By: MOTH
If you have young children at home, then outfitting them for the future can be a serious challenge. They grow out of clothes quickly and it can be difficult to anticipate those growth spurts. With a little planning and innovation, you will be prepared in no time.
You can layer clothing such as short sleeve t-shirts over long sleeves for added warmth on cooler days. Some stores have available adjustable pants or jeans. Our young lady doesn’t care if she is wearing girls or boys jeans. Long, stretchy leggings are great for girls. They can be folded or scrunched up for warmer months, and pulled down for cooler months. Leggings can also double as long underwear under pants or skirts. Get some plain colors in the girl’s department (gray or black) for long underwear for your young men. They won’t know the difference. Use a belt, sash, or scarf for pants that are still being grown into.
Shoes will most likely be the biggest challenge for growing feet. Keep more than one pair on hand of the current size. Adjustable sandals and Velcro shoes along with rain boots are your best choices.
Coats, jackets, and sweaters do not need to be an exact fit as long as they are a little on the big side. You will want to leave room for bulky sweaters underneath, as well as room to grow. Shop clearance sales at the end of winter and you can find some great deals.
We have two recommendations for shopping if you are within a reasonable driving distance. We frequent Family Dollar and Kohl’s Department Stores. These are great places to buy items at clearance prices. Also, with combined discounts, you can buy new items for cheaper than Good Will, Salvation Army, or second time around children’s stores. Sign up on Kohl’s website for email notifications and they will email you a $5 coupon. Take advantage of Kohl’s $10 Kohl’s cash promotions (spend $50 and they will give you $10 Kohl’s coupon to use on any amount spent the following week.) Make sure you are shopping the clearance rack and Kohl’s sales at 50% off or more to maximize discounts (we only buy things on sale at Kohl’s, never buy anything at regular price!) Kohl’s has a fantastic return policy: you can return items at any time.
Family Dollar has great deals for little kid’s clothing. We have noticed that their kids clothes run on the large side, so you may have to ‘eyeball’ accordingly. They often have sales for seasonal clothing just before that particular season.
Our rule of thumb is to be prepared to be able to survive the next winter, so we buy clothing for our growing little one accordingly. If you take advantage of sales and available discounts, you won’t put a big dent in your wallet. Keep in mind that zombie hordes have growing children, too. You can always resale any unused items at a garage sale, eBay, or trade with others for necessities.
Remember to keep a good stock of underwear and socks on hand. Keep socks and underwear in the package until ready for first wash, in case you don’t use them, then they are easier to resell or trade. Cotton prices are escalating this year by 30% so now is a good time to shop.
