Just yesterday, we got a delivery of new clothes for Jenny. Hanna Anderson? Lands End? One of Angoraknitter‘s handmade beauties? Oh, goodness no. I wish…

These are mostly summer clothing that is too big for her now, but will likely fit her next summer. Was I scouring eBay for great deals? Shopping online clearance racks for end-of-season sales? Nope.

A neighbor of mine has just finished her fall clothing swap out, and is weeding out the clothing her youngest daughter won’t fit into next year. It was hard for her to part with some of the dresses especially, since they were worn by all three of her girls. She gave them to me, because she likes my girls and it makes her feel good to think that they would be wearing these dresses. Most of these clothes are really nice, and I’m happy that people like her are so generous with me. It really keeps my kids’ clothing budget way down. Now I just need to find someone to give ME hand-me-downs…

There is a thrift store here on post. They only have one Saturday a month that they open, and it’s always packed. Another neighbor of mine says she goes regularly during the week, though, to check out the new arrivals. I will have to ask her to look for things for me, especially if I lose any more weight.

In August, when I did my own kids’ clothing swap, I asked for advice on how many outfits a (potty-trained) kid needed. I had scoffed at my husband’s suggestion of 6 outfits because I thought it was too few. My friend, Rachel (the one who remembered her camera for the field trips), recently told me she only keeps FOUR outfits for her kids. She said the transition was tough, and other items creep in (via gifts or whatever), but she says laundry is a breeze and she can always find her kids’ soccer socks.

It’s a sure-win formula:

Reduce the number of outfits we own.
Recycle and Reuse clothing worn by other children (within my own family and sharing and receiving from others).