What a great thread...I have really been thinking about this ....my 5 yo son has sooooo many clothes and I realize he tends to wear the same 3-4 pairs of pants and the same 3-4 shirts. I do laundry every 2-3 days so it works ....however his closet is over flowing......needless to say I have learned from this board to simplify....and we are staering clear of the sale racks this seaon...unless I can score a very nice soft pair od cordury cargos....seems to be his favorite....hoping the gap may have some! I was looking at summer clothes I have at least 15-20 for DD....We wear summer clothes for about 6 months so I am sure we will use them as they seem harder on the summer clothes since we are outside doing serious play on most days! I love teh list inventory idea....That may be good for our mommy uniforms!

We just went through all the kids closets at my house and downsized the amount of clothing they had. They now each have:
7 pairs of pants(khakis and jeans)
14 shirts(long sleeve)
1 dressy dress(church, holidays)
1 school dress
1 sweater
2 sweatshirts
1 jogging suit
5 PJs
undies + socks + tights

It still seems like alot but it is an improvement and now we actually have room to put everything away!

__________________

My kids (now mostly grown) always had what I considered to be too many clothes, but they WERE all yard sale buys or hand-me-downs. One of the problems we had was that the three boys had different clothing preferences from a very young age...one wore button down shirts, one wore sweatshirts and teeshirts, and one wanted only polos. Same with pants/jeans/cargo pants. Oddly, after age 6 or so none of my kids wore shorts! I think it helps to keep 7 to 10 outfits for each kid in his or her room, and have extras that may be needed for special events (formal shirts, suits, ties) and out of season clothes stored neatly elsewhere (the attic, in our case) sorted by size. You can easily see that you need to be on the lookout for a good shirt in a certain color to keep up the inventory. It's also a good idea to have decent shoes in all sizes on hand (buy them whenever you see newish ones at yard sales) because in the event of a sudden emergency (funeral, concert, unexpected award ceremony, etc) you don't need to be running around in a panic because there are no dress shoes available!
If you have a child who is really into a sport or other activity, you can save time and money by buying the necessary clothing or shoes ahead of time at yard sales, IF you can find them in good shape. (Unfortunately, some activities require new, custom fitted stuff. We've spent more on pointe shoes for our dancer than on everyone else's clothes combined, and I'm talking over 20 year's worth of clothing for the whole family!) Anyway, the point is, there are some things on which it is worth stocking up, but you do need to be able to store things somewhere where they will remain in good condition. It's also helpful if you can encourage clothing exchanges or sales with other families, especially if you can get a bunch of Suzuki families to exchange performance attire, dance families to exchange leotards or character and tap shoes, martial arts families to swap gis, and so on.
Some studios, dojos, etc are willing to facilitate exchanges or sales, especially if they get a cut of the profits and if someone (you) will organize it.
Gail

I feel the same way! both ds have sooooo much clothes. up until recently i didn't worry about it but now i really have to watch what i spend. everytime there's a sale the kids get at least one thing each!! i think im addicted to buying them clothes! lol funny thing is its been years since i've bought clothes for myself. their stuff is so much cuter

__________________
- Chantelle

Mommy to Roly (2000) and Elijah (2005) and Mikayla (2009)

I try to keep tabs on how much clothes the kids have.
Usually each has the following-
Shoes-3 to 4 pairs at any given time(tennis shoes,cowboy boots etc)
T Shirts/Button up short sleeve-Probably between 10 to 15 a piece
Pants/Jeans- Around 10 a piece
Ella's dresses- 5 or so
Sleepers- 5 a piece
Pjs- 5 to 10 ( the kids spend alot of time in sleepers or Pjs)
Swimtrunks/Swimsuit- Usually 2 per season
1 jacket a piece
1 large winter coat
5 sweat suits a piece
10 long sleeve/button up long sleeve shirts a piece

__________________
 

Both kids have grown a lot recently, so I'm sorting through their stuff. I "think" my goal is to have:

