Clothing Our Kids Part 2 - Kids Clothing Inventory

As talked about in my last post, clothing our children is a never ending task (as they are are constantly growing) and one that is on the expensive side.

 I know it doesn't have to be, but I take pride in the way I dress and present my kids. They are a reflection of me, my parenting and our family. Plus, I believe, they deserve to look and feel good too! Every ones priorities in life are different, it just so happens that looking clean and presentable , never leaving the house without footwear on and taking pride in yourself and your appearance is a top priority for me. 

It is definitely a reflection of my upbringing. My parents taught us from a very young age that personal hygiene and appearance was important. I can't ever remember my Mum leaving the house without makeup on , or my Dad walking anywhere without shoes. But.. like I said, each to their own. If everyone was the same, the world would be a boring place!

As the kids get older, hand me downs are fewer, clothing changes and unfortunately our shops are limited where we live. I know there is always the wonderful world of online shopping, and believe me , I am a fan! However , with tall, thin children , it is nice to actually look at a garment, feel a fabric and see things with your own eyes in the flesh. So, this led me to create our Kids Clothing Inventory before my last trip away to the city.

A simple , easy to transport folder, where I can record what we have in each size , see clearly what we need and set levels that should be in the wardrobes at all times. I have assigned each child a section, with a list of each size relevant included. There are also sections for School Uniforms and footwear. 

I started with a basic, white ringed A5 file , plastic page protectors and some file dividers. These file dividers I actually made myself as I could only find them in plain, plastic and gaudy colours. I simply purchased the plastic ones and uses them as a template to cut my own from cute patterned card stock. 

The labels were made on a basic label maker. This way I can peel them off and swap things around if I wish, without too much trouble.

The School Uniform inventory covers all things, down to bike shorts that the girls slip on when they wear their school dresses.
If I have to throw something out because its stained (and it can't be removed) , I take one off the tally on the inventory. By having this file, it also means that if something gets advertised on a Buy and Sell page on Facebook etc, I am able to quickly check if we are in need of it and snaffle a second hand bargain. A bargain isn't a bargain if you don't actually need it . Now I can check!
I may be the President of our P & C , and I'm a full advocate of our Uniform Shop and it all that it does for the school, but I still have 4 kids, 3 at school. They play hard, have fun and can come home from school in a right old state ! Especially our 2 Pre Primary kids! We also live in a very transient town, where people may only stay for 6-12 months at a time. So if school uniforms are for sale second hand and are in good condition, I always try and buy them where I can. I think I have only bought about half of our uniform stock full price.
My motto is always ' Save on some, to spend more on others"

For our Shoe section I have created an inventory for boys and one for girls. These have a space to manually write the size in the top.
Our boys do actually wear the same size shoes (event though they are 18 months apart) so I just write a name before the size .
For the girls I have included Weekend dress shoes (which may be a ballet slipper from Cotton On Kids etc) and Weekend Sandals. Also Soccer /Football boots and school socks and casual socks.
Plus of course, school sandals and casual sandals.
The boys are much the same.

Again , I have included things like the Soccer/Football boots as its something that I anticipate that we will need every year. However the boots that Stella wore this year , will no doubt not fit next year and therefore Lacey could wear them when she reaches that size etc. All shoes that are too big , go into a box that is clearly marked and because its listed on the inventory, I know there is a pair waiting in that box , without even having to look.

Taking stock and updating levels etc with items in storage before a recent trip to the big smoke!

With the general Clothing Inventory , I want through the kids wardrobes/drawers and wrote down everything that we need for the year. We generally don't have a cold winter in the Pilbara and have an extremely hot summer for a good 7 months of the year so my levels would be different than that of a family in a different climate. Each small box indicates an item needed.
Each sizing even includes rain coats (as we have a wet season) , singlets , jumpers and even underwear.
I usually have a list in each child's section of their current size and sheets for the next 3 sizes up. This means that when I go away for a weekend to the city and can sneak in some shopping, or the online sales are on, I can purchase something I like, even if it doesn't come in the kids current sizes. Rather than missing out on it, I know they will get to wear it in the future and I save money in the long run when an item is discounted to just a few dollars.
I have always bought clothing on sale , in advanced sizing for the kids. But .. I seemed to buy it , stash it in a box or cupboard then when I get it all out its either too small and I've missed the boat or I have 10 T-Shirts in one size and only 1 in another! Well not anymore!
Now I know what I have, what I need and I don't over buy . Perfect. A life changer for me!

