Another Money-Making-Money-Saving-Day!

Once again, I took another bin of clothes to Once Upon a Child, and came out with a check for almost $60.00!! If you have not tried selling your childrens' stuff to a childrens' resale shop yet, you really must!! Of course, I don't take everything - I just take things that are in great condition and are nice, name brands - but did you know that they also buy more than just clothes?! Our local store buys maternity clothes, bedding, shoes, toys, children's movies, video games, etc.!! They will then give you either a check or store credit.

Next, I headed over to my favorite place to BUY children's clothes - Goodwill!! (Yes, I tend to think that Once Upon a Child is too expensive, unless I find something on their clearance racks.) I spent about $25.00 and came out with some great, name-brand, back-to-school clothes in "like-new" condition (Old Navy jeans, 2 Gap button down shirts, one knit dress, two pairs of pants, two Children's Place corduroy skirts, one longsleeved knit shirt, and one Old Navy polo shirt). That averages about $2.50 per item!

The best part of the deal is this: because I purchased name-brand stuff, I can take them back to Once Upon A Child when I am done with them, and receive money back to buy more clothes!! You can't get better than that!

Now, here's a tip: make sure you know what your children need before you go to Goodwill! It is easy for us "bargain-shoppers" to not be "wise-shoppers" when it comes to good deals for our children. I have been blessed with a good friend who has given me beautiful hand-me-downs for my girls. I also try to purchase (up to several years in advance) things for my children when I come across great deals (last year, I got tights for my girls at the Children's Place outlet for just $ .49 each - so I bought several in every size!) - these are both great money-savers! However, I can easily overspend if I buy more of what I already have, or if I assume I have plenty of something - only to have to run out and pay full-price at the last minute...(this sounds a lot like my grocery stockpiling post!).

Here are some of the things I try to do to help me (1) stay organized and (2) know what my children have/need:

First of all, I keep bins in my garage labeled with sizes for the next couple of years (Girls' Sizes 7/8, Girls' Sizes 9/10, etc.). That way, when someone gives me some hand-me-downs, or I find a great deal on something, I can go ahead and put it in the appropriate labeled bin.

Secondly, I am trying to keep a list of what is in each bin so I can glance at the list and see what my children are in need of for the upcoming year. It doesn't have to be super-detailed - for example, "Long Sleeved Shirts (Size 7) - 5." Not only does doing this keep me organized, but it also makes me aware of other needs - for example, "Longsleeved shirt to go with yellow/blue skirt."

I know that this may sound obvious, but it is so true: the more organized you are, the more money you will save. This not only applies to clothes shopping, but to coupon shopping, bill-paying, etc.