Note from Jessica: This is a guest post from my friend, Elizabeth. Liz and I taught at the same school, although we weren’t really friends until years later, as moms, when we started reading each others’ Facebook statuses, and realized we had way too much in common to not be real-life friends. 🙂 I asked Liz to share why and how she stockpiles stuff, even if her kids won’t use it for YEARS. It’s an interesting concept! Hope you enjoy, and thanks for sharing, Liz!
When Caleb, my first little one, was just a few months old, I posted the above picture on my blog, with all the toys in the bathtub.
My readers were probably wondering, “Why is she buying Mr. Potato Heads for her nearly newborn? Doesn’t she realize that all of those small parts pose a major choking hazard for her child?”
Well, this is where I will admit to you that I buy ahead – I always have and I always will.
Let me explain. When I was a kid, my mom always bought ahead for my brother and me. When it was time for a new school year to begin, we didn’t go blow $500 at the mall – picking out clothes/shoes/supplies for the upcoming school year. My mom had already planned ahead for us!
We simply went to the upstairs closet and pulled out the bins that she had prepared for that school year.
I think this is absolutely genius! (This is not the only area in which I strive to be like my mother – She is smart, savvy, and resourceful!) Anyway, when you shop ahead it gives you plenty of time to find the cheapest of prices on the best things and you have what you need (plus a few extra fun things) when it comes time to need them.
I’ve done this several times:
– When I was a junior in high school, I started gathering items for my future dorm room. Why wait til the summer before my freshman year and pay full price for all that “Back-to-College” stuff?
– Since I knew I wanted to be a teacher, I spent all of my high school and college years collecting items for the classroom. You would not believe the incredible items that I found at yard sales, thrift stores, etc.
– Throughout those years, I also gathered items for “my first place” – pots & pans, cutlery, wall hangings, etc. Boy, did this save me a ton of money when it came time to move to NC!
So you see, this “buying ahead” thing has already been a pattern for me and so it continues now.
I buy ahead for Caleb in every way – clothes, books, toys, homeschooling materials, etc. It’s the only way to go for me & if you know me at all, you know I like to be prepared! When I was about 5 weeks pregnant with Caleb, I started stockpiling diapers and wipes (combining sales w/ coupons, etc. of course), and we did not have to start replenishing the supply until he was about a year old. (side note from Jessica: That is amazing, isn’t it? She collected a year’s worth of diapers ahead of time?!?!)
As far as clothing goes, I will say that at this point, I do not buy larger than a 5T for him. I limit myself to classic styles, and I also have to be realistic and consider the fact that he has a walk-in closet, NOT a walk-in storage building.
As I’ve found great items that – at this point – would already be too small for him, I go ahead and buy them anyway. We are expecting another little boy in August, and who knows?! We might just have a few more! {We just LOVE boys – they’re great for so many reasons, aren’t they?}
I also pick up great items (no larger than a 2T) for what my husband and I refer to as our “Maybe Baby” – the girl that may someday join our family. (Yes, we have already chosen a name – It will be released at a later date.) *grin* You may think this is completely crazy, and that’s fine if you do; but when I find like-new Janie & Jack and Ralph Lauren items for under $1.00, I’m going to buy them, and if this future “Maybe Baby” never happens, then I can resell these items and make a pretty large profit.
It makes sense in my head…Thank you, mom, for teaching me to plan ahead! It has saved me loads of stress and tons of money!
Do you buy ahead for your children? What are the easiest items to stock up on?
Note from Liz: Hi! I’m Liz – elementary-school teacher turned stay-at-home wife to my hubby of almost four years and mom to Caleb (20 months) and Isaac (due this summer). You would be welcome to visit me anytime at www.allthingskidd.blogspot.com. I would love for you to join me in my journey!
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Hi! I shop ahead too, but I’m further along in the game than you guys since my “babies” are now 15 and 17…well and the “maybe baby” is 9. Soo here are some thoughts for the years ahead…I think your size limits are a good place to start being more careful, because as they age their own sense of style begins to play a bigger part in the clothing department. I had one girl at size 4 decided never to where pink, purple, flowers or ruffles again. Also by the end of elementary school the hand me down thing wasn’t working so good. The oldest had short legs; youngest had a tiny waist….it made passing down pants almost impossible.
Now that they are older I would say think twice before you give things away(or consign). Sometimes they grow out (read get wider) and then grow up (read get taller). My neighbor and I have talked about clothes that we passed on to others that a child could have worn for a 2nd round once they “grew up”.
Also beware of the girlie colors…a light blue gap fleece from the girls dept. can be passed on to a brother or a maybe…where a pink one cannot. My tomboy 2nd daughter and my son have shared many clothes.
My last tip is for those raising girls..when they grow out of the children’s sizes things become more expensive in spades. So here are a couple of thoughts.
1. I would take the girls to old navy a nd buy them a pair of jeans that they liked and that fit. I then took them home and would measure the waist and the inseam, and with that information head out to goodwill to buy more jeans at $2–3 a pair. This got us through the years where they were in women’s sizing but still growing…once they stopped growing…I started this policy: “I buy what you need, you buy what you want.”
2. As girls mature they two can cycle back in sizing as they begin to gain a waist…so hang on to things.
I miss the cute little outfits for $5…and the sweet little sandals with flowers on them.
I loved reading your thoughts, Ginny! Great ideas and super helpful to hear from someone with older children~
This was a helpful post – I had never thought about stockpiling in a positive light before. I guess I always thought it was too much like hoarding 🙂 but now I am not going to feel guilty about it! I see the merits and can’t wait to start trying to budget for future clothes/toys in my budget today.