When to save hand-me-downs

In the Fall and in the Spring, I bring out the Winter and the Summer clothes, respectively. Ending-season clothing goes onto the bed while coming season clothing goes into the wash. It was clean when I put it in there, but I feel better rewashing it. In a hurry, I have been known to just re-tumbly dry it, so I can be sure there are no spiders or beasts of neglect living in the folds.

Better safe than sorry

Before boxing up all of last-season's clothing, pick out 2-3 transitional outfits, to wear during days when the weather can't make up its mind. We've worn sweaters on the fourth of July before, and would have frozen our buns off if they had been packed away.

Label hand-me-downs as you go

As you're filling boxes, make sure that the outside of the box is clearly labeled with the size, sex of child and the season. next year, being able to open the box that says "Girls, Summer, 2T" will be so much easier than sifting through boxes of clothes that don't fit anyone.

Know when to say goodbye to clothes

Do not box anything that is clearly ruined. Mend any buttons, put it into a crat box or scrap fabric pile or something. Wearing hand-me-downs are one thing, but wearing clothes your sister thrashed is quite another. If something is stained or ripped it should not be preserved in that condition.

Givers get

If you are sick of looking at something, donate it. Givers get; and I can prove it. I have given away so many boxes and bags of clothing and it just keeps returning. Most mothers are very good about sharing hand-me-downs. If you admire someone's style, don't be afraid to ask. Many people are happy to share. Donating clothing is a wonderful thing, and many churches or mothers groups have "swap days" just for that purpose.

Hand-me-down Lists

Keep a list of what's in each box. For example, I know that in my 2t girls winter box I currently have 3 pairs of jeans, 3 sweaters, 1 pair of socks and 5 long sleeve shirts. While I'm thrift shopping or visiting yard sales, and come across a cute pair of name-brand embroidered denim jeans in size 2t I can buy them without wondering if it's overkill. A 2 yr old needs more than 3 pairs of jeans when I'm doing laundry.

Socks and Lies

You might have noticed socks in my box. That's a lie, they're all in one drawer in the bottom of my dresser because I am too lazy to fold them. A couple kids ago, however, I boxed them in with the winter clothes and it worked out so very nicely. I cross my heart, when this winter ends, I am doing it again. I suggest you do the same.

Labels

One last organizational tip for storing off-season clothing is to keep your box labels on one side. For me, this means that I carry a marker to my garage and label whichever side of the box is visible. When I look at the shelf of boxes, I can see what is inside of each one without opening them. One year, I adhered bright pink paper to each box so they all had very visible labels. Rifling aimlessly through boxes of clothes defeats the purpose of being organized, to make life simpler.

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