I'm about one month in on my commitment to The Compact, a plan to wean myself from some commercialization and waste and stuff. I'm giving periodic updates on the state of things regarding this six-month personal challenge.
Jonathan and I plan our budget such that we each have some spending money every month. I thought that my compact plan would allow me to save all of this money, and then go on a trip or something exciting. Instead, I've been spending it all on yarn with which to make gifts. Mostly baby hats. I think I need to re-negotiate the terms of the spending money if I'm going to use it to make gifts, don't you? I'll work on that.
But yesterday I found a whole new place to spend money. And it isn't even money from the "Chelsea's free money" pot, because it's spent on clothes for Evelyn. The heavens parted to reveal...
USED KIDS' CLOTHING STORES!
Genius. I'd been to The Red Hen and Kid to Kid before, but really just to browse and I never took the time to seriously look. Then yesterday I was on a mission to find a brown and yellow outfit for Evelyn's Thanksgiving performance at school next week and I knew I couldn't buy new, so I went over to Once Upon a Child. Brilliant. Just brilliant. They organize the clothes by color and type (red tops, blue bottoms, sleepwear, etc.) which I love as that's how I organize E's closet. And they have some seriously adorable stuff. And it looks like it's never been worn. Oh how I love it. I get good clothes on the cheap, I'm re-using... there is nothing bad about this situation.
After I left the store I felt like a convert. I wanted to go tell everyone. You don't have to be limited by Target's selection or the current themed wear at Gymboree! There are racks of name-brand and not name-brand stuff for $2 each just waiting for you! Halloween costumes, swings, bouncers, holiday dresses... it's all there. Yep, I'm totally a convert.
Here's Evelyn's haul from yesterday: a hot pink corduroy puffy vest with brown and while polka-dot fleece inside, warm fuzzy holiday-ish PJs, a brown and yellow outfit for the school show, navy fuzzy pants for school (uniform), and I splurged with the headband with interchangeable flower... that kinda breaks the rules but what could I do?
So there you have it. I think it's the perfect balance between hand-me-downs and buying new. You get to choose what you want, but you pay just a couple bones per item. I'm in love.
Jonathan and I plan our budget such that we each have some spending money every month. I thought that my compact plan would allow me to save all of this money, and then go on a trip or something exciting. Instead, I've been spending it all on yarn with which to make gifts. Mostly baby hats. I think I need to re-negotiate the terms of the spending money if I'm going to use it to make gifts, don't you? I'll work on that.
But yesterday I found a whole new place to spend money. And it isn't even money from the "Chelsea's free money" pot, because it's spent on clothes for Evelyn. The heavens parted to reveal...
USED KIDS' CLOTHING STORES!
Genius. I'd been to The Red Hen and Kid to Kid before, but really just to browse and I never took the time to seriously look. Then yesterday I was on a mission to find a brown and yellow outfit for Evelyn's Thanksgiving performance at school next week and I knew I couldn't buy new, so I went over to Once Upon a Child. Brilliant. Just brilliant. They organize the clothes by color and type (red tops, blue bottoms, sleepwear, etc.) which I love as that's how I organize E's closet. And they have some seriously adorable stuff. And it looks like it's never been worn. Oh how I love it. I get good clothes on the cheap, I'm re-using... there is nothing bad about this situation.
After I left the store I felt like a convert. I wanted to go tell everyone. You don't have to be limited by Target's selection or the current themed wear at Gymboree! There are racks of name-brand and not name-brand stuff for $2 each just waiting for you! Halloween costumes, swings, bouncers, holiday dresses... it's all there. Yep, I'm totally a convert.
Here's Evelyn's haul from yesterday: a hot pink corduroy puffy vest with brown and while polka-dot fleece inside, warm fuzzy holiday-ish PJs, a brown and yellow outfit for the school show, navy fuzzy pants for school (uniform), and I splurged with the headband with interchangeable flower... that kinda breaks the rules but what could I do?
So there you have it. I think it's the perfect balance between hand-me-downs and buying new. You get to choose what you want, but you pay just a couple bones per item. I'm in love.
Comments
Plus, the last pair I bought had been altered and the previous owner just happened to be exactly my height. SCORE!
There's one over by Guglhuph that I totally want to check out.
-Abby