I Need to Get Organized

My favorite type of question. If you look at my bio, that's what I do for a living. I didn't have this exact problem. However, I still felt that my kids (the girls, especially) had too many clothes. So, we just decided ahead of time what they really needed and went through and kept their favorites/the best outfits for what they needed...and donated the rest to Good Will. One of my favorite movie quotes was from the remake of "Sabrina" with Julia Ormond, Harrison Ford and Greg Kinnear. "Linus" (Ford) and "Sabrina" (Ormond) are at their cottage by the sea and she's taking pics. She asks what he wants pics of and he says to shoot all of it. She answers "More isn't always better, Linus. Sometimes it's just more." That stuck with me, for some reason. Now, I find myself wanting to be a funnel instead of a sponge where things are concerned. If I can pass on some things that are extra for us and bless someone else's life...I like that better. The bonus for me is less laundry to do.

Hi J.,

There is a site on line where you can give away all the over stuff you don't need. You can join free. It is called
www.freecycle.org People get on there and see what they need and a trade is done and no charge. or you can sell some on ebaby in a group.
L. M(as there are probably millions of L. so thus my last initial.) I saw this in the detroit news paper on sunday .

Keep what you want/need and take the rest to a Once Upon a Child or Children's Orchard. They buy new and gently used clothing - a little better than a garage sale and you don't have to sit there all day!

Dear J., do you plan on having any more kids? If you have any more girls, you will want to save these clothes for them-the grandmothers may not be in a position then to smother them with clothes. If you are SURE you are done having kids, you could do a couple of things. One is to box them up/store them and give them away at baby showers and as other kids' birthday presents for the next several years-it will save you a TON of money! Another option is to donate the clothes to a family in real need-expecially with all the people out of work these days. Don't bother trying to convert the Grandmas to your point of view-it's probaby a lost cause. Besides they get great joy from it-don't deprive them of this. Just use the situation to your advantage! I know my sister has two gorgeous girls, close in age. But one is a brunette/redhead with more of an olive tone who looks great in primary colors. (She takes after her mother and maternal grandmother). Her sister (who takes after her paternal grandmother) has long blond hair, big blue eyes, and very pale skin. Primary or bright colors wash her out, and she wears pastels. So my sister ended up having to get two very different types of clothing for the two girls. This may be the case with your two, and why the grandmothers are buying different clothes for the baby sister. Hope this helps-K..

I suggest you have a garage sale in the spring or summer. Children's clothes sell well. I've bought a ton of clothes and toys at garage sales. Maybe you could get together with a neighbor, another mom, a relative and to a multi-sale.

J., are you familiar with Mom to Mom sales? It is a great way to make some money on baby/kid stuff, and clear out storage space. If you live in southeast Michigan, this website will help you: http://www.mom2momlist.com/

There is one good way to organize to relieve yourself of all of the extra clothes for your daughters, and that would be donating to a Thrift Shop, or selling their clothes at a consignment store. The yellow pages has a list of consignment shops, check out the stores nearest you of your choice. Perhaps, ask the grandmothers if it would be possible to buy progressive educational toys and games, hopefully that will be so much better for you.

Donate the clothes there are plenty of families who could use it or take it to a mom to mom swap. You could try craigslist.org or ebay. Lot's of options out there.

I just had my second child (a girl). My first was a boy and we had TONS of clothes. I went through everything and kept only the special outfits to give to friends with little boys-- everything else I hauled to Salvation Army. I would take a 1/2 day and sort through and keep only what you really want and donate the rest.

Hi J. -
I can totally resonate with what you are going through. As a wife, mother (aka diaper changing machine :^ D), and international business consultant, I have these piles around my house that keep growing.

Let me share with you advice from my friend Patty Kreamer www.byebyeclutter.com

THE "ONE IN - ONE OUT" RULE

While you are shopping, often times it's tempting
to buy yourself something here and there because the
prices are so good during the holidays.

Before buying something, ask yourself:

1.Do I NEED or WANT this item?
2.If I NEED it, where will I put it (do I have room)?
3.If I do buy it, what will I be getting rid of?

For example, if Kathy NEEDS new pants, then she
should buy them. Now she must decide what she
will be removing from her closet before she buys
the pants. The key is to follow through with
the disposal of the other item. If Kathy WANTS
the new pants but doesn't NEED them, she must
ask herself if she can wait a week and walk away.
If she even remembers next week that they were
on her radar screen the week before, Kathy needs
to ask questions 2 & 3 above again, decide what
will be leaving her closet to make room for the
new pants, and stick to her decision.

In order to make really quick progress in
decluttering your life, instead of getting rid
of one item to make room for the new, get rid of
two or three or four! So you can use the One
in-one out rule, One in-two out rule, One in-three
out rule, and so on. Obviously the higher the
OUT number, the faster you will see results.

Hope this helps. Sign up for her eZine for more great organization tips.

To your continued success,
K. S., CCF
The Global Client Communication Expert
Author of “Keys to Client Communication”
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