Living on less....fall clothing

In an effort to organize a list of clothing "needs" for this coming Spring, I am going to look back and see what the children really wore during the fall/winter of this year.

Wyatt - 1 yr-old boy
Footed Fleece rompers - he wore these to sleep in, play in, and even run errands in.

2 Favorite Mini Boden outfits - these 2 outfits outshown the rest and he wore these all the time

1 Gymboree monkey outfit

2 holiday sweaters - 1 for fall and 1 for Christmas (nutcracker sweater from Janie & Jack)

Gap jeans - 3 pairs

socks

chore boots for outside

leather boots for church/casual wear

William

fleece pj's with socks

Homemade fleece longies w/ long sleeve tees

sweater/coat/fleece zipup for outside play

chore boots

ankle boots for church/casual

2 holiday sweaters (same as above)

Gap jeans

Boden flannel pants w/matching tee (x2 sets)

2 pairs of rib waist cargos from Boden that I LOVED w/ random tee's

tennis shoes

socks from children's place

Hannah

Knit dresses with knit pants/tights underneath

Knit pants with matching tee's

Holiday dresses Thanksgiving & Christmas & New Years

2/3 church dresses

matching pj sets (warm)

chore boots

land's end mary janes/pedi peds for dressy & casual/boots

Hannah had a lot of mini boden but it ended up being too wide for her and she hardly wore any of it. I am hoping it will still fit for next year.

Abigail - (my biggest challenge to buy for)

knit dresses w/tights/knit pants

matching pjs

pencil skirts

sweaters - zip up

tee's for layering

boots

ballet flats

chore boots

lots of accessories, scarfs...ect

Now looking at what we DID wear will make buying for future seasons easier. My goal is to NOT BUY those things that only get worn once or do not get worn at all! So the first step is pinpointing what we DID wear.

I challenge each of you to do this so your clothes budget goes farther. Buy less, wear it more often!

Living On Less....Clothing

My goal is not only to HAVE LESS clothing but to SPEND LESS on our clothing. This will come from shopping for sale items, sewing our clothes, and from buying used.

Another nugget of wisdom (its really more like a duh!) is to only buy WHAT I NEED!

Now to some that may sound like normal common sense but I know I am not the only one who has bought because things were attractive and a good price.

Keep in mind my monetary goal is $5/week/child for clothing.

I bought a very fine pair of Gap jeans in HARDLY Used condition for $8 shipped for William. These normally cost about $25 pair online. He just went from a 2 to a 3 for length and Gap is the only brand that my skinny kids can wear without looking like they are balloon pants...even with adjustable waists!

I normally would have gone online, found a decent sale bought a few pairs of pants....spending about $50-$75. I only spent $8! GO ME!

Sorry but this is a big deal for me! Just be happy for me...;)

Where do you buy used? I buy from ebay, from gymbofriends, and from bodenboard....all reputable forums which people sell their used clothing.

So right now I am 2 weeks into my goal and I am $2 under budget for Will.....so cool

Menu Plan - January 2nd - 8th

This picture doesn't have anything to do with menu planning but I thought it was sweet of me and my baby. And yes, that is my favorite shirt...I wear it all the time, living on less, remember?

Second week of $75/week budget

- Well last week went so well with spending no money (except that stint at Mcd's), I think I will do it 1 more time to get us deep in the black and start the new year off right.
This week I will be relying on leftovers….still (heard of the roast beef that wouldn’t die?) and meats that I have stocked up on in the past when the price was right.

DINNERS
Grilled Chicken Leg Quarters w/BBQ sauce & veggies (such a deal at less than $1.50 for my chicken)
Turkey Spaghetti w/fresh garden salad (fresh from my garden!)
Chicken & Dumplings (The other $1.50 of those leg quarters and homemade dumplins!)
Shrimp fettuccini or red sauce which ever I have on hand
Beans & rice w/a little leftover ham (see below)
Mexican Beef n rice casserole (this is that roast beef again)
Left over ham sandwiches from our New Years ham – from Logan Farms w/$50 gift card from Billy’s work (yep The Lord will provide!)

Breakfast
Yogurt w/fruit
Eggs & cheese w/toast
Oatmeal w/ pure cane syrup
Cinnamon & sugar nuggets w/ syrup
Cereal
Blender batter waffles made with whole grains (literally…they have not been ground)

Lunch
Tuna sandwiches
ramen noodles
Pb & J, fruit & yogurt
Mac N Cheese w/hotdogs wienies
smoothies
Spagettio’s
frozen pizza (I know soooo bad)
Well, this is going on my second week and I am super excited. This has allowed for us to use our money elsewhere.

All of these items I have in my storage/leftover except I will need the following:
- milk (whole milk) - 3 gallons - $4.50/gallon - $13.50
- creamer (coffee is my major weakness) - 2 quarts - $2.70/quart - $5.40
-cheese – three 8-ounce bags of shredded cheese about $6

$24.90 + tax

Living on less!

This is my New Year’s Resolution….to live on less.

Live on less money, live on less STUFF, live with less commitments, live with less stress.
I think it is sad that I have failed at properly budgeting our money. I am inconsistent with my spending in every category. In groceries I fluctuate by well over $100-$200 each month. In clothes, I spend large amounts ($600-$1000) twice a year. Now, if I would set the monthly budget aside to make those bulk clothing purchases it would not be such a big deal but I don’t.
Needless to say, consistency is not my strength.

My plan to live on less is as follows….(no gasping allowed)

Spend $75 a week for all grocery items
• Clip coupons
• Plan budget conscience menus
• Limit snack foods
• Focus on whole food & meatless meal diet
• BE ACCOUNTABLE
Spend $5 per week/per child for clothing - $25/week total (this one scares me!)
• Sew as many clothes with repurposed materials as possible
• Buy used clothing
• Save clothing for younger siblings
Grow 75% of all produce this year

Plant 5-10 more fruit trees to increase fruit harvest in coming years

Spend no more than $75 per child per birthday (party & gift)

I am committing to bring $100/month into our family budget through talents I have.

I am so excited and optimistic about this plan. I have had these ideas and desires floating in my head for a couple of years at least but I never made a plan. I am so nervous and so excited at the same time. Of course while I want to sew everything the kids wear, I also have to realize I do not have much extra time. SO….I must budget my time with a balanced schedule and plan ahead.
I will plan at least 3 months ahead. I will hold 1 major planning day at the beginning of each month and then 1 smaller planning day each week.

On Wednesday’s I will plan my menu for the following week based on my coupons and the sale papers. I will go to the store on Thursday or Friday and report my success/failure. I am tracking the prices so that I can accurately plan my menus.
I will be working on clothing items each week and will post about those as well.