Laying Out Our Clothes

Throughout the years, things have become so expensive that at times I cringe when I have to go buy something.  I’ve always been very frugal and always look for sale prices, but at times, sales are not a possibility.  I know this is something that as mothers we tend to struggle with because our children grow very fast and we want to supply them with every need.  One of those needs is clothing.  We want to make sure our children look presentable and are tidied up.  I’ve come to realize that clothing is just a covering for our body. Do not give it more value than what it deserves.  Understand that our children play, get creative and dirty throughout the day. So why invest in clothing that might only last a day or even a month when there is so much more we can spend our money on or even SAVE?

 

 

On one of my Facebook mommy groups, one of the mothers mentioned that she only keeps 5 outfits for her children, one church outfit, one pair of dressy shoes, and two pairs of regular shoes.  Some of us might think this is too little, but think about it! Do our children need an abundance of clothing?  We have to learn to minimize and cut back.

Here are several suggestions:

1. Get rid of the clothes that you do not use.  If you have a large quantity of clothes and always wear the same ones, get rid of those that you don’t wear or change up your wardrobe. Begin to use those that you haven’t worn in a while and get rid of the ones you have been using.  You can always donate the clothing and claim it on your taxes as a donation.

 

2. As a woman, I LOVE shoes, but for the most part, I wear the same couple of one’s every week.  Someone once told me: “if you buy a pair of shoes, you should get rid of a pair of shoes.”  I always keep that in the back of my mind.  What’s the reason for the new pair of shoes? If the old pair is worn out then get rid of them.

 

3. Lately, one of my favorite things to do is to go to consignment stores.  They have cheap, recycled clothing that are very comfortable to wear since they have been broken into.  We even see the reuse of clothing in the Bible. “Then Rebekah took the best clothes of Esau her older son, which she had in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob” (Genesis 27:15). This is a way to buy clothing not only for yourself, but for your children.  It is inexpensive and they even have sale days.  Many people might think, "I don’t want to wear anyone else’s clothes", but try to understand how much you will be saving. 

4. If you are planning on having more children, save your child’s clothing so that in the future you don’t have to re-buy.

 

5. There are many mommy groups in your area as well. Some mommies are willing to give their child’s outgrown clothing to other children who can use them. Do some trading off.  It will keep some mommy’s happy!

As mothers, let’s think about how we can lessen our load, lay out our clothes and benefit others that might not have as much!