The Dam Breaks
I have known since March that I was having a daughter. For those of you who wish to avoid math, I’ll help you out by saying that that was seven months ago today.
And in those seven months, I have not bought her a single item of clothing. Not one.
We got a lot of clothing from several baby showers, lovely miscellaneous clothing items from kind friends, and then a family from church in Boston gave us seven boxes of their baby clothes ranging in size from newborn to a year. Much of that clothing was still brand-new and had the tags on it.
Frankly, there was no reason to buy anything – Ella is swimming in clothing. I had friends that expressed their amazement, telling me how they couldn’t contain themselves from buying clothing as soon as they found out they were having a girl. But we were in the midst of paying off our student loans at a breakneck rate and when clothes were coming in from every direction, I didn’t feel like I needed to BUY any more clothing.
And then, last weekend, I went in to Old Navy. And when I stopped by the clearance rack, there was a small sign stating that everything on the clearance rack was 50% off the lowest listed price. And I had a 10% off coupon burning a hole in my purse.
I. . . bought a lot of things. But they were all about $2 each, except for this first dress which crept all the way up to $5. And they all kept telling me they really really wanted to come home with me and be worn by Ella.
Poor little Ella, she’ll probably never own something that wasn’t bought on clearance.
I think the first article of clothing I bought full price was when I was in college. I felt very naughty for doing so!
Once you start, you won't stop…
Trust me. 🙂
Right on! Those clothes are adorable. I will be the first to admit that I have a hard time sticking to a budget, but one thing I can't stand to spend a lot of money on is clothing. I shop for our family at thrift stores and clearance racks and we wear cute stuff, not old grungy stuff. I love Old Navy's 50% off clearance sales, and Kohl's has somme awesome clearance too if you're willing to do a little digging.
Adorable.
Great picks, Janssen. I love the swimsuit. When I had my first I got so many clothing that I was afraid that I'd forget to put it on "Cub" before he outgrew it! Love a good deal too.
We called that "speculative buying" and did it with great joy. My work friend had girls about the same age as my children, so if something didn't work the next season for one of us… we could just trade. We also knew each other's taste so well, we often would splurge that $2 for each other – – and be spot on!!!! So much fun!!!! It is great to share!
Well, if you are the one buying the clearance items, you always find great things. And they must have better clearance items in Texas… or maybe I need a girl instead, b/c the boys clearance are always disappointing and more expensive. I'm glad the dam broke at last. It's fun that way.
I personally think you are teaching her from a young age to be wise with her money. And that is not a bad thing at all!
They may be on clearance, but those outfits are so darling.
I love those little shoes! All of Amelia's clothes are either given to me as a shower gift or purchased second hand–I love Once Upon A Child! She has yet to complain about a single item. I'm sure your little darling is adorable in whatever she wears.
I see nothing wrong with clearance! The couple clothing items I've purchased have also been on clearance. Also, those shoes are SO cute.
My mom and I hit up the same sale and bought a bunch of stuff, including the blue hoodie and the hot pink dress. 🙂