Another inventory and list before my city trip. Knowing what I need is the best thing of all.  Its hard because when people thing of a weekend away with no kids, they generally don't thinking of buying basic items, however its all I seem to do! 

For some, this inventory may seem far too organised. Some may say I have too much time on my hands (and I can assure you that time is something that is severely lacking in my life) but then again, some people may see it and think "YES!!!" I need that! 

It has changed the way I shop. Changed the way I pack for trips away. Changed the way I look at items , and instead of impulse buying, I am shopping smarter! I check what sizes are available, I see if I need it and if I do I purchase. If I don't need it , it stays on the shelf. Easy. 

I tend to stick to a colour scheme for the kids. The boys especially, as I find boys clothes so hard to find in styles that I actually like. This way, all their clothes mix and match. 

I may like a red top , but know that it doesn't go with the rest of their clothing and therefore I don't buy it. Easy.

You may think that only 5 T-shirts isn't enough, but when you wash everyday like I do and its usually back in the wardrobes the next afternoon , I think 5 is just fine. Again, everyone is so different. Find a system that works of you . It may be trial and error, but you'll get there. This has taken me years to figure out and implement. But I am loving it ! 

If you haven't already, check out Part 1 of my Clothing Our Kids posts. 

In Part 3 I will be covering my favourite places to shop, both bricks and mortar stores and online. 

Is a Clothing Inventory something you may be interested in? 

Shall I pop my lists up as printable? 

You could always try your hand at making your own too! 

I'd love to hear more about the way you keep track of your kids clothing, sizes and storage!

Clothing our Kids Part 1

In my opinion, one of the most expensive things about having kids , is clothing them. I am sure I am not on my own in saying that kids generally grow like weeds! I know mine do (some more than others), and its only taken me 7 and a half years of being a Mum to finally realise some important things and make some decisions on our kids clothing. 

We now live in the Pilbara, a part of Western Australia that suffers brutal summers but glorious warm winters. We are also a lot more isolated from varieties of stores to buy apparel from. These factors have made me reassess our clothing, what we really do need, and when and where to buy them all.

With 2 boys and 2 girls, you would think I would be able to pass most of the kids clothing down. Unfortunately this isn't the case, as our boys are in the same size clothes and shoes and will probably be for the rest of their lives. Even with 18 months age difference, one is a big boy and one is a slight build. Luckily I can pass Stella's clothing down to Lacey pretty much as soon as she has grown out of  it , and we don't have to store it in-between.

I thought I would cover the topic of our Kids Clothing in a few different posts seeing as though I receive quite a number of emails and messages asking questions about this, and because we have a large family with both boys and girls. 

I will be covering topics like; 

- Where we buy our kids clothing from (favourite websites, brands etc)

- How we keep track of what we do and don't have

- the method I use to purchase items (i.e: big shop every size or season or purchase gradually)

And in this post - Selling items once you have finished with them 

If you have any questions or would like me to cover anything in particular please just flick me an email or message on my Facebook page and I'll try and cover those bases too!

Down to business;

As mentioned above, clothing kids is not a cheap task. They sometimes grow quickly and aren't in a particular size very long , or they may be in a certain size for a long period of time and you need to constantly top up their items because they wear out. 

I like to think that our kids go easy on their clothes, but I know that some don't. I often have friends mentioning that their son/daughter is 'hard on their clothes' so I guess I am just really lucky in that way. 

In their wardrobes I have a tub for "Too Small" items, so that when they go to put them on and they are too small, they don't go back into the clothing cycle. We simply pop the shorts or whatever it is , in the tub and when I have a decent amount in each tub , I then make plans to re-home them.

Some things that are bought from the chain stores are bundled up (as shown below) and I list them on our local Facebook Selling site. I try and get around $20-$30 for a large bundle. Its not a huge amount  but they are all in good condition and every little bit does help to then reinvest in bigger clothes. The items that are worn or marked are either chucked, given to friends or donated to an Op Shop (sometimes all they need is a good soak and wash with an Industrial Machine).

Name brand items that are still in good condition (I firmly believe that if you spend more on something, you get better quality and they wear better in the long run), are photographed and either sold on Ebay (super easy to do using the phone app) or Facebook . If our small town ran Baby and Kids markets,you can bet that I would be a regular for stalls there too! So these are always great places to pick up some good quality items at great prices.

