Wednesday, September 10, 2008

I'm baffled by the sheer volume of clothes she has.

Over the weekend, we acquired some more hand-me-downs from the cousins. Most of them were 2T and larger, but there were a few things in the 12-18 month range, so during Olivia's record-breaking long nap this morning, I sorted and rearranged the drawers I had removed from her dresser. This is what we ended up with:



Aside from two t-shirts and a skirt that were new from Grandma, every single item in each of these drawers is either a hand-me-down or a yard sale purchase (and is in her current or soon-to-be size). I'm not kidding. And yes, I know the one drawer looks empty, but I filled it up as soon as Olivia's nap was over and I could get to the stack of cool-weather outfits I had stored in her closet.

I now have three sources of hand-me-downs (one on the swap system, and the other two sources are giving us clothes to keep). I have six diaper boxes full of "our" clothes that Olivia can no longer fit and two boxes full of larger sizes that she will grow into. I also have a box full of clothes to return to our swap source, a box full of tights, socks and belts, and two full racks of dresses, coats, and outfits. We're talking 20+ dresses and at least that many coats, jackets and sweaters, plus overalls, jumpers and other assorted outfits. Oh, and I almost forgot...I have a whole bag full of clothes to donate too...stuff that Olivia just never got around to wearing. We are saving a lot of it for our next baby, but we really cannot imagine ever needing ALL OF THIS STUFF!

I honestly do not know how people raise children without all these free clothes. In her entire lifetime, I doubt we have spent $100 on clothing for Olivia. And I'm going to milk this for all it's worth. Someday, she's going to be a teen or tween and be clothes-conscious and want all the latest styles. I'm sure we are going to spend more than enough then. We might as well take advantage of her clothing ignorance while we can. Besides, she has looked awfully cute in her assortment of hand-me-downs throughout her short life, don't you think?








2 comments:

HereWeGoAJen said...

I've never seen her in anything that isn't adorable. Obviously, these hand me down people have good taste. :)

Stephanie said...

She is awfully cute.

We've had some hand-me-downs, but mostly we've shopped consignment sales for both boys to have clothes, equipment, and toys. It's been really helpful, and saved us a ton of money.