Just
like Blonde on a Budget, we're doing a MAJOR purge with our shopping ban. And let me say,
it's been eye opening. The girls got rid of so much clothing and still
have plenty left in their closet.
We call this pile "Clothes Mountain". We joked about it but it really makes me feel embarrassed. We just went through their closet and dresser a few months ago so it's not like this is a year's worth of outgrown clothing. In fact, most of this still fits them, it's just not their style anymore (apparently they're both VERY anti-pink now). We do get a lot of hand me downs from friends but a large portion of this was purchased by us or my mom.
I work at a very low income school with lots of students who have very minimal clothing, maybe only two pairs of pants. If those pants get stained or torn or don't fit anymore, they continue to wear them. I've let my girls think that clothing is disposable and if you don't love what you have, we'll just go out and buy something new. I rarely try to mend or re-purpose anything and don't think twice about running to the store.
Here's a perfect example of our issue. A few months ago, I realized Matea only had one pair of jean shorts and I decided she needed more. We ran into Walmart that day and spent $15 on two pairs of shorts. Now those shorts are in Clothes Mountain, each worn only a handful of times because she decided they weren't comfortable. Yes, it's only $15 but how many times have we thrown away just $15, only $10, etc.?
I'm hoping our shopping ban will teach us a few things about buying clothes.
1. We all wear the same 12-15 outfits all the time so we really don't need 70 different shirts.
2. Just because something is on clearance, doesn't mean I have to buy it.
3. Only buy things we truly love. If we're talking ourselves into liking something, it's a no. If there's the slightest hint that it won't be comfortable, it's a no.
4. We don't need a million multiples of everything. 2-3 hoodies is totally fine, we don't all need 6 or 7. The girls can easily get by with 2 pairs of jeans each. A colorful kimono for every freakin day of the week is excessive.
5. Remember that I can't force Bella to give up her sporty spice wardrobe and go back to the days of pink and ruffles and twirling.
6. Focus on buying far less but higher quality items that will last or have a guarantee. Steve bought a pair of $89 Kuhl pants (we only paid $22 on clearance though - woot!) that started coming apart at one of the seams. Instead of tossing them, he contacted the company and they repaired them for free. We want to work on buying more brands like this that really back their product.
So, back to school shopping is going to stink because this year, it's pretty much non existent. And it's always been a really BIG deal in our house. Each of the girls already got 4 or 5 new items before we came upon the idea of a shopping ban and now all they're allowed is one pair of jeans and a first day of school outfit. Not even our standard new undies and socks to start off the year! I know my mom will read this and want to make up for our ban by taking the girls shopping but they truly don't need anything. Need vs. want, that's what we need to take away from this.
