Is it worth it to take, keep and store all of those hand-me-downs for the kids? With kids clothing prices going up every year, it is definitely worth it to hold on to some things. But how do you store the clothes without them taking over valuable living space? Here is what I do.
In our new home, I am fortunate enough to have attic space, which really helps a lot. But previously, I got by without it, storing things in closets, under beds, in the basement or garage, and anywhere in the house that was appropriate and didn’t get in the way.
I have three children, so I can’t see tossing and then re-buying clothes that can be used among them all.
I think the secret to storing hand-me-down clothing is in the organization. For us, it it better to store it in multiple small boxes rather than big tubs. While the big tubs can be very convenient when you go to store the clothing, they are a nightmare when you are ready to take things out.
Office filing boxes, such as those sold at Staples, are my solution. They can be easily labeled and relabeled with nothing more than a pen (or in desperation, a crayon), are stackable, and are so very lightweight. These boxes, even filled with clothing, are so easy to carry that I enlisted my five-year-old to carry them up to the attic from the garage. (Paying him at a rate of 2 cents a box.)
I also like the fact that the boxes are small enough to sort the clothing for better organization. My oldest tends to outgrow his shirt size before his pants size. So I know I can go ahead and pull out just the size 6 shirts without the need for the same sized pants.
As someone outgrows something, or as I am gifted with hand-me-downs, I sort through and box them up, labeling with the gender, type and size (Boys,4t pants). In my family, my oldest is a boy, my middle child is a girl and my youngest is another boy. Some clothing, such as plain jeans, is generic, so I just include it in the gender of whomever is next in line to wear it. Having a separate “generic” box seems to fussy to me, but the small size of the boxes would easily allow for that if you are super organized.
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