On eBay - You simply need to take a few pictures of each piece, up close and be honest when listing them. Describe the condition, photograph any marks or blemishes in the pieces and sell at a good price. I often think that its better for something to be sold a little too cheaply and know that it will sell after all of your hard work preparing to do so, than it be a bit too expensive for some people and it still be cluttering up your house weeks or months later. I also offer combined postage, so its a good idea to list a few items at the same time, with similar finishing times on the auctions so that its more inviting to buy more of your items and this then means less trips to the Post Office for you!

Now that I have covered how I like to re-home our clothes, the next post in this series will show you how I like to keep track of what the kids do and don't have, and how I record when I purchase clothing a few sizes in advance.

Like I said, I'm happy to answer any questions or please feel free to comment with your hint and tips, we are all in this parenting thing together!

Cheeky Finds...

One of the biggest things (other than my family) that I miss about our new town , is the lack of shopping. I know there is the wonderful thing called the internet, oh believe me, I KNOW! However, sometimes you just crave a little wander. The useless, time wasting thing called 'Window Shopping'. 

One of my favourite past times was perusing the isles of my local cheapie shop, or looking with awe at all the pretty little boutiques. 

I wanted to share a few shopping finds that I have found and purchased recently. Some online and some from places you would least expect it!

Our kids needed new bathers as we are at the pool 3-4 times a week , and I am quite particular about what I buy, as in the styles. I can never find Rashie and bather bottom sets for the girls and refuse to buy 2 sets to just get what I want. Then low and behold , I find these sets at Woolworths and for just $6 for the boys boardies and $9.20 for the girls sets , bargain!! 

Do you remember these? Well I sure do! We used to have them as kids and would use a spoon to scoop out the ice!! And only $2 from Woolworths. The kids are loving them!! (and so is Mummy for her adult juice!!)

Now I didn't buy any of these but Woolworths have some fantastic Christmas Gift ideas in stock and at really reasonable prices too!

Take these Ride on bikes for example, our kids loved theirs and they are fantastic for holidays for chucking in the boot for impromptu park visits. $30 each

I have a terrible obsession with Jelly sandals. They are perfect for living in the Pilbara. I can wash them off, they don't get affected by the dirt colour and they don't scuff or mark. And these beauties were only $20 from Just Jeans! 

 I am loving the gorgeous disposable plates and bowls from Kmart and they match my decor for this year perfectly!! Only $2 a set!

And all the gorgeous and cheap plates etc at Kmart , I may have bought 4 of the divided plates on the bottom, they were also $2 each!

And some more gorgeous Jelly sandals. This time from Seed, and they have been worn to death already! 

And last but not least, our little Angus has developed quite a love for the Planes movie characters (without actually seeing the movie) and for his recent birthday, I picked up these Tshirts and boardies for just $5 a piece from Woolworths. He loves them and they are washing and wearing so well! 

Have you found any good bargains recently? Feel free to share on my Facebook page or here in the comments!! 

Enjoy and happy shopping!

New Sponsor - Zimmer & Jee

                        I am super thrilled to announce a new sponsor to my blog, Zimmer & Jee.


                   

Zimmer & Jee is an Australian online Childrens boutique for babies, kids and Mums. Stocking some of the most popular and best brands on the market, all at an affordable and competitive price and within the click of the mouse and tap of your fingers.
All the products they sell are of amazing quality , and my "Wish List" (for the children of course!!) is growing every minute!

Here are a few of my favourites, and a few are intended as the last of the kids Christmas presents too!

LOVE this Discoveroo Sort n' Tip Garbage truck - perfect for Angus for Xmas

Also LOVE this for Angus - Discoveroo Farm Set

My girls love to collect 'treasures' and carry them around in cases and bags, these would be perfect and even the lining is gorgeous!

                                      
Stocking brands such as, Aden & Anais, Alimrose, Discoveroo, Tiger Tribe and Lark just to name a few, there is something for everyone and anyone. All orders over $100 receive free shipping too, so perfect for purchasing your Christmas gifts for the whole family.

Vintage Cupcake cases, for Mumma of course!


And a little something that is great for gifts , baby showers, Birthday or Christmas presents, and for young and old!!

Initial Birth Print

                                        

I could go on forever, and I have a little (ok quite large really!) handwritten list scrawled on my desk of all the lovely things that I just know my kiddos would love, and me too!!
Make sure you check out Zimmer & Jee, you can find them on Facebook , Pinterest and of course their Website .

And guess what?

 Zimmer & Jee has so generously offered Bizzy Dayz readers a 10% discount on orders , simple use the code 'BIZZY' at checkout to redeem you discount!!
What perfect timing for Christmas shopping!!

