Image Credit: SmallNotebook.org
The following is a guest post by Tiffany over at Songbirdtiff. Hand me downs, clearance, garage sale and thrift store shopping are all wonderful ways to cut back on clothing expenses. But I am sure you have experienced the common pitfall of having too many summer shorts or not enough winter sweaters for your family. A clothing inventory is a great way to keep track of what we have on hand to avoid overbuying items we already have on hand. Enjoy!
We all know that shopping clearance racks and thrift stores can help save money on the family wardrobe, but there is one way that we can save money without leaving our homes: by creating a clothing inventory.
Why do a clothing inventory?
1. The change of seasons is a great time to weed out items that are worn out and in need to be replaced.
2. It’s good to know what you have, before you buy a replacement. If your memory is anything like mine, you have no idea what you have from last winter.
3. This gives you time to make needed repairs to items, such as replacing zippers and buttons.
4. If you shop year round for great deals, it’s likely you don’t remember what you bought last spring. I never really know what I have to start off my winter wardrobe until I do a clothing inventory.
How to Create a Clothing Inventory:
1. Put away all your summer clothes. I pull all my summer clothes off hangers and fold them neatly to put in vacuum storage bags and under bed containers.
2. Bring on the winter clothes. Just dump those containers and vacuum bags of winter clothes all out on the bed.
3. Organize. I like to put my clothing in piles of like-items. I organize them according to each category on my Inventory Sheet: sweaters, jeans, dresses, etc. Check out the Inventory Sheet I have created here.
4. Write it all down. I count how many items I have of each item and write it down under that category. I leave some room for notes.
5. Creating a shopping list. In doing my inventory, I noticed that my black long sleeve t-shirt is worn out and needs to be replaced. I wrote that down in the left column. Since it’s still very early in the season, I can wait for a good sale to come around in the next month or so, saving me from running out and buying one at full price when I’m ready to wear it.
Useful Tips to Make it Easy for You:
- Keep two baskets available, one for donations and another to discard worn out items. Consider recycling as many old clothes as possible into cleaning rags.
- When hanging clothes, turn your hangers backwards. If, in the spring, the hanger is still backwards that item hasn’t been worn all winter and should be donated.
