Organizing kids' clothes: A way to Excel at it

Garage sales, hand-me-downs, resale and other sources for kids' clothes have gotten us through the last few years. The challenge is keeping tabs on my finds.

Whether it's my daughter tearing apart diaper-size boxes of clothing in her closet out of boredom or my accidentally stockpiling 20 (yes, 20) short-sleeve T-shirts in a size for my son, remembering what you've acquired can be a challenge.

My solution? It's a simple one: Creating a spreadsheet to track numbers.

I track each kids' clothing pieces by size and type, and I have it uploaded so that family members who are Christmas shopping or hitting sales to splurge know what we have. My hope is it keeps us from wasting money and space, and freeing us from having more than we really need.

Want to start this simply? Create an Excel or Google Docs spreadsheet with a column for size and a row for each clothing type. For example:

uniform shirts
uniform skorts or pants
sweater
sweatshirt
fall/winter weight PJ's
spring/summer weight PJ's
jeans
yoga/dance pants
t-shirts (long-sleeve and short-sleeve)
sweat pants/athletic pants
winter coat
swimsuit

I could expand this to include shoes I've picked up (such as at clearance or soccer cleats from garage sales), but those for now are much easier remembered.

I update the spreadsheets after purchases, and reprint the well-folded sheets as needed. It's an easy reference at a garage sale and has kept me from at least one unneeded purchase.

More fun with less

The Conscious Shopper posted the other day about having more fun and less stuff. And there's a lot of truth to that ideal.

You have less stuff, there's less time cleaning, and more time to play.

You have less stuff, there's more room for the imagination to grow.

You have less stuff, there's more appreciation of what you have.

The challenge is getting your kids to play along.

My kids have toys. Not huge amounts of toys, but there are days it feels like it. And they don't quite understand why their friends have more electronics, more dress-ups, more Barbie accessories, more movies than they do. I try to explain it's fun to play with different things at different friends' houses, but sometimes my oldest doesn't quite get it.

The idea of sharing our blessings, too, is a tough lesson to swallow. Lately I've been back on my cleaning-out kick, and we've been rustling out baby towels to toys. But any seldom-touched toy becomes "special" in a moment's instance the minute that the idea of sharing with another child comes up. Heck, we have two Chutes and Ladders games, both given as gifts, and we're having problems getting one out of the house to give to an underpriviledged child.

But at the end of the day, despite our clutter, we can - and do - have more fun with less. At the end of the day, there are but a few treasured toys that are played with each day. At the end of the day, it's those trips to go hiking or get the rare ice cream or go to a local festival that are remembered, not the days spent shopping or watching movies.

At the end of the day, we can have more fun with less. And it's just up to us as parents to sell it.

Are you keeping up with the Joneses?

It used to be about who had the biggest and newest car. Or the best vacation plans. Now, it's about who's being greener or more frugal in their choices.

Rachel at Small Notebook recently discussed the frustrations of keeping up with the Joneses. Not gardening yet? Not cooking from scratch? Heaven forbid, do you eat each night from takeout containers? Really, it's OK. For many of us, the path to simpler living is just a gradual process.

Rachel writes:

There have been times when I’ve been concerned that mentioning something might
not be good for my image. You know, my desire to look healthy, conscientious,
resourceful, and like I cook all my food from scratch. Oh forgive me for wanting
to have an image! That should be the first thing that anyone de-clutters. Life
is so much easier when you don’t have to worry about how you look to
others.
When I’m talking to someone else, I would much rather admit that my
spaghetti sauce comes from a jar at the store than pretend I’m a fabulous chef.
Authenticity is living simply.

And "simple" is a matter of perspective. You can spend simply, and reap great rewards if you have a talent for cooking, sewing or other crafts. You can entertain simply and just hang out with a few great friends and good beers in your backyard. You can clean simply and join the baking soda and vinegar crowd, instead of staring at the dozen cleaning products in your cabinet. You can raise your children simply, and not buy toys upon end and overschedule them.

But when living "simple," "green," or "frugal" comes to the point that your choices are stressing you out, aren't you missing the point? Because at the end of the day, it's you (and your family) you have to live with.