thrift store shopping. Although it took many trips (I have two I can go to on my lunch hour), I actually found all of her fall clothes, including coats and sweaters, secondhand. (I also found some things for me.) The only things I am buying new are underwear, socks, and shoes (which I would buy new regardless). There's a lot of junk out there, but I was able to find top brands in practically new condition. I saw plenty of things in the 18 mos. to 24 mos. range as well as the 2T, so you might consider this option if you have the time to hunt.
As for your mother and grandmother, would it be impolite to suggest giftcards? Or, perhaps you could use the wish list feature on target.com or amazon.com, so you could identify what she needs and they would know what to buy if they felt like getting her a gift. I would never do this with any of my other relatives, but I would feel comfortable doing this with my mother if she lived far away because I know she wants to buy things my daughter will use.
Other options to consider are eBay and craiglist. People on both sites sell new and used toddler clothes by the lot. I searched by "toddler girl 4T lot" and found several sellers selling lots of 40-50 pieces. The per item price was much less than new, but a bit more than I pay at the thrift store. Since I have the time to shop at the thrift store, I went that route. If I didn't have time or if I hadn't been able to find good things, I probably would have bid on some lots.
September 30th, 2006 at 09:18 pm 1159651125