So what are you waiting for ?

Check them out now!

Shopping for Bargains...

After the post on our Wardrobe tidy up, I had a request for a post on some of my favourite online shopping haunts!!

Well the reason we have a 94L storage tub at the top of our wardrobe that is nearly full, ready and organised for Christmas and birthdays next year, is because I like to purchase things when they are on sale.
Let it be known I am a scrooge. I hardly ever buy something full price, and like to wait until something comes on special or super sale before I buy it! Call it money savvy , call it tight, either way, it has meant that we have been able to cloth our kids in name brand clothes we probably wouldn't have been able to afford normally, have bought some bargains for around the home and all from the comfort of my lounge or bed!! Can't argue with that!

Now I mentioned in the wardrobe post , that I buy a bit from Ozsale!! I really LOVE Ozsale! I love it so much, I don't know whether I should be telling you all about it!
Ozsale is an online, members online shopping site. When you sign up as a member, you are signing up to receive emails everyday , alerting you of new brands and products that have commenced sale that day. The sales quite a few days or so , and over this time, you purchase straight from Ozsale. You can save up to 80% off the RRP of Designer labels. Anything and everything goes, baby and kids clothing, shoes, home wares, linen, Manchester, furniture, electrical goods. You name it.
I have pretty much clothed Angus is all Pure Baby or Max and Tilly for his short little 7 month life, all for a fraction of the cost, off Ozsale and the other subscription sites.
These are Buy Invite, Brands Exclusive, Catch of the Day .

Some other sites I use are Deals Direct- for absolutely everything and anything.
Ezi Buy- for Homewares, Manchester and clothing.

There are also the obvious ones like Ebay, Made it , Etsy etc.

But my biggest advice if you are in for a bargain, and have a love of the good quality, yet high priced brands? Sign up to their mailing lists.
Receive their emails. It might be another few emails in your Inbox (that make you feel totally loved) but if it means you are going to be notified of a sale ahead of everyone else, or given a codeword to use at the check out to redeem your discount, isn't it worth it?

Just lately I have been lucky enough to purchase for myself ( to be put away as a Christmas present of course) a new Oroton leather handbag. This bag is usually $700!! But I scored it for $200!!! Yes, that's still A LOT (or alot depending on how picky you are!) of money. But for a designer leather handbag?! So cheap, and all because I am signed up to their newsletter and was alerted of the sale, if I had not have got the email, perhaps I wouldn't have known about it!

Or I was able to buy a few things from Bambini Pronto because they had a massive sale too!! 40% off!! Whats not to like about buying something at nearly cost price?

I hope I have helped, other than the places I have listed, I just purchase off the websites and baby/kids boutiques that I am subscribed to , and only during a sale.
The thing about living in the country, even though where I live is actually a city, we still don't have much choice in the way of shopping. We have one department store, which is Target and that's it. This means that when we do get a break and head south to Perth, we shop til we drop, and nab some bargains then at Harbour Town etc, but we don't have the liberty to do this all the time, in fact about twice a year!! But sometimes that is just enough to satisfy the shopping bug, yet keep the finances under control!!

Speaking of sales and finances, Kikki K is having 25% off their Blue products until Sunday, using a codeword!! So why wouldn't you want to subscribe?!

If anyone would like invitations to the above companies, please email me or leave a message and I will send one out!!

Red Spot Boutique

Today I popped into our one and only large department store in G-Town. Target of course. The ever delightful Red Spot Boutique.
I have to admit, I actually love perusing the aisles and departments and Target was my first job, at the tender age of 14. Check out chick, then a promotion as I grew a bit older to the Refund/Exchange counters (horror after Christmas) before I resigned when I got my Apprenticeship.
Anyway, back to the shopping. Geraldton is a bit deprived. Ok, really deprived. For a city of its size, we are really disadvantaged in the Departments stores and Target has the Monopoly. Bring on BIG W I say!!!
However, that doesn't mean you don't nab a bargain or 10 every now and then!!

Today I picked up a few goodies, and thought it was only polite to share.

Two fantastic books, as amazing prices!!  The Annabel Karmel one is usually $29 but was on Clearance for $9.88. Apparently they only unpacked it this morning but there is a new version with a new cover , so this is on special!! YAY! There were a few there, so if your Target doesn't have them, let me know!!

And the Christmas Sorted book. I have a pink one about Home Sorted, but this is a fantastic organising book for the Silly Season. Craft ideas for kids, recipes, checklists. All the good stuff. For $10.88 Bargain!!

And of course a Jade inspired glass vase. Very Bed Bath and Table but on special at Target for $24.50. Can't wait to use it now!

So, there you have it. A few bargains I picked up today. Not super cheap, but all a fab price for very practical and useful items.

We had a busy but nice day today. Took the kids to Gym, Stella loves it and Max and Lacey just cruise around and play on everything, Lacey particularly likes climbing onto the mats and small tramps now. But no Gym outing is complete without a trip to McDonalds McCafe with a few lovely ladies for a coffee and play first!!

All my jobs were done yesterday, well alot of them, the floors, bathrooms, dusting, changing the sheets and a few loads of washing, so its always nice to have a down day just playing and chilling afterwards!! But back to it tomorrow!! The machine NEVER stops in my house, and neither do I!!

Sharing...

Ok, so there are a few things I would like to share with you, you might not be interested but I will try anyway, and I just thought I would ocmbine the post. After all, sharing is caring!

Just a quick meal I prepared for my family yesterday!! It must of been good because Stella ate the whole thing and fast too!!

I know as much as anyone that if you have had  a hard day, if the kids are naughty or unsettled and you need to prepare dinner whilst WW3 is happening around you, that it has to be quick and easy, aswell as nutrious and healthy for everyone.

This is my recipe for Savoury Mince, it isn't actually a proper recipe, just something that I have made our up over time. My sister gave us an amazing little hand written book as a wedding present, with alot of our family recipes. Things like my Grandmas Pastry and scones, my Dad pikelets, mock chicken, meatballs, curries , you name it, plus I have added my own in aswell. However, you don't always have all the ingredients of a recipe in your pantry and it was more often than not that I didn't have everything for Dads Savoury Mince, so here is Liz's Savoury Mince. ( I know I know that mince is not that great for us, not the healthest meat around, but Stella loves it and eats it, this is Noel's favourite meal and  it was in my freezer, plus it beats Takeaway on a hard night!!)

I started by chopping up all our veges, I like to try and do this a bit earlier in the arvo, to save time at peak hour, but whenever is good for you. Any vegies can go in this meal, and I like to try and use up all the ones that need using up, and its a great way to "hide" vegies for the kids or fussy eaters!!

We had - cauliflower, capsicum, carrot, zucchini, onion, and celery but usually I add frozen peas and corn but I forgot this time!!

Cook your mince with the onions , and add some crushed garlic.

Add your vegies, your sauces, try different combinations that are in your cupboard, ours was;

2 tbsp Tomato Sauce

1 tbsp Barbeque Sauce

1 tbsp Kecap Manis (sweet soy sauce)

1 Tbsp Sweet Chilli Sauce ( it wasn't at all spicy and was fine for Stella)

1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce

Adjust to your taste and liking.

Cook up some pasta, I used spirals and when cooked add to pan with everything else.

Serve and enjoy, below are Noels and Stellas dinner.

 

The babies even liked this, mixed up with a barmix to make it easier.

Yummo!!

Next of the sharing, are these 2 uber gorgeous backpacks I picked up the other day for Max and Lacey!!

Umm, hello?!!! Cute or what!!! After falling in love with the Skip Hop ones HERE and starting to search the net for a store that had them on sale, I just happened to go into my local Crazy Clarkes Store and glance over to see these beauties!! They are nearly identical, and I say they are cheap copies, but for $10, I didn't care and quickly snapped them up for my cherubs. The backpacks seem a bit smaller but we don't need anything big, I am just in planning mode for when I can ditch the nappy bag, regain my handbag and start taking their bags out instead!!
And who could resist a little puppy dog and mouse!?! So get to your nearest Crazy Clarkes, and if you don't have one, let me know, I will see what I can do and post it to you!! Who am I to deny someone such goodies!?

Lastly , after a pretty good tip off from a good friend and terrible shopping influence, I purchased these gorgeous canvas baskets, complete with handle for easy transport. They are on sale at the moment from Bambini Pronto at such an amazing price, so I snapped up one small and 2 large baskets. The small one is great, and I have replaced a white basket with a chocolate Canvas storage one to house our nappies and wipes in our living area. Fantastic and portable for a mobile change station for your babies and the large is now the home for our toys in the family room (as the rest live in the Toy Room). Again, great to transport with the handles, as I often take toys outside when we are playing out there. This makes life easier!

There you have it, sorry if  I have heart the bank balance, but I couldn't help but share!!

Goodluck!