7-10 every day outfits (jeans, t's, shorts, etc.)
2 decent outfits for church, parties, etc.
1 really dressy outfit each season (Christmas and Easter clothes)
4-5 pairs of pjs
At least a dozen pairs of socks and underwear
1 lightweight jacket (spring and fall)
1 heavyweight jacket (winter)
2 pairs of shoes for every day
1 pair of dress shoes
1 pair of boots for the winter
2 sets of hats/mittens/gloves

I usually shop clearance at the end of the season before to get the best prices because our consignment shop prices have gone through the roof. For example, they are asking $8.50 and up for a pair of little girl's, size 5T jeans. I can get them new for that price. The tag sales out here are hit-or-miss, with a lot of stuff either extraordinarily stained or really over-priced. We do get a few hand-me-downs, but they're usually in pretty bad shape by the time they get to us. I don't care what pj's and stuff look like, but I do want the kids to look nice everyday.

Good thread for "thought"!
Michelle

A few days ago I hit Old Navy's sale and came home and was trying to decide what to keep. I pulled out all his 2T clothes (he's in 12mo now) I have been given SO many hand me downs from a few people.....he had TWENTY FOUR pairs of shorts!!! Most of them were hand me downs, 4 I had bought "on sale" (before I got the hand me downs), and 4 he was given as birthday gifts!! I was SICK. I couldn't believe that I had bought those 4 pair. That made me realize that I needed to take back almost EVERYTHING I had bought at Old Navy. I kept the pj's (he's never had pj hand me downs) and a nice sweater & jacket because as of now he doesn't have much at all of winter 2 T but I am going to assume that someone will give me hand me downs after this winter for ds for next winter!

__________________
Formerly Mommy2Ryan

I'm always juggling with this. I don't think they need very much. We are the ones who create needs. I do laundry almost everyday so I don't think they need that much. I get hand me downs & they get gifts all the time from familly members. I practically never buy anything.

Has they grow older I want them to realize that it's not quantity that matters. I don't want them to identify themselves by their clothing & accessories.

__________________
Marie - SAHM of DS Benjamin (april 2004) and DD Rose (march 2006).

I do laundry once a week. But my kids have more clothes then they need! I got alot handed down by a daycare child who was spoiled! That child is no longer in care as of a year ago! YET...still have clothes for DD that are from her! I am trying to not buy clothes for them. When school started I bought the essentials. A couple pairs of jeans for each, skirts for DD, with tights, and pack of undies and socks for both. Long sleeved shirts, and a pair of shoes. Thats it.

DS9 still has a ton. Maybe 10 pairs of jeans/pants. No shorts that fit him ( I bought no shorts last summer but he did outgrow by end of summer!). He has probably 30-50 shirts of all kinds. They are from 2-3 years ago when I got great lot on Ebay. He is having a growth spurt and they are getting short, so I am sure in summer he will get new condensed wardrobe, after I sell this one. He has 2 pairs of sneakers, and one pair of gym shoes, snow boots, and one pair of sandals. He does have 14 pairs of undies, and about 20 socks. I only wash when they are out of jeans/socks/undies, so this cuts down on laundry.

DD5 has 10 jeans/pants. 10 skirts. 10 capris. 10 shorts. ( of which I probably bought 2 of each). She also has about 50 shirts of all kinds. Out growing them all as I bought her nothing last summer either, just a few long sleeved for school. She does have about 5 pairs of tights. 20 socks, 20 undies. 10 shoes ( handed down) a pair of winter boots.

I did buy them both new snow pants this year, as capri snow pants dont cut it in WI. LOL But I bought them way big. SO next year I wont have to. Same with boots. They double socks this year, next year fit perfect.

I think starting in summer will be true test of what I will condense to. They will outgrow all hand me downs, and EBay lots. I will try for.

Both:
7 jeans (her 2 capris, 2 skirts)
7 shorts (her 2 tights)
7 tank tops
7 short sleeved shirts
7 long sleeved
1 sweatshirt
2 shoes (one sandal, one sneaker)
One coat/one jacket
14 undies
14 socks

I have alot of work to do!
Sorry to babble, thinking out loud!

__________________
http://mommysavers.com/boards/journa...wjournal&j=184